The Curse of Sleeping Beauty (2016) User Reviews

Excellent Start but did not carry all the way!!!

[soulreava · 5/10 · 22 May 2016]

I was a bit hesitant to watch this one but my GF insisted and hence the review. I was quite surprised with the initial plot which was a bit mysterious and had a touch of fantasy to it. The acting was great and I was really enjoying it but half way through the movie they just threw everything away.

The plot just gets weird around the last quarter of the movie and seemed like either the director was in a rush to wrap everything up and go home or one of the actors wanted to quit early or something. It just felt incomplete, leaving you with tons of questions and a poker face wondering what just happened .....

Good until the end...

[reneeharper-64605 · 4/10 · 8 April 2017]

I was more than intrigued by this take on Sleeping Beauty, and it showed a lot of promise. It wasn't fancy or big budget, and the acting had some not-so-great moments, but I still highly enjoyed it. Until the end. It doesn't end, it just stops. It sets up for a sequel, but you can do that without having such an unsatisfying ending. And if no sequel is planned that makes it even worse. There is no resolution, no conclusion...it just stops. And leaves you angry. I liked it otherwise, but I just can't get past the end.

it tries it's best but...

[ravviann · 4/10 · 8 April 2016]

The film starts pretty good. The atmosphere is very early set, characters are introduced, and they all do a pretty good and convincing job - albeit with the occasional cliché (but you can overlook that).

The problem of the main character is revealed about one third into the movie, and then the solution starts. But, I don't know what exactly happened, perhaps they lost all their money, but in no time and for no good reason it just ends. there is no build up, no explanation given, it just ends. half of the introduced mysteries of the movie are not explained.

so you leave the cinema with a film that wasn't finished, and as such, only a 4/10

The curse of the disjointed film

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 3 May 2018]

There was a great idea for 'The Curse of Sleeping Beauty', one of the more intriguing ones for a less-than-high-budget film, and there was a good, or at least halfway decent, film in it somewhere that had great potential to come out and should have done.

Which is why it is so frustrating and such a big shame that 'The Curse of Sleeping Beauty' was so disjointed and uneven, as someone who was really rooting for the film to work. Do have to agree with the general consensus that 'The Curse of Sleeping Beauty' started off well and promisingly, was really thinking that it would be surprisingly good, but fell apart completely in the second half and kept getting worse. There are definitely far worse wastes of potential and good concepts, but 'The Curse of Sleeping Beauty' was definitely a definition of a waste of potential and a waste of a great idea.

It, as aforementioned, starts off well. Throughout the production values generally were atmospherically Gothic and nicely shot with eerie make-up. The music also has a haunting eeriness that doesn't feel intrusive, one-note or repetitive. Mostly the acting was better than average, having seen some very bad to terrible acting in modest to low budget films recently so that was refreshing.

Atmosphere generated is genuinely creepy, wonderful mysterious and suspenseful going at a deliberate but assured pace.

Sadly, again as already said, the second half sees 'The Curse of Sleeping Beauty' falling apart. And not just slightly, we're talking significantly. Not that the film was perfect already. There was some choppy editing, cheap costuming and Ethan Peck doesn't always look comfortable or engaged in his role.

Really, it is frustrating that the more the second half progressed, the duller, more confused, more clichéd and more predictable it got, and the mystery, creepiness and suspense got lost and instead was replaced by dreariness, ridiculousness and a draggy pace. All capped off by an ending that was far too abrupt and incomplete.

Overall, good first half, disappointing second half with a bad non-event ending. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Great Start, Horrible End

[DavidB19 · 3/10 · 3 August 2016]

This could have been a really good movie. Although the movie has "Sleeping Beauty" in the title and there is a female that has been asleep for centuries awaiting a kiss; that is where the similarities to the traditional Sleeping Beauty end. The movie provides a great spin on the traditional fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. The premise is that male bloodline of the Kaiser family has been the caretaker of sorts for the secrets surrounding the Sleeping Beauty. The characters are interesting and meld together very well. The movie progresses along very well and the story line does a very good job of keeping your attention up until the last 15 or so minutes and then it takes a nose-dive into, well, I guess hell. I can't believe someone, anyone, really sat there and said, "Hell yeah, that ending nailed it! Let's release the movie now before we change our minds."

Do I regret watching it? No. Would I recommend someone else watch it? Yes and No. If you have nothing else on your playlist or you're sitting in the hotel room at night by yourself flipping through the channels looking for something to watch, then, by all means, yes.

The Curse of Sleeping Beauty

[melissajayeoconnell · 5/10 · 30 May 2016]

I was debating weather to watch this but I did....i agree on some of the reviews people have wrote but from my point of view...

we do find out the truth of it all (the twist of it all being a trick to unleash the demon and all the other spooky stuff being there to ward off people from getting to the final chamber), but The end seemed very quick from the climax.

They could be a second movie to it. and it should will delved into the mystery of the house, and how it became evil with in. Plus I wish we knew more about sleeping beauty and how she became trapped in the dream/ state

The trailer was more exciting.

[Darkskynet · 4/10 · 4 January 2017]

Why would I choose to watch this? The visionary and aesthetic pleasure of fantasy elements in the trailer, along with the take on a classic fairy tale peaked my interest.

The editing was very clunky and slow. Those SURPRISE and WATCH OUT moments were hidden by the lack of fast cutting and a fairly monotone performance by Ethan Peck. All of this in the opening sequence and then continued it's theme through out the film which ultimately led to a dull storyline. So what's left?

The most disappointing aspect was the aesthetic pleasures. This 'perfect' sleeping princess looked like a child in fancy dress. Her scenes were designed too flat. Her extravagant garments lacked UMFF as there was no lighting or exceptional colours on the background nor her dress. I was watching it, shouting at the colour correcter asking him/her why didn't they enhance the colour blue!

This film lacked depth in plot, acting and mise-en-scene. I'd say it's probably an entertaining film for younger teens, 13/14years.. but not for anyone else.

Mostly a bore, and a misfire, but a sequel could be a lot better!

[Hellmant · 5/10 · 26 August 2016]

'THE CURSE OF SLEEPING BEAUTY': Two and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

Another B-horror flick based on a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale. This one is a dark modern update of 'Sleeping Beauty' (written by the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault); it deals with an art painter, who inherits an ancient curse (which involves dreams of a 'sleeping beauty'). The film was directed by Pearry Reginald Teo; and it was scripted by Teo and first time feature film writer Josh Nadler (based on the comic book by Everette Hartsoe). It stars India Eisley, Ethan Peck, Natalie Hall and Bruce Davison. The movie received harshly negative reviews from critics, and a large percentage of viewers as well. I hated it at first; but then I grew to enjoy it more, as it went on.

The story centers around an art painter, named Thomas Kaiser (Peck), who keeps having dreams of a beautiful sleeping woman (Eisley). He continuously tries to wake her, but is unsuccessful. Thomas later learns of his uncle's suicide, and the mansion he left him; which had been in his family for generations. While investigating the property, for appraisal reasons, Thomas also learns of an ancient curse there, and his role as the 'protector'. He must keep the demons in his new home imprisoned there, while also trying to awake the sleeping beauty. He finds help from a friendly realtor (Hall), and a paranormal investigator (Davison).

For the first 45-minutes of the movie, I was completely bored (and falling asleep). The acting and writing were atrocious; and the film was really repetitive, and uninvolving. Then, about halfway through the movie, it got a lot more interesting, and entertaining. Once it got to the story, it became filled with more tense, and very gruesome, imagery (and stunningly beautiful women). At that point, I enjoyed it a lot more. It's still mostly a bore, and a misfire, but a sequel could be a lot better (which the end is completely set up for).

Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://youtu.be/bmrjYaOGPmk

Interesting story, perhaps misunderstood

[amiemica · 6/10 · 17 September 2016]

This movie has a very interesting take on the various versions of the Sleeping Beauty story. It even references the Brothers Grimm version 'Briar Rose'. It is obviously working with a low budget and is very cheesy throughout. However, unlike other viewers, I feel that it pretty much explained everything; it was just very quick, rushed and could be easily missed. For those who are a little confused and are reading these reviews for a bit of clarification on some parts of the movie: the curse came about because Thomas' ancestors sacrificed a virgin to a version of Satan or a very powerful demon. The sacrificed woman became the vessel for the evil god/demon to enter this world and bring about the apocalypse. Apparently good djinn worked together to keep the woman asleep, which in turn kept the evil god/demon imprisoned. Because of the evil act of sacrificing the virgin to the evil god/demon, the Kaiser bloodline men were born with demons inside them. Presumably, they performed the sacrifice to get some sort of power but in fact were really opening themselves up to be the servants of the god/demon. The Kaiser men were bound to the imprisoned god/demon, and so could not leave the house. Maybe they knew the full truth, maybe not. Most likely not, since the djinn were necessary to guard the sleeping god/demon to keep one of them from awakening it. Since Thomas had virtually no knowledge of any of it, all he could do was go with what he was being told. He thought the Veiled Demon-djinn was evil and found a way to get to the woman and awaken her. He had no way of knowing that she was not a sleeping woman under a curse and that he was the one who was cursed. Therefore, he freed the god/demon and it in turn, freed the generations of demons that had been stored in his bloodline and proceeded to begin the apocalypse. This would be an awesome movie to be redone by a more skilled writer/director/crew/etc and be more fully fleshed out and explored. This movie is worth watching for the interesting story.

Zero Resolution

[lil_majestic · 4/10 · 22 March 2017]

Based on the decently clever story line in this movie, you would think that the writer would have the good sense to come up with a ending scene resolution given the opportunity to put "The Curse of Sleeping Beauty" on the big screen but NO! There is zero resolution at the end of this film leaving the viewer wholly unsatisfied. Were there any resolution, be it happy, mournful or just plain out of the box, then I may have given this film a 7 or an 8 on the rating scale. To the writer, producer and director I say to you... "You have dropped the ball."

Not for everybody

[lucyania · 9/10 · 26 November 2017]

The movie makes one mistake when they say The Bible and The Qur'an are similar, ask someone who has read both. Otherwise it's pretty good, predictable but visually stunning and pleasant to watch with some creepy moments and jump scares. The acting is good and realistic, I loved it. Just because it doesn't have twists doesn't mean it's boring, i think this is a good addition to a Halloween movie marathon.

For a particular taste

[cheekyapple-56320 · 7/10 · 22 May 2017]

Okay let me level with you - this movie caters to a particular taste and style of film for certain people. If you're expecting Harry Potter then no, it's not for you. If you're expecting a gory gritty horror movie, no not for you. If you like "Beautiful Creatures"or "Pan's Labrinth" this IS for you and I suggest you give it a shot. There is a scene in the end that haunts me still, the costume and makeup was OUTSTANDING! I really must give props. And Gregory Peck's grandson reminds you of him the whole time - looks like him, sounds like him, and he was a good actor. The Director had a great sense of humor or perhaps the screenwriter as the dialogue was well written and there was some natural laughs. I liked the mystery of it - it really was a mystery. The ending is messed up but not predictable and reminds you that you signed up for a horror movie so that's what you're getting.

The curse of being in a rush

[StregaAsuka · 5/10 · 19 April 2017]

Now that we are being overflowed by Disney live actions is good to discover the not so subtle versions of these fairy tales, and if they show a darker more horrific side, the better, as is the case for this one. The trailer looked promising and showed how the movie was being presented.

That said, we know how trailers deceive us. And this is one clear example. The best part of the movie is the beginning. Where we are presented with the characters and their story. Where we are shown that there is a curse in the main character's family regarding a property they have. In parallel he is starting to dream of a sleeping girl who constantly asked him to wake her up. It's in these dreams where the best esthetic of the movie is viewed: vivid colors that resemble a Gothic tale to present us the Sleeping Beauty of the tittle. Then on reality the shades are darker, because we are in a horror and thriller movie, until there good.

It's past the first half hour that the movie starts losing it's path. Presenting new characters and their stories it's what makes us forget about the original story and just want be done with it. A real pity, as it got our attention and while we watch more of the movie, our attention goes (sadly) to the watch. There are some scary moments but by that point we really don't care anymore. And then there is that end that you probably guessed at some point of the movie.

This movie started promising and then all went downfall. It is really a pity as the material where it took the inspiration deserved better, not that rushing end that we don't know anymore what we were looking at. A movie to watch if you want to see what the trailer presented to you but without having high expectations. Just something to watch and probably forget about.

Very poorly made horror flick

[gmickel-75246 · 4/10 · 29 April 2017]

Just finished it today on Netflix and I am very glad despite the waste of time I didn't pay for it despite my monthly fee. I almost turned it off at one point it was so boring but thought I would wait to see the end and what happens. I thought the end was OK. I don't know how you would show the apocalypse anyway. I highly doubt they will make a sequel to this from this ending as the movie is so bad.

With that being said the main character who is doomed for all eternity is a likable character and his acting is good. It makes more sense especially when he tells his story to the girl that likes him towards the end about why he is has becoming such an introvert.

The rest of the actors, not so much and the sets of the mansion looks like a larger version of the haunted mansion at Disneyland. The musical score is horrendous and there is nothing scary about this movie. I just imagine some of the crew moving the mannequins about between takes.

I could go on about the story which is good but the production values of this are just so bad I really don't even want to think about it. Would rather read The Grimm story. If you are teen, knock yourself out on this one, if not, it will most likely bore the hell out of you.

Fresh new look on Sleeping Beauty, Hooow eveerr...

[shadowbender626 · 6 January 2020]

What the hell whas that huge plot hole in the end of it? The only 2 things worth mentioning are: 1 the work of the costume designers, make up well done and props. And 2- the overall idea. Everything else is just bleach to the eyes and brain.

Speaking of Pandora's box wow!

[cayotica · 5/10 · 29 May 2018]

I thought, with a title like this it's got to be a horror story but by two thirds into the movie I had convinced myself how wrong I was. An evil Jinn puts a curse on a beautiful princess and keeps her away from a world of possible Princes that may awake her. Well you just can't get anymore Disney than that can ya? But I'm older these days and had forgotten how scary Disney movies could get. Even with the dead giveaway at the base of operations, just before the ending, l was still rooting for Rose. My only question now is, will they finish it?

6 stars, not scary, to me at least, minus 1 star for the Crypt Keeper's cousin's cameo. For a total of five stars

B-horror

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 25 November 2022]

Thomas Kaiser (Ethan Peck) is always dreaming of a Sleeping Beauty figure (India Eisley). Out of the blue, he inherits the ancestral mansion, Kaiser Gardens. It's apparently cursed and home to a series of tragic incidents over the centuries. Realtor Linda (Natalie Hall) reveals that she's actually looking for her brother who went missing in the house. They are joined by supernatural expert Richard Meyers (Bruce Davison) and edgy techie Daniel.

This relative B-horror alludes to the Brothers Grimm story. It's a haunted house horror. It has elements of Silent Hill. The mannequins have good potential. I would have liked Thomas and Linda to stay in the house. Leaving there to go pick up Richard and Daniel is a waste of time. There could be more done with Sleeping Beauty, both the idea and the character. This horror feels a bit undercooked.

Maybe they tried too hard?

[andyofne-75813 · 4/10 · 30 December 2021]

Either they intentionally left the ending open for a sequel or they just got lost and couldn't figure out how to close the story.

Someone else noted that the trailer was more exciting than the actual movie, and I find that to be pretty accurate.

You can watch the better parts of this movie in clips on youtube.

Awful!

[mitsubishizero · 2/10 · 16 May 2019]

The sad thing is that there was a lot of potential in this movie and while the reinterpretation's interesting, how it's executed is clumsy. The story's about a painter named Thomas(Ethan Peck) who has a reoccurring dream about discovering Briar Rose aka Sleeping Beauty(India Eisley) and whenever he tries to kiss her he wakes up afterwards. One day he gets a call from a law firm telling him that he inherited a mansion from his uncle. Only interested in selling the haunted property he checks it out where he runs into a realtor named Linda(Natalie Hall) who was a hidden motive of her own for visiting this house.

Slowly and slowly they begin to unravel the grisly truth behind this mansion. The more they find out the more they realize it all comes back the girl in his dreams. They also find out that those who come in never return. It's also revealed that the mansion was placed under a family curse during the Crusades and Briar Rose was put into an eternal sleep afterwards. There's not much else to say about this movie other than what follows afterwards is simply boring exposition, clunky editing, stiff acting and dialogue. The twist at the end is interesting but aside from that it's a huge let down. It turns out the title character was evil this whole time. The biggest disappointment is that the title character's just a plot device. This could've been a great opportunity to expand her origin and character but instead she's just a plot device and a blank slate. I guess it follows the original story in that Sleeping Beauty also didn't have much of a character.

I almost gave it 1 star but decided to give it 2 due to the fact that there some good ideas and concepts but they're not executed well. Everything about this movie's clumsy. Bottom line skip this movie because you'll be disappointed. It's nothing more than a wasted opportunity. The only thing you'll want to do after watching this is fall into a deep sleep and not wake up afterwards.

Stops without an Ending

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 18 November 2018]

"The Curse of Sleeping Beauty" is a strange fantasy-horror film with an intriguing and promising beginning. The mystery is increased with the confused screenplay and holds the attention of the viewer. The beauty of India Eisley is perfect for the role of the Sleeping Beauty and another attraction. Out of the blue, the mystery is solved, evil is unleashed and the movie ends. Actually the movie stops without an ending. Maybe the intention of the writer would be a cliffhanger for a sequel, but unfortunately the film does not have an ending certainly disappointing the viewer that might be enjoying the story. Why didn´t Thomas uncle explain the whole situation of the curse of his family and the secrets of the mansion in the letter he left to his nephew? My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Maldição da Bela Adormecida" ("The Curse of Sleeping Beauty")

It's not the worst movie ever

[diulgerova0506 · 5/10 · 17 December 2018]

It's not the worst movie ever, but if you don't have time to lose don't watch it. The movie is one nice idea , good begining, some stupid moments and NO ENDING.

Right up my alley

[Nconiendo · 9/10 · 28 May 2017]

I give it 9 out of 10 only because the ending slightly tormented me but it also surprised and delighted me which is hard to do. I go to every horror movie festival I can and watch loads of them online and I tend to guess endings for horror movies and am almost always right, so much so that it has taken some enjoyment away for me. But I did not guess this plot and I had great appreciation for the writer for that. I also really loved the humorous and realistic dialogue! That was great, how natural it felt, how real the characters felt in a very make believe setting which helped ground it. If you know you already like horror and liked the movies Insidious, The Conjuring, The Village, The Visit, HoneyBee, Lights Out, It Follows, then I bet you will like this one a lot.

Confused at other reviews*SPOILERS*!!!

[kaysild · 7/10 · 26 May 2018]

Warning! Spoilers!!!

This wasn't awful, it was very mysterious & had a creepy vibe which is not found in today's horror movies. I think bc of the ending people are claiming there is no resolution... just bc it didn't have a good guy victory so to speak, doesn't mean there isn't a resolution or that it ended abruptly! This movie just happened to have evil get the last play. That does not make it bad or rushed or not resolved, just makes it different than all the other traditional crap that is out there is all.

It's not Karaoke. It's drunk girls singing.

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 10 December 2017]

This is an Asylum film whose main goal is to sell DVDs by creating covers that look like hit films such as "The Huntsman..." The biggest problem with this film is that you expect something very much related to the fairy tale, i.e. a sequel and what you get is a modern day "B" horror film loosely connected to the aforesaid tale. Much of the plot details come late in the film. I will try to be kind.

Thomas (Ethan Peck) has dreams about a Sleeping Beauty/ Briar Rose (India Eisley). When he inherits his uncle's creepy estate, it becomes apparent he is part of a bloodline curse going back to the crusades although how things managed to come to Oregon (?) from Europe considering the nature of the curse was a plot hole never discussed. The film involves demons and the occult.

Thomas, as in "Thomas can you hear me" one of those ouch lines, gets help from realtor Linda (Natalie Hall) and paranormal investigator Richard (Bruce Davison). James Adam Lim is also utilized because they couldn't afford a hot Asian chick for the role.

This film was tough on the actors. None of them brought their "A" game and demonstrated they all made bad career choices.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity. India shows off a whole bunch of A cup cleavage.

Awakening

[kosmasp · 5/10 · 2 December 2020]

A horror movie that is predictable to those who have seen a few of those I would think. No that all of what is displayed makes sense. But when does it ever in horror movies. Well not very often, if you are waiting for an answer to that. But it has some nice jump scares, if you don't get annoyed by them. Good looking leads, that make horrible decisions and all the other tropes you (maybe) are used to by this point.

If not some things may feel new and fresh or annoying to some degree. But remember, most characters in horror movies don't seem to be too clever. The ending can be a twist I reckon, but overall it is nicely done. so while I wasn't too excited about the movie overall, I wasn't really disappointed either.