Victor Miller, writer of Friday the 13th, said about Lucid  "After seeing Lucid, you'll never sleep the same again."

Ah, who cares? I don't really sleep anyway.

Monica (Brittney Saylor) is a woman with increasingly disturbing and violent dreams who consults a famous sleep therapist (Scott Cummings) known for his controversial methods. Once immersed in his treatments, Monica is forced to cope with the disturbing depths of her subconscious and to cling to her sanity.

While Lucid might be best known for its casting of Bill "Leatherface" Johnson from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, the film is far more fueled by Brittney Saylor's convincing and occasionally horrifying performance as a woman whose hauntings are grounded deep within her past while impacting her otherwise promising future.

Unless C-Pap stands for Creepy Paw Paw, this is one sleep disturbance that isn't going to be solved by any machine. Monica's sleep disturbances are much more related to a repressed childhood trauma, but it's her ongoing dreams about killing her boyfriend that are most jarring for all.

While there are moments in Woodside's Lucid where the film's low-budget roots are evident, Woodside does an excellent job of knowing when to push and when to hold back and, far more than you might expect, manages to put together a production team that gives her an excellent bang for the buck. D.P. Steve Hudgins gives the film's imagery a look that is creepy yet intimate, while Aaron Weatherford's original music adds a layer of intensity and emotion to the proceedings.

In addition to Saylor's top notch performance, Scott Cummings is mesmerizing as an almost cheerleader-like dream therapist whose influence is powerful and obvious and believable.

Lucid is currently on the film festival circuit and should have no problem finding a home on the indie and horror fest circuits. If you get a chance, you'll definitely want to check it out.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic