The fate of Before I Wake has been up in the air for quite some time. It was unclear if the movie was ever going to be released despite being fully-finished and the few critical reviews that were out there said that it was far from the director's best. Thankfully, Netflix and Flanagan used their relationship to finally ensure the movie sees the light of day. Just like his other movies, Before I Wake shows once again how Flanagan is one of the few people left in modern horror cinema to create actual characters with legitimate stories. The plot is filled with a sort of eerie tension. There's a symbolic quality to horror scenes, particularly the final ones at the end of the movie, that add depth and allow the characters (all of whom are wonderfully acted) to grow from the events at hand. We watch a struggling couple deal with loss and moving on. The movie has a lot to say about trauma from the perspectives of adults and children. Both the moments of fantasy and horror tie into a specific characters life experiences. The mind of a child is beautifully used to create visions of magic and terror. The latter of which only falls a bit short by the overuse of the main monster. A necessary evil though because of significant that monster is to the story. If the film leaves you wanting anything, it's a better ending. Things conclude on a solid note, but do leave a few questions. I was able to find the answers to them upon some reflection, but that didn't rescue me from my feelings of minor disappointment in this department. However, the fact that Flanagan might not have found the best conclusion to his story only further cements him as the Stephen King of filmmaking in my mind. Before I Wake is more original horror with touches of fantasy and a real story from one of the best names in the genre. If you've liked his previous works, this is not to be missed and it's still a must for horror's most devoted followers.