Anyone who’s ever experienced sleep paralysis knows just how terrifying it can be. Helpless and unable to move as something evil approaches. It can make bedtime a thing of dread for chronic sufferers. There is a medical, and relatively benign medical cause for it, but isn’t much consolation for those afflicted with it. Writer/director Craig Fisher attempts to visualize the fear it causes in the four minute short Night Mære.

Issac (Antonio Rastelli) has sleep issues. We see him exhausted and falling asleep in the bath. Then washing meds down with a glass of wine. But it’s to no avail, once he lies down and turns out the light, the demons come out to play.

Drawing on his own experiences and research into sleep paralysis Fisher recreates some of the most common of these night visitors. The results are quite effective, the creature designs and effects do look like they came from nightmares. The dark man who appears to be made of ink is an especially convincing creation. I’m guessing it was done with CGI, and it’s better than what you’ll see in many features.

The lighting and cinematography has an 80s horror vibe to it and one almost expects The Crypt Keeper to make an appearance. It’s an effective and fun short.

Night Mære, along with two other of the director’s shorts The Midnight Jester and You’ve Been Bad, (reviews of both are upcoming), recently played the UK’s Horror-on-Sea Festival. Night Mære is also available on YouTube, via the Crypt TV channel.