Don't Open Your Eyes (2018) Poster

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3/10
Such a let down
killset-418586 October 2018
After watching the trailer I was excited to see this movie. First I have to say I thought the actors did a great job! So when you see these reviews please don't blame yourselves, you guys are the only reason this thing stayed a float as long as it did. As for the writer, I think it was a creative and cool "concept" you had but the over all story line just got tedious as dialog in the movie became nothing more than random sputtering making no sense at all. Very hard to understand and I don't mean because of an actors accent, I mean the lines given to her were just meaningless utter nonsense leaving the viewer in complete confusion. To make matters worse, the ending made absolutely no sense what so ever. What even happen to john? What was the little boys ghost role in the movie? I mean so many things that were not really planned out when making the movie. The shooting of the movie, editing, scenery were all good too. Again, story line was sorely lacking and if anything left viewers frustrated asking questions.
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2/10
A nightmare, but for all the wrong reasons.
S_Soma1 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I've noticed a pattern here on IMDb that a lot of the readership tends to respond badly to highly negative reviews, even if the movie being reviewed seriously has it coming. If you're one of THOSE people, you should probably just skip this review because reviews don't get more relentlessly negative than this one.

While I won't resort to hyperbole such as "DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES is absolutely the worst movie I've ever seen", you should be aware that I had to bite my own leg, viciously, to stop myself. I'm literally getting a brain cramp trying to conjure up the appropriate verbiage to properly communicate how appallingly awful this movie genuinely is. See what happened with that last sentence? I can't even form legitimate English sentences because DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES permanently damaged my IQ.

Plot line: homecare worker takes a job in a remote location caring for a mentally, emotionally and physically compromised old woman only to have things go pear-shaped in a demonic way. The end.

Cinematography: you get two choices with this film. It's either so dark that you can't see anything or you CAN see something and you wish you couldn't. In cinematography 101, one of the basic challenges is to learn how to shoot a scene that depicts darkness/nighttime while still making the scene easy to see. When you don't know how to do that, you get movies like DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES. In those scenes where you CAN see something, it's all sloppily performed, perpetually drifting angles that are horrifying because they're terrible workmanship rather than because they're depicting a scary scene. If you were in high school in the mid-70s, remember when you watched a film in class? Remember how all the colors were muted and everything looked like an uncomfortable winter's day were you should have just stayed in bed? Same thing.

Music: most movies have scores wherein the composer carefully composed music to match the movie scene by scene and shot by shot to appropriately score the musical passages to match and enhance what's happening on the screen. Nothing like that happens in DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES. Repetitive and uninspiring (and completely unrelated) music is simply played in the background with the general hope that it kinda sorta matches the feeling of the scene. Often, when a scene comes to an end before the music does, the music just abruptly shuts off or switches to something else. Just put cat on the keyboard of a synthesizer, flip some random switches and you'll get results that are a vast improvement over anything in DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES.

Acting: ugh... I think I'm going to be sick. The male nurse, who apparently is supposed to be the "lead" actor of the film, should have been replaced with a life-size cardboard cutout of himself when it comes to "emoting". For example, bearing in mind that this male nurse is supposedly being confronted with demonic activity, the only emotion he appears to be able to portray I would call "slouching petulance". Imagine a teenage girl who's been told she can't go to the dance with that hot bad boy and has to stay home and be grounded for even trying. The world is just too much to bear and she goes slouching around the house, listlessly, as if she's had diarrhea for a month. Well, this male nurse was just like that when confronted with demonic activity. Apparently demonic activity is like, "unfair" or something.

Pacing: none. There was maybe four minutes of actual action during the course of the entire film. The rest of the movie is interminable shots of the old woman, the nurse, or the woman who hired the nurse just standing or sitting there "emoting" to nothing in particular, all set to vaguely inappropriate background music, the combined effect of which makes you want to shove a Bowie knife in your ear in the hopes of ending it all.

One of the particularly excruciating elements to DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES was it's intensely tedious depiction of the decrepit old woman. If you've ever had to care for someone who is geriatricly debilitated in mind and body you should avoid DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES at all costs to avoid traumatic flashbacks. It doesn't matter how much you care for the person you're looking after, they're 3/4 insane from the combined effects of dementia and the physical misery of their daily life experience. Their primary response to this set of conditions is to make the life of any person around them a continuous hell on earth for as long as the situation persists. If you've ever had to live through this, it is utterly excruciating. Half of DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES is this sort of stuff and it's WAY more horrifying than any of the demonic stuff.

