As I settled in to watch "The Sleepwalkers," I expected to be whisked away into a world of gripping suspense and mind-bending twists. Instead, I found myself on a leisurely stroll through a narrative that seemed to be sleepwalking itself, but not in an entirely unenjoyable way. The film, teetering on the edge of the supernatural, does an admirable job of not falling into the abyss of absurdity. It's like going to a haunted house only to find the ghosts are more interested in discussing existentialism than scaring you.
The performances in the film are a bit like a high school drama production - earnest, occasionally impressive, but often just a hair's breadth away from becoming a meme. The lead actor, who spends a considerable amount of time wandering corridors in a somnambulistic haze, delivers lines with the emotional range of a teaspoon. However, it's this very lack of intensity that adds a certain charm to the movie. It's akin to watching your uncle try to act in a community theater play - you know he's not going to win an Oscar, but darn it, he's trying his best.
Where "The Sleepwalkers" really shines is in its unintentional comedy. The script, which I suspect was written during an actual bout of sleepwalking, is peppered with lines so bizarrely out of place they could double as punchlines in a stand-up routine. Combine this with some questionable special effects that would make a 90's sci-fi series blush, and you've got yourself a film that's more amusing than alarming. In conclusion, while "The Sleepwalkers" won't have you on the edge of your seat, it might just have you chuckling in it. And sometimes, that's okay.