Dead Sleep — Dead Sleep (Blu Ray)
Dead Sleep is an early 1990’s Australian blend of medical melodrama and mystery thriller. It stars Linda Blair as a psych nurse who uncovers suspicious deaths. The film is based on the real-life case of Harry Bailey- a New South Wales psychiatrist/ medical administrator, who was linked to the deaths of eighty-six patients during the early 60’s and late 70’s. Here from Severin is a region A release of the film.
Dead Sleep is from the year 1990. It was directed by London-born Alec Mills, who had just two directing credits, this and Catholic school-set slasher Bloodmoon (1990)- which also got reissued on Severin a few years back. Though he had seventy-three camera & electrical dept credits like Moby Dick (1956), Shout At The Devil (1976), The Awakening(1980), and Return Of The Jedi (1983).
After the medical equipment, bottles, and test-tube credits, we meet our lead Maggie Healey(Linda Blair), driving up to a small private mental health hospital for a job as a nurse. She gets interviewed by prickly, proper, neat blond bobbed Sister Kereby( Christine Amor) manging to get part-time work with a hope for this to turn into a full-time post.
Fairly soon, she gets to meet the key psychiatrist at the facility, moustached Dr. Jonthan Heckett(Tony Bonner), who seems caring, charming, and focused on his experimental treatment for psych patients, which involves a combination of coma-like sedation and electroconvulsive therapy. The doctor is rather taken by Maggie’s commitment to her job, so she gets a full-time contract, which is great, as she’s behind rent on the apartment she shares with short blond permed-haired Kaye(Sueyan Cox). Also, in her life is her ex-boyfriend, Huge( Andrew Booth), who is trying to get off drugs, but she’s just given him way too many chances.
Initially, the new job is good/ if tiring- but in due course, more than a few patients pass after having the doctor's experimental treatment.
The first three quarters of the film play like a mix between fairly soapy melodrama and mystery. Then the last twenty or so minutes, we shift into thriller with some fairly tense encounters and hospital corridor chases. The film plays fairly PG, aside from some topless nudity.
Cast-wise, Blair is ok, but the best turn comes from Bonner- as he shifts from being a charming/ committed doctor to hamming it up mad man. Booth also shows a fair bit of range as Maggie’s boyfriend.
Dead Sleep is a passable enough mix of melodrama, mystery, and thriller- sure, some of the early, more soapy elements are somewhat trying to sit through, and at points it does feel a tad TV movie like- but the film's plot/ pace is brisk enough, so the story does move on fairly quickly, as the more thriller elements sink in too.
The region A Blu-ray features a nice, clean, crisp and wonderfully defined 4k print. On the extras side, we get two worthwhile new things. Sleep Demon(15.22) Interview with Janet Fife-Yeomans, Co-Author Of Deep Sleep: Harry Bailey And The Scandal Of Chelmsford. She discusses the real case the film was based on- we find out Bailey came from a working-class background, he was articulate, and loved the highlife. We find out why he left the public health system, how he became involved with deep sleep therapy- he treated a total of one thousand two hundred patients with therapy. And of course, we find out how he finally got brought to justice. The Right Side Of The Stethoscope(16.18). This is a visual essay that looks at the film to hand, first talking about its recurring themes like nods towards Greek mythology throughout the film, before comparing it to other medical dramas/ thrillers.
As a release, Dead Sleep will appeal to fans of more drama-focused true crime, Ms Blair, and of course Ozploitation. With this recent Severin release taking in a classy ‘n’ crisp scan, and a small but worthy selection of extras.