"The Sleepless Unrest" Is TV Ghosthunting Formula With Cinematic Flare

Many evenings as my husband and I aimlessly scroll through the various titles on the various streaming platforms in search of entertainment that we both are in the mood for, we often settle on a go-to we both always agree on: The Conjuring. Ghost stories, haunted houses, demons, and devils make for good entertainment, so a documentary about such things naturally piques my interest - and that’s exactly what we have here with The Sleepless Unrest.

In The Sleepless Unrest, filmmakers Kendall and Vera Whelpton and friends commit to spending two continuous weeks at the house in Rhode Island that inspired The Conjuring movie in hopes of experiencing paranormal events for themselves. Armed with a slew of cameras and monitoring equipment, the team employs as many tactics as they can to detect and capture anomalies in the house.

What they unearth during their stay feels real to them - or, at the very least, they convince me that their experience feels real to them. The house, after all, gives off a pungently eerie vibe. With mysterious crawlspaces, creepy decor and - for some unexplained reason - hanging snake skin, there’s plenty to be unnerved about even on a superficial level.

But true belief in what The Sleepless Unrest is trying to prove regarding the paranormal status of this house wholly hinges on the ambiguity that exists in affirming their findings beyond a reasonable doubt. For some, tripped sensors, unsourceable sounds, and light flickers in the distance are evidence enough that something obscure is in their midst. Others, however, may not find these occurrences to rise to the standard of “unexplainable,” leaving conclusions about this experiment as a choose-what-you-want-to-believe kind of adventure.

What The Sleepless Unrest does demonstrate, however, is how equipped the Whelptons are for conveying spookiness in film. In addition to properly building tension within the house, the horror tone is further bolstered by the creative choice to break up scenes with magnificently ominous and strikingly composed shots of the house in the snow at night. Although The Sleepless Unrest can often feel like a television ghost hunting show, the cinematographic influence of Paranormal Activity, Blair Witch Project, and yes, even The Conjuring, is easy to recognize and appreciate.

By the end of The Sleepless Unrest, I am overwhelmingly convinced that the Whelptons and their friends truly believe they encountered paranormal activity - but I’m personally not sold on the idea that such paranormal activity actually occurred during this two week visit. Which is ultimately what I appreciate most about the film: that what’s presented is believably authentic. If nothing else, it’s fun to hang out with these friends and ghost-hunting enthusiasts in a menacing environment and be a part of the excitement that comes with staying in a haunted house.

So for those of us who aspire to chase ghosts without assuming the risk of being among them, this is likely the closest we’ll get to a real haunted experience. Perhaps I need more evidence to be persuaded of the presence of spirits, but I can say for certain that while my husband was watching The Sleepless Unrest, he couldn’t have been more thrilled.

Thomas Stoneham-JudgeJuly 13, 2021the sleepless unrest, kendall whelpton, vera whelpton, the conjuring, 6 out of 12Comment