If you're thinking about watching DON'T OPEN YOUR EYES I would suggest that you whale away at your privates with a ball peen hammer instead. At least your suffering won't be polluted with appalling workmanship.
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4/10
Slow and tedious.
michaelanash23 May 2019
Very confusing plot. Might have understood more if I understood the dialogue. But a lot of the lines were mumbled or too thickly accented or drowned out by music. Subtitles would have helped a lot.

Acting and photography was OK but the film was very slow and tedious. Don't bother with this one.
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5/10
Getting A Lot of Hatred For All The Wrong Reasons
soulcrisis2823 June 2020
I'm going to do my best to leave spoilers out of this review because I really want people to understand what's going on here and what the actual issues are with this movie. Here we go, everyone is tearing this movie apart over it being slow and it's pacing. OK? So this isn't a drag car kind of movie and in no way does it portray itself that way. If you want fast paced horror go find something else to watch. This a movie that builds on itself lair by lair. Everyone complains about the old ladies accent and they can't understand what she's saying...it's never that bad I promise and if you are having trouble there's this really cool thing called closed caption...turn it on

Here's the issues with this movie, it gets lost in itself and in the process the movie asphyxiates itself. WAY too many things not explained and unanswered questions. Plot holes, lack of constructive continuity. If you read reviews about this movie you'll find an ongoing outcry for, "I don't get it, someone explain this to me!" Unfortunately, I'm not sure anyone can because after a rigid search on Google, there are none, zero, nadda explanations or attempts or even reviews on this movie. Why? Because I don't think anyone can. THAT'S the problem with this movie. You will get lost and confused and there's no help waiting for you at the end. I've watched this movie so many times trying to see what I missed or pick up on something but trying to understand this movie is like trying to put together a 5k piece puzzle without the picture on the box of what the puzzle looks like. So there it is, yes it's a slow B movie. Yes it's low budget, but the acting really is not bad, I've seen WAY WAY worse. It's all shot in one spot so the scene is good. The lighting has some really bad spots in it, which you'll see. Man, yeah the damn movie is confusing as hell and leaves you lost after watching it. Hell maybe THAT'S the point of it, to make you feel like you have dementia too be the end of it life the old lady, who knows...not me and apparently not anyone else. So I invite you to watch this and see if you can figure it out and piece it together for the rest of us.
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Not so bad.
kb-6255110 March 2020
I'm the kind of person who likes things everyone else scoffs at and abhors the popular so it's not surprising to find myself enjoy this movie. Then again, the main character reminded me so much of a former friend of mine, I was a bit more patient with it than others who've reviewed this.

Yes, it's a cheap, low budget movie that is very clearly someone's pet project. The kind of schlock I love.

So, we have a male nurse who takes a job as a home hospice carer to save money for his wedding, frequently pulling out the engagement ring to remind himself of why he's putting up with the needs of this sour, foul tempered old lady whose suffering appears to be caused by her one instance of showing a hint of joy.

But the old lady is a practicing occultist and has prolonged her own life at the expense of victims, who continue to prowl about and go "boo!" after the old lady's death. Our boy is stuck in the house after the adopted daughter of the biddy just straight up leaves him there with the dead lady in the most blatant construction of the isolation trope you may ever find. He's left to stumble about in the dark with a spooketty tape recorder and come to terms with the failings of faith and traditions while being harassed by spoopies and ghoulies who come out at night to be creepy.

There are a couple points of the movie lacking in any logic or reasoning. Less as plot holes and more a lazy cop-out of "ghosts did it! deal with it!" The soundtrack is nonsense.

It could have been streets better. Still, it's not so worthy of trashing. Not really. Or I'm just being nice because the guy reminds me of someone I knew. One or the other.
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5/10
Not as good as it could have been
mjsreg2 October 2018
I really liked the cinematography which was atmospheric and reminded me of classic horrors such as The Omen and The Exorcist, with wintry outside shots slightly blue grey.

For the most part the visuals in the film were excellent - moody with interesting shot choices that really kept visual interest.

As for the story. It was an interesting concept that fell far short in delivery.

In the end this film became tedious to watch. Long dialogues that were difficult to understand and make out through the thick accent of the main actress -Gergana Mellin - and her portrayal of the character. No doubt she is a good actress and her theatre experience showed through, but something went very wrong in the volley of scenes where she relays important information about the story that just get lost. Perhaps it was a technical issue - either way, it just ended up being boring to try and figure out.

I also think there was a severe lack of build-up to some of the pivotal parts in the film. They just seemed to happen without any drama associated with them, and were gone as soon as they arrived. This led to a linear experience watching this film. There was nothing to get excited about, scared at, or have any particular emotional response to.

