THE SANDMAN (2017)

Studio:       Syfy
Director:    Peter Sullivan
Writer:       Peter Sullivan, Peter Schenck
Producer:  Peter Sullivan
Stars:     Haylie Duff, Tobin Bell, Shaun Sipos, Shae Smolik, Amanda Wyss, Paul Logan, Ricco Ross, Jason-Shane Scott, Lyn Alicia Henderson

Review Score:

---

Summary:

A young woman discovers her niece has the uncontrollable ability to summon a supernatural sandman capable of killing anyone who threatens her.

---

Synopsis:     Show/Hide Spoilers

Wanted for multiple murders across the country, Colton Blake goes on the run with his eight-year-old daughter Madison, whose psychic ability allows her to uncontrollably summon a supernatural sandman that is actually responsible for the deaths. In the midst of raiding a closed convenience store for supplies, Sandman materializes to murder Colton.

While conducting a pinup photo shoot assisted by her boyfriend Wyatt, photographer Claire Blake receives a call to identify her estranged brother’s body at the morgue. With mysterious Dr. Valentine present, Detective Price interviews Claire and reveals that her brother was wanted for murder. Claire demands to see her niece.

Claire observes that Madison behaves hysterically while under the eye of Dr. Cushing at a hospital. Madison claims that Sandman is responsible for killing her father as well as paranormal activity plaguing the hospital. Abigail Farmer from the Department of Children’s Services confronts Claire to intimate she will never be able to obtain permanent custody of Madison due to her lifestyle.

Dr. Cushing prepares a typewritten report on his computer recommending that Madison remain at the hospital for observation. Sandman supernaturally deletes the directive. Sandman then physically manifests to murder the doctor.

One Week Later – Claire brings Madison home. Madison wakes from another nightmare encounter with Sandman to find bruises on her arm. Madison tells Claire that the entity followed her, but Claire continues to be confounded by Madison’s claims.

Claire’s disgruntled neighbor Stanley sees a news report about Colton Blake’s death that identifies Madison as having moved in with Claire. Stanley menacingly confronts the little girl about her father being a murderer. Claire confronts Stanley, who warns that he spoke to Abigail Farmer in an effort to kick Claire out of her home. That night, Sandman materializes to kill Stanley in his garage.

Claire takes Madison to the hospital in the morning. The attending pediatrician becomes suspicious of Claire while treating Madison’s bruises.

Claire returns home to see the police at Stanley’s house across the street. Dr. Valentine, who is also there investigating, notices Claire. Claire asks Madison if she knows anything about Stanley’s death, but the little girl tells her to go away.

Claire researches her brother’s history. After filling in her boyfriend, Claire and Wyatt ask Madison about Colton. Madison explains that she unintentionally conjures an uncontrollable creature from the book “The Sandman Comes at Night,” and the creature will kill anyone who poses a threat to her or it. However, Colton had promised Madison that it would all be over soon. Wyatt agitates Madison by aggressively questioning her claims, causing psychic activity to disturb the bedroom.

Abigail comes to the house to threateningly compel Claire to turn over custody of Madison voluntarily. When Claire angrily refuses, Abigail warns she will return with the police.

Wyatt takes Claire outside where he argues that giving up Madison is the safest thing to do. Having seen the couple leave, Abigail sneaks back into the house to find Madison. Wyatt and Claire rush back inside in time to witness Sandman killing Abigail in a swirl of supernatural sand.

Claire has a nightmare of giving birth to a sandman baby. Although Madison refuses to elaborate, Claire tells Wyatt she believes Colton found a way to stop Sandman. Wyatt initially suggests calling police, but seemingly agrees to help Claire.

Claire convinces Detective Price to let her search Colton’s impounded car under the pretense of looking for Madison’s stuffed animal. Claire finds a book by Dr. Amanda Wyatt and steals a GPS containing the psychiatrist’s contact information. Claire leaves a voicemail for Amanda asking her to call back.

Claire returns home to find Wyatt and Madison missing. Wyatt drives Madison to a junkyard where he tries beating her to death with a brick. Madison psychically stops Wyatt’s hand in midair. Madison summons Sandman, who kills Wyatt.

Claire finds Madison alone at a diner. Madison refuses to reveal what happened to Wyatt, but requests that Claire take her to the mausoleum to visit her parents’ crypts.

Amanda calls Claire. Amanda confirms that Colton was on his way to see her as she believes her hypnotic image therapy technique can remove Sandman from Madison’s mind.

Dr. Valentine oversees a team of armed men tasked with taking Claire and Madison into custody. Madison summons Sandman, who kills most of the men, but she and her aunt are captured.

Valentine questions Claire at his secret facility, revealing that he knows about the girl’s abilities. Claire shows Madison’s Sandman book to Valentine and explains that Madison brought her fear to life. Valentine expresses his desire to nurture, train, and develop Madison’s power.

Valentine shows Claire the containment chamber where Madison is held in isolation. During a test of Madison’s psychic levitation ability, Madison nearly summons sand through an air vent. Valentine’s superior puts a stop to his experiments by sending in an elimination team to carry out a cleanup protocol.

The agents pump gas into Madison’s chamber, allowing her to summon Sandman. Sandman begins killing all of the armed men. Valentine gives Claire instructions on how to escape the building before Sandman kills him as well.

Madison gets free and flees the facility with Claire. Despite Claire’s objections, Madison continues summoning Sandman to kill armed guards along the way.

Claire rushes Madison to Amanda, who immediately hypnotizes the little girl. Amanda’s voice guides Madison through a dream state encounter with Sandman, during which Amanda is seemingly able to unbind the entity from Madison. Madison wakes, but Sandman suddenly bursts out of Amanda’s body, causing Claire and Madison to scatter to a construction site outside.

In the trio’s final confrontation, Madison uses her powers to psychically combat Sandman by dropping concrete on the creature. Claire turns on the power to a loose cable while Sandman walks under it, electrocuting the creature and causing it to crystallize into a solid form. Claire and Madison embrace.

---

Review:

When a movie’s primary proclamation touts that it is executive produced by comic book legend Stan Lee, who, at 94-years-old, almost certainly had nothing to do with the project creatively in his honorary credit capacity, it’s an open admission that said movie doesn’t have a stronger marketing leg to stand on.  It’s also telling that “The Sandman” couldn’t concoct a cleverer tagline than “Don’t Fall Asleep,” a dull dare destined to be failed considering that the film’s superpower is its ability to bore audiences into unconsciousness.

“The Sandman” starts by introducing Colton Blake, a single father on the run with his young daughter Madison.  We know he’s in trouble because when siren lights briefly flash behind his car, the camera cuts to a close-up of Colton cautiously reaching for a glove compartment gun.  But we also know he’s a good guy because when Colton breaks into a closed convenience store, he leaves crumpled money on the counter to pay for the snacks he steals.  The storeowner is on his own for damage to the door though, as two tens and a five won’t come close to covering the broken glass pane.

The other thing learned from this opening scene is that “The Sandman” blueprints itself according to “Horror Moviemaking for Dummies,” since it couldn’t be more basic about its approach to doling out information.  That is to say nothing, not yet anyway, of the equally simplistic means by which the film designs plot point pushers it calls characters or builds supposed scares from predictable beats.

Colton can’t even get the brown bag of Hostess donuts out the door when a supernatural sandman whips up in a whirlwind to murder the man.  Who or what is this evil entity?  His only backstory says that Sandman is uncontrollably conjured from little Madison’s psychic mind.  Having seen him in a scary storybook, Sandman represents Madison’s fear given physical form.  Beyond that, Sandman is a blah blob whose only purpose is murder.  He doesn’t speak.  He doesn’t have a personality.  He doesn’t even follow a tangible mythology, alternating motivations between killing anyone who threatens Madison or attempting to harm her himself, whatever moving to the next commercial break mandates.

With Colton out of the picture, Madison moves in with her aunt.  Claire is the first of several figures facilitating the function of doubting the girl’s claims of a creature.  This enables “The Sandman” to occupy its second act with the usual “figuring it out the hard way” fluff.

Of course, paving a path to the “how do we stop Sandman and save Madison?” finale wouldn’t be possible without a roster of fodder for the kill mill.  One name on that list is Madison’s de facto boyfriend Wyatt.  Wyatt starts as a voice of reason suggesting police intervention only to 180 into an urge to handle matters himself, reasoning it makes more sense for him to premeditate beating the eight-year-old girl to death with a brick.

The only denser person on hand is a local newscaster.  In reporting on Colton’s death and subsequent fate of his daughter, she makes sure to mention, “Madison is currently in the custody of her aunt who lives in Los Angeles,” because that’s relevant information a responsible journalist would broadcast.  Then again, it is relevant for setting up the nosy neighbor, who naturally watches the news at that exact moment, to meet his Sandman-induced fate.

If all horror movies were considered equal, my first inclination would be to criticize “The Sandman” for having a tame made-for-TV tone.  Except it is made for TV.  So do I give it laudatory credit for meeting the low expectation bar of bland cable content never meant to aim above average, or do I issue a dismissive thumbs down while citing the same criteria?

“Fine enough” is the best to be said about the film’s okay FX, acceptable acting, and other underwhelming attributes.  “The Sandman” fits the description for a routine fright flick intended for those who only watch such movies during October anyway, hence its status as a “31 Days of Halloween” selection.  Even by Syfy standards, “The Sandman’s” subpar style and story have neither a streak of originality nor creativity to make the movie stand out for anything more than its forgettable flavor.

Review Score:  30

---