Episode 159 - Sleepwalkers

[Mr.Crumit 1]

The profane little ditty Deputy Andy sings during the best-of segment is none other than

by Gary Lee and Showdown.

[Jamie Power 224]

One of my lingering questions is from the rapid fire transformation freakout scene in the car. The first thing he transforms into appears to be a very young boy. Does this mean the sleepwalkers can transform into kids?

[dickhoff3 81]

When the Paul, Jason, and June mentioned the theory that Ron Pearlman was potentially a secret Sleepwalker in this film, it got me thinking. When I first saw Charles Grady in his secondary cat-human form, I was immediately reminded of another Ron Pearlman role from the 1987 TV series, Beauty and the Beast. This led to my theory as to how Sleepwalkers reproduce or at least how more Sleepwalkers potentially come to be. What if rather then sexual reproduction, much like a werewolf or vampire, the bite of a Sleepwalker could potentially turn a human into a Sleepwalker? Towards the end of the movie, Ron Pearlman as Captain Soames, has his fingers bitten off by the Mother and he suffers a nasty arm breaking which I don't really think would necessarily be life threatening. So what if Captain Soames survived and was turned into a Sleepwalker. Confused and ashamed, struggling between his demon state and lingering humanity, he assumes the persona of Vincent and moves to New York City, taking refuge in the sewers and subway tunnels beneath the city. Not really knowing the ins and outs of his new Sleepwalker status, how to dim himself or other objects, or how to shift forms, he is perpetually stuck in cat form. When he strikes up a relationship with Linda Hamilton's character in an attempt to feed, he falls in love. This is plausible as it is briefly suggested with Charles and Tanya, Sleepwalkers may be susceptible to love with their human prey. I think this whole movie is just a prequel to 80's version of Beauty and the Beast. Photo evidence below:

 

[WindyCityMonster 15]

I have a theory as to why the mom just bummed around the house while the son (sorry June) was the one who did all the work hunting for virginal life energy, and why they didn't just grab a random kid and just forcibly suck their soul out. My hypothesis is that the sleepwalkers can't just grab random virgins and eat their souls, but they have to seduce their prey until the virgin is willing to surrender their virginity to them, at which time they can be fed upon by the seducing sleepwalker. The ritualistic nature of the whole thing would explain why the victims have a rose placed in their hair, why only the son feeds, and why the mom has to wait for him to return home with life energy, as it would be easier for him, as the younger-looking sleepwalker, to seduce and therefore feed off of virginal victims. Remember, it is only after the son makes out with the girl that he starts to become aggressive and monstrous. The reason why he was reluctant for Tanya to spend time with the mom was because he knew his mom would be jealous and creepy, possibly ruining the date and his ability to complete the seduction ritual and feed off of Tanya. The sexual nature of the process would also explain why the son was apparently able to give his mother life force energy while in the bedroom.

 

Otherwise, mama sleepwalker would have just eaten Tanya's soul while at Tanya's house, driven home, healed her son, and end of movie.

[tomspanks 9039]

I think sleepwalkers' kryptonite is Bartonella henselae, the bacteria specie that causes "cat-scratch disease." According to the CDC, about 40% of cats carry B. henselae at some time in their lives, although most cats with this infection show no signs of illness. Cat-scratch disease is usually self-limiting and causes benign symptoms in humans, but what if it's instantly fatal to sleepwalkers?

[Cameron H. 23786]

I think sleepwalkers' kryptonite is Bartonella henselae, the bacteria specie that causes "cat-scratch disease." According to the CDC, about 40% of cats carry B. henselae at some time in their lives, although most cats with this infection show no signs of illness. Cat-scratch disease is usually self-limiting and causes benign symptoms in humans, but what if it's instantly fatal to sleepwalkers?

 

So they get "Cat Scratch Fever?"

 

 

That's a real shitty way to go.

[tomspanks 9039]

So they get "Cat Scratch Fever?"

 

 

That's a real shitty way to go.

 

I hope this flashes before their eyes right before they die.

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

 

I hope this flashes before their eyes right before they die.

 

You're a monster! No one deserves that. No one.

[ChunkStyle 1160]

I think if I was a sleepwalker I would look to move into a high rise apartment instead of a country home where it is easy for hundreds of cats to congregate.

 

The introduction of Ron Perlman felt weird to me. He just showed up as a fully formed asshole like we were already supposed to know something about him. I wonder if he had an intro scene that got cut to make room for King's 90 second cameo.

[HotSaucerman 2051]

My biggest question is how have they made it this long (presumably hundreds or thousands of years) when they are this stupid? Charlie presents transcripts that are clever fakes to get into high school. Except he makes them from a town that doesn't exist?

Well, they didn't have the internet back then.

[tomspanks 9039]

You're a monster! No one deserves that. No one.

 

[IMAHUGEHDTGMFAN 1837]

Similar to what I did with Body Parts I have some Sleepwalker notes that I will post later in the afternoon or tomorrow, because I'm going to the movies to se Ghost In The Shell. Right now I'm at work and my time is limited and will go home for a quick bite to eat and then 2 hours of Scarlett (If it sucks I'll post in the movie recomendation section about it )

 

But to get back to Sleepwalkers, I did not realise that Mark Hamill was the police oficer at the beginning of the film

 

 

I thought it was Kevin Rankin

 

[kateacola 2440]

So after Charles attacks Tanya in the cemetery, she tells the officers his name and address-- and then tells them that she took pictures of him and to develop the film.

Why do they need a photo of Charles if they already have a description, his name, and address??

 

 

Also, about her taking pictures... shouldn't have Tanya seen Charles in his "true" Sleepwalker form when she was taking his picture?

I think she should have been able to see him as the cat-like vampire demon in the viewfinder since many cameras operate with a mirror-system.

 

"Outdoor light reflects off object, bouncing into the camera, through the lens and onto a mirror. The light then bounces off the mirror into a five-sided piece of glass called a “pentaprism" and into the eyepiece."

 

And we know from when Tanya was visiting their house that we saw "the mom" in Sleepwalker form in the mirror.

So she should have been able to get a look of him as the vamp-cat demon through her camera's eyepiece/viewfinder, when trying to snap a photo, and dip out earlier?

 

 

 

 

Idk, I know there are mirror-less cameras, and I do not know much about cameras to know what kind she was using. Can anyone confirm?

 

I figured the whole set-up about getting the pictures developed was that the pic would show him as the cat-demon. But I guess Sleepwalkers' faces are just blurry in photos?

 

And after looking up to confirm how cameras work, I figure she'd at least be able to have seen him in that "form" thru the viewfinder on her camera.

[RyanSz 3140]

Correction:

 

Garth Ennis was the writer of Rover Red Charlie, not Robert Kirkman.

 

Similar to what I did with Body Parts I have some Sleepwalker notes that I will post later in the afternoon or tomorrow, because I'm going to the movies to se Ghost In The Shell. Right now I'm at work and my time is limited and will go home for a quick bite to eat and then 2 hours of Scarlett (If it sucks I'll post in the movie recomendation section about it )

 

But to get back to Sleepwalkers, I did not realise that Mark Hamill was the police oficer at the beginning of the film

 

 

I thought it was Kevin Rankin

For a second I thought it was Michael Beihn.

[firsttimecallerlongtimelistenr 3590]

i'll just leave this here

 

[tomspanks 9039]

Btw, Jammerlea, Jason gave out a drawing assignment in the podcast episode.

[Cameron H. 23786]

I haven't finished listening to the episode yet, but I found it crazy that Jason had a problem with her listening and dancing to "Do You Love Me?" in the movie. I thought it was common knowledge that all the kids

to

...

[Elektra Boogaloo 3371]

I think if I was a sleepwalker I would look to move into a high rise apartment instead of a country home where it is easy for hundreds of cats to congregate.

Why don't they just search Craigslist for "no pets" buildings near schools?