The ending also left a lot to be desired. Again, there was no build up or anticipation and it just happened fairly much as expected.

There are other points that detract from the enjoyment of watching this film, but I can't be bothered going in to them.

It is a shame. There were brilliant aspects such as the visuals, then the abysmal application of story telling. This is not a film I would want to watch again, which it could have been with a little more thought going in to telling the story.
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5/10
I STILL really want to like this movie! S---O---S!
atlteacher3 April 2020
Okay, I can understand that this is a "slow-burn" movie. It was a really long setup, but the guy was cute and the setting/scenery was pretty cool. The trailer piqued my interest and the poster was cool.

Two thirds into the movie and things started to shake...but I had NO idea what was going on! Either the lady's accent was too heavy, or she was chanting something ritualistic in another language, I just couldn't understand anything. Whatever was going on in the tape recorder was also impossible to understand. Even the subtitles just said "unintelligible" and "unclear" (I sh@t you NOT)--what's the point of having subtitles if THEY can't even understand what's being said?! (Plus, the screen went too-dark-to-see-anything in the middle of a scene and you have no idea what's happening! Grr.)

The one part I did understand set up some really creepy possibilities. At one point the lady leans against a window and taps out something in Morse code on the frame. She says, "I love this old house. It is always talking to me." Then the creep-factor disappears because the guy has to explain that he got a medal for learning Morse code in the scouts...and that's it.

And I JUST realized, I don't think anyone at any point in the movie said ANYTHING about opening or closing your eyes! @#%$^*&%!!!

If you understood this movie, PLEASE reply and explain it to me. I'm going to try again with the sound blasting and subtitles on all the way through. I Googled all over the place to see if someone else had figured it out, but came up with nothing. I really want to understand what's going on here. I shouldn't have to work this hard to figure out a movie!

NOTE TO DIRECTOR: Please just do it again. Leave the picture alone, just remix the audio to make the sound more "intelligible" for the subtitling company (dubstep, anyone?). DANG, I really want to like this!
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3/10
Movie not to terrible but worth a 2nd watch.
joat-763315 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The movies was tedious and long dragged out but the last 30 minutes was the only fair part to me. Many say they couldn't understand, that's what Closed Caption is for. No one who's reviewed prior to me understood the ending. Let me explain, the old woman was a occultist. During her life it said she killed people, performed occult rituals, and other crimes. The male nurse was the little boy always standing by the door for whatever reason when the old woman performed rituals, he just didn't remember that time during his life with the old woman, being there meant the young woman would return. It's like the saying people always go back home. The old woman didn't want to die the killings crimes and occult rituals we're sacrificial for her to continue to live on once the body died. The girl was tied up because the old woman needed young woman there for her endgame. When the old woman said after she died to the man she will live forever. The old woman wanted to possess the young woman. If you look at the young woman's demeanor all through the movie depressed withdrawn edgy and hysterical. But at the very end if you notice when she left out the door at the end her whole demeanor was completely opposite for that moment she appeared to be happy and satisfied ready to Live. The catch is that it was no longer the young girl but the old woman whose soul took over her body. That's why she didn't want the younger woman to leave she needed her to stay to be able to possess her body. Look at the show again and you will have a greater understanding of what was happening and really going on in the movie. The old woman committed heinous crimes killing people and doing occult ritual sacrifices to live forever. Knowing this tidbit of information should help others to better understand the ending.
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1/10
Yawn
davidmack-8562113 October 2018
This movie was interesting some moments was like wow. But the rest was really boring and sometimes he didn't make any sense.
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2/10
Close your eyes instead, and go to sleep...
deloudelouvain22 February 2020
Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself? The movie has very low ratings, the reviews are almost all negative, and still I decide to watch this. Why do I do that? What's wrong with me? Should I not know better by now? Those are the questions that were wandering my mind during this snoozefest. Don't Open Your Eyes is one of those movies that goes nowhere, with an extremely slow story, not only slow but also boring. Some shots seem to last five minutes and they're not even that interesting after one second, let alone five minutes. The actors are mediocre, the old woman (I don't know her name, too lazy to look it up) is overacting but in a mediocre way. Don't make the same mistake I did, stay far away from this garbage.
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1/10
Review of Substance
twelve-house-books4 October 2018
Some reviews are about the acting--good or bad. Others, about the storyline--good or bad, and so on. I am reviewing this film on philosophical substance, and honestly, I have always hated films that make the Devil win out over devout Christians. If you're into Jesus-bashing, then this one's for you. But if you are a rational person with a good head on your shoulders and your eyes on eternity, then you'll hate this one as much as I do.

