Beautiful, moving film.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Somehow I missed this movie when it was seen on TV back in 1982 (I had a small toddler then, was working full time and didn't have a lot of time for TV watching then). I was a huge fan back in the 70's of the Movie of the week, especially loving the scary ones such as "Satan's School for Girls", etc. This little gem was right up there with the best of them.Dennis Weaver and Valerie Harper play parents who lost their eldest daughter in a car accident. Relocating to a new house, weird things start to happen. Mary, their surviving daughter begins to see her dead older sister, Jennifer, who encourages Mary to start killing off the surviving family. One by one, they all start dying by weird means.The writing and acting are all top notch, Weaver and Harper play their roles as the guilt ridden parents with pathos. The acting is superb! There are some effectively creepy scenes, as others have noted, the pizza cutter scene is particularly eerie and effective. I love movies that convey fear and suspense without gore and this movie delivers.I watched this on YouTube, evidently it has not been released on DVD, which is a shame. So many of the old, eerie Movie of the Week movies have not been released on DVD and it's a damn shame.

I've rated this movie higher than I would if it were theatrically released. One of the biggest problems with nearly every TV movie is pacing. Arranging the story so there is enough suspense to keep an audience through commercials tends to create awkward pacing, and this movie is no exception. But the movie has enough of a story to keep things moving forward. Direction is largely competent, except for a very poor opening credits sequence. Script is also acceptable. Characters are not especially likable, but in a story like this, that doesn't matter much.There are two scenes that especially stuck in my memory as a child; the first being the frisbee scene. The second was the pizza cutter. Given the lack of real menace in the movie, the direction was surprisingly effective in making things creepy.I only wish that made-for-TV productions kept this sort of sensibility.Entirely worth tracking down for aficionados of early 80s horror.

****Contains Spoiler**** I remember watching this movie when I was about 7 with my Cricket Doll (don't laugh you probably had one too) and it freaked me out!! I loved it!! For some reason I could not find it anywhere especially not in a video store! All I could remember was the scene where Jennifer's shoe laces were tied together in the car and the car blowing up as well as the creepy ending. I am 26 years old now and this movie has stuck in the back of my head ever since! The scariest moment to me was at the end when Jennifer raises up at the foot of the bed and says "Hi Mommy!" Oooooohhhh it gave me chills!!! I bought the only one that I could find of this movie on Ebay (March 2008)on DVD!!!! This is extremely rare (those of you that are searching for this will agree with me.) I watched it for the first time in about 10 years and it scared me again in a retro-cheesy kind of way. It may be old but it took me a little while before I could go to sleep!!! Good luck in finding this movie it is soooooo worth getting and when you get a hold of it never let it go!!!-Shana

What we have here is a made for TV horror movie from the eighties. There was some pretty good stuff made for the box during the 1970's, and it would seem that tradition was carried on, at least until the early part of the eighties, as Don't Go to Sleep is one of the best made for television horror films that I've seen. Naturally, given the fact that this film was made for television, it's not as graphic as most of the horror output in the eighties, and the obvious budget limitations mean that this can sometimes feel like a TV serial rather than a proper film, but still Richard Lang's film gets it's point across and manages to be entertaining for it's duration. The plot follows a family that move into a new home in the country after a terrible car