[tomspanks 9039]

I think if I was a sleepwalker I would look to move into a high rise apartment instead of a country home where it is easy for hundreds of cats to congregate.

 

[joel_rosenbaum 1269]

[AdamDriggers 58]

I have a very personal story about this film that June will relate to. My mother and I used to watch horror films together when I was 8, 9, 10 years old from our local video store and for a few years it was our tradition. She also really loved Stephen King and when his tv mini-series specials or films would come out we would rent them or watch them on Pay-Per-View. We watched Sleepwalkers when it came out on Pay-Per-View. I remember her being very excited about it. As the film began and it was revealed the mother and son were involved in an incestuous relationship my mom paused the film and basically had the same reaction as June. She had to talk it out and we had to agree that they were just posing as a mother and son and were not really that when not in human form. However—the film is filled with contextual clues that suggest that they are indeed mother and son. The last line of the mother is, “You killed my only son.” over and over. But it’s funny because I remembered they were faking it so I guess I blocked it all out because it was too awkward sitting there watching this alone with my mother. Or I was too young to realize and my mom convinced me.

 

We also watched Body Parts together and I had school the next morning and she thought it would be too violent so she made me go to bed. I wanted to see it so I asked to sleep next to her in her bed while she watched it, but she made me keep my eyes shut. I therefore listened to the entire film with no visuals. Weird experience. Hearing the plot made no sense to me, I REMEMBER IT SEEMING SO OUTLANDISH EVEN TO MY YOUNG MIND!

[BertramCooper 122]

I just finished the film and haven't listened to the ep yet, but I gotta say, I had a fucking blast watching this movie. Had had a grin on my face from beginning to end.

 

The no-holds-barred incest, the INSANE dialogue, the terrible special effects, Mädchen Amick's squeaky voice, the goddamn cats - I just could barely breathe. Just bonkers from beginning to end.

 

Bad Stephen King films REALLY deliver. Goddamn.

[LeeDonahoe 5]

I totally agree with whoever mentioned that there must not be many sleepwalkers due to them all being perennial nominees for Darwin awards...

 

Like for instance, the "deadly" cats that gathered outside the house the whole time. Obviously the mother sleepwalker has no issue using guns (and had great aim to take out those cars in one shot), and those cats weren't really moving a whole lot... So their solution to the problem is to hope that these cats wander into getting snagged by the couple randomly placed bear traps in the yard to deal with this existential threat? What the fuck?

 

Couldn't they just sit inside the house with a reasonably strong air rifle (so as not to bother the neighbors), open some windows, and then shoot the cats as they sat around in the grass like dumbass targets? Then after a night of plinking away at cats, they could have safely gone upstairs and boned in happiness like two nasty, shiny naked mole rats...

 

Also why string up the cats and hang corpses from the house? I've never heard that cats are afraid of dead cats, and I wouldn't be surprised if the furry lizards tend to cannibalize their own. So their dead kitty display might have actually been bringing more cats to the yard? Wouldn't a shovel and a shallow grave work better?

[kateacola 2440]

 

[AstronautDown 282]

First off, this movie rules. 100% Stephen King bonkers, with a Madchen Amick cherry on top. I'm genuinely in love with her! Btw, the scenario Jason posits in which King falls drunk asleep and wakes up to find the scrip on his desk? If you've read King's brilliant book On Writing you know it's probably true.

 

So, obviously great ep! June is the greatest Was super happy that Jayson mentioned the soundtrack. 50s tunes are basically a recurring theme in King's books. I'd seen this film back when I was a kid and the one scene that has really stuck with me was Tanya's dance in the old theatre. Speaking of Tanya, when Paul said she looked like someone who would seduce her therapist I immediately though of Madchen Amick's movie Dream Lover. If you are a fan of the actress, do yourselves a favor and watch it.

 

Also wanted to say, speaking of Stephen King: If you saw this week's teaser for IT, please allow me to posit the following scenario: kid chases paper boat, bumps head on roadblock, dies, Jacob's Ladder.

 

That's all. Can't wait to see who Blake interviews!