A reporter plagued with a recurring nightmare finds out she has a brother in a psychiatric institution and must uncover his connection to her plight as well as the head doctor’s intentions before her nightmares blend into the day.

SYNOPSIS:

Della, a young reporter, is roused early by a nightmare. She’s in a car with a family of four as it crashes. This has been going on for weeks. Her husband insists she sees a psychiatrist. At work, Della is tasked with looking into a car crash story, the death of a family, and she hears her nightmare. Digging through old stories she finds one that seemingly matches her dream. Hears it again. Confronting her uncle John about whether it’s a memory or not, he confesses: it is. She’s found the story of her parents’ death, but there are four people since she has a brother who has been in psychiatric care his whole life. Now, as Della begins seeing her nightmare in the daytime — she goes to see her brother…

…Howard wakes early and draws all day. His caretaker, Dr. Cronen, specializes in sleep studies and has housed Howard in an apartment within the clinic. He says that Howard can create lucid dreams via drawing. Howard recently started to draw his memory of the car accident and so unintentionally gave Della the nightmare. Dr. Cronen believes that Della and Howard share a connection and he offers her unlimited visiting rights which she agrees wanting to get to know her brother more. On her way out, Della slips and blacks out… wakes soon after. Now, initially unbeknownst to her, elements from Howard’s drawings start appearing in her life. Her nightmare is replaced with one where she’s paralyzed in a bed. Meanwhile, Howard draws an elaborate mansion estate. As she reads more about Dr. Cronen’s work, her nightmares become visual and audible hallucinations. Della realizes she may need clinical help. Dr. Cronen invites her to…

…the mansion estate that Howard drew. He insists Della will get better if she takes the same medicine he’s giving Howard. But Della has added things up, quoting Cronen’s own words from his articles and their previous meeting, she accuses him of using Howard to create lucid dream spaces. They’re in one right now. Della flees with Howard in the car she used to get here and encourages Howard to draw for him and her. First, he can help them wake up by recreating their car crash. So Howard draws it, his first truly own drawing in ages, and boom!

Della wakes in Dr. Cronen’s clinic… in the coma ward. Her uncle is there! Because he has been working with Dr. Cronen to first keep Howard a secret, but now to get Della to visit. Her slip wasn’t an accident, she was trapped. Meeting Della made Howard happier and draw more just as Dr. Cronen wanted, since he intends to create a dream world based in his clinic. He just needs Howard to finish drawing it. But Howard now knows to draw what he wants and… they’re still in a dream of his. He ends with a bigger calamity… and he, Della, and John wake up for real. But Dr. Cronen and his staff are stuck in a coma. Della uneasily forgives John, him being her only real family.

Back at work, Della writes an exposé on everything. While Howard has moved in with John and draws his ideal family life with his uncle, sister, and their parents.

Accolades:

Quarterfinalist: Screencraft Horror Competition 2022

Quarterfinalist: Filmmatic Horror Screenplay Award Season 6

Prospective MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for horror images, brief strong language, and a scene of violence

HOWARD