Dead Awake -- Film Review

6:32 PM PST 12/3/2010 by Frank Scheck

“Dead Awake,” now receiving a limited theatrical release, is the sort of B-movie effort that so screams “direct to video” that it’s a wonder they don’t hand you DVDs as you enter the theater. This supernatural-tinged thriller from director Omar Naim (“The Final Cut”) displays some thematic ambition that lifts it a cut above the average horror flick, but its ambitions are undercut by a ham-fisted execution.

The talented Nick Stahl (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) plays the central role of Dylan, a morose funeral home employee whose only friend is his gregarious, burly Irish co-worker (Brian Lynner). After overseeing the crowded funeral of a former high school classmate, Dylan decides to fake his death to see if anyone will bother to show up at his own.