Zero stars. What a waste of my precious time.

Forget about opening or closing your eyes. Don't Watch This Film.
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8/10
The bashers are at it again...
darkphoenix-831647 October 2018
Don't open your eyes has its flaws, that's for sure. Lots of them, from too-heavy accents to pacing issues to the composed music drowning out the dialogue. If you look past that, though, it is a very creepy diamond in the rough. Watching it reminded me of when I first read Stephen King's Gramma, it felt like it drew inspiration directly from that. Needless to say, Gramma freaked me out, so naturally, this freaked me out too. It takes a very long time for the supernatural aspects to come into play but when it finally does happen, it's all kinds of spooky, and the last 30 minutes or so are one hell of a ride. Those that so boldly claim that it's the worst film they've seen or utter trash have clearly never seen an Uwe Boll or Tom Six movie or anything in that vicinity. This film lacks polish, has some issues, but aside from that, it was a very pleasant surprise, and I wholeheartedly recommend it above some other mainstream horror films.
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Don't open your eyes aka Don't bother...just awful.
LordCommandar1 October 2018
I downloaded and watched this low budget pos yesterday. Saturday afternoon, nice day, relaxing on my day off, it's the weekend, I feel like watching some horror, what the hell. When I say this was just slow awful and stupid, I'm being very nice. Don't open your eyes to this crap is a better title or don't even bother, would be more suitable, this was just awful. Avoid this three cast F upped class horror..ble film. A portion of my day off ruined.
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4/10
Just meh
lizc-442894 June 2022
The storyline was kinda interesting for the first half...The 'scary scenes' were more so a glimpse than a scene and the ending just had me completely confused.
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1/10
nothing happens for over an hour.
fleurdeli-hn13 September 2020
If you wanna play on your phone for an hour and nineteen minutes, this is the movie for you. nothing starts happening until there's only a half hour left in the movie.
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5/10
waiting for the scary stuff and it comes, thank heaven
killercharm20 May 2022
This is a slow burn without much story. The tale is actually in the old woman, her aging, her pain and her vindictiveness, and she presents it well. Other than that it's mostly a waiting game, waiting for the scary stuff and it comes, thank heaven. She blossoms into a truly frightening boogie-lady. I'm always about the scares but it's barely enough to carry this flick. A home nurse is left alone with his moribund patient in an old summer-home in isolation on a lake. She hates him and treats him like dirt. He is professional and caring until she destroys the charity he originally had for her. Either way, she gets so scary by the end that she sends him running for the safe circle every night. Tee hee.
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1/10
The half cooked story !
plutowedsvenus23 February 2024
Where is the writer of the movie? The team should at least tell us what they were trying to make..considering at least some of us watched it. First great acting and photography.

Now what I thought what was the ending.

The so called adopted daughter is the villain. She is a witch too. She went somewhere to kill someone with her witchcraft box.

The biggest villain the old woman. Who started the witchcraft. The young woman learned from her and became more powerful.

They want to kill the strong men so the old lady can live longer or get more power and youth. That's why She was upset seeing the young boy. The younger woman didn't mind...because she was going to feast on both of them.

The young woman appears like a ghost. When the old woman died and then she was tied up in the bed. From nowhere. The nurse was stupid he didn't wonder or worry.

Who tied her up ? I don't have any clue.

Unless these women had a fight between them who should use the man's youth. The old woman managed to tie her for sacrifice. She used the nurse to get out and killed the man and used him and the old woman to be younger. With a stupid smile she left to hunt more.

Now what happened to the old woman. She was a witch who went wrong when the younger woman got more power. That's why the woman wanted to get buried in a particular way before the young woman could use her power too.

Now who was the mask boy.? The old old woman says I even had names for them. John and Penelope. Now if that John was this John nurse, he would have Remembered these crazy women.

Whatever as stupid as my version sounds...it was worse when I watched it. So I made my own..
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8/10
Slow burning and suitably creepy.
RatedVforVinny30 October 2019
Compared to a lot of blood and thunder, teen horror movies, this one came as a much welcomed, breath of fresh air. It's much more in the style of 'Hereditary', rather than many of it's inferior ilk and the actress who played the elderly (dying lady) was rather excellent. Can't understand the negative reviews for this one and deserves a much more considered, careful attention.
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10/10
Nightmare fuel! Terrifying!
MissJedahdyah29 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
As a former CNA (3rd shifter) this movie was absolutely terrifying. Its storyline is one I dont see much at all, and I'm a horror fanatic. The acting is great. Agnes is frightening from the start. The incredible characters make this movie one I will be definitely adding to my movie collection for sure!
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