Sleep paralysis, in spite of years of scientific research, study and a reasonably understandable explanation behind the phenomenon – thanks to said research and study – somehow feels no less terrifying for those who’ve experienced it. It’s easy to see why our ancestors assigned supernatural malevolence to these moments when we find that a fragment of our conscious self has awakened on the wrong side of the thin veil between the waking world and the world of dreams.
In the short film Mike Has A Visitor, our titular character Mike (Marco Saikaley) finds himself in the grips of sleep paralysis, helpless against the will of a sinister presence that visits him at night. The film begins with Mike, sound asleep, suddenly overcome by a sense of unease. Mike awakens to find himself being watched by a hideous creature from the shadows of his bedroom. Unable to move, Mike can only clench his eyes tightly and try to wish it away. We cut to the morning and Mike awakens, not sure if what he experienced was real or just a horrible nightmare. Mike continues on with his painfully mundane routine only to find himself visited once again by the same entity. Questioning his sanity, Mike calls his therapist (Julie Johnston) for a virtual consultation. The virtual consult is interrupted by the return of the evil entity, intent on one final confrontation with Mike.
Mike Has A Visitor was also directed and written by Marco Saikaley. What the film does well from the outset is that it presents a palpable sense of dread and isolation. After Mike’s encounter, we’re shown snippets of his day to day life which seems devoid of meaningful human interactions. He’s like a man on a social island, left to television, books and the whims of his own mind for comfort. To me, this hints at possible depression or underlying mental health issues. The camera work aids in maintaining an atmosphere of uncertainty about who or what is watching Mike; waiting for him to return to sleep and become vulnerable to their will once more.
Another high point, for me, was the editing. With a runtime of under fifteen minutes, there isn’t much room to meander and the editing works to show us a lot in a short period of time. While most of what we are shown are the doldrums of Mike’s life, the repetition serves to drive home the point of his monotony and melancholy.
Where the film falters is in the design of Mike’s “visitor” (Sequoia Cooper). I feel that a bit more thought could have gone into finding a creative way to make the “visitor” feel more visually frightening and interesting. In addition, the nearly immediate reveal of the “visitor” from the very first scene may have worked against what could have been a buildup to what we see in the second encounter Mike has with them by simply not showing them until that second encounter. It’s a small choice that I feel would have had a big impact on the overall horror of the movie.
Other missed opportunities are in the brief encounters that Mike has with a co-worker (Kirill Turyshev) and his therapist. Again, I realize that a fifteen minute runtime demands brevity, but I feel just one line of exposition from either character in relation to Mike’s history or personality could have shed a bit more light on who he is as a person and his mental state.
Overall, this short film shows directorial promise and the resourcefulness needed to create a cohesive work with attention to tone and story focus on a minimal budget. I’d actually like to see what Markos Saikaley could do with a script written by another writer or possibly a co-writer who could help clean up some of the clunkiness of the character interactions. Of course, a few thousand extra dollars couldn’t hurt either. I think Marco has good instincts as a director and as an actor and having access to more resources would allow him to stretch out and show what I believe he’s fully capable of. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next from him.
Mike Has A Visitor is a sobering reminder that every night, we find ourselves vulnerable to whichever forces lurk beyond the veil of sleep. And if those forces are from our own mind or of some ancient supernatural evil, maybe it’s a good idea to sort it out with your therapist in person.
Night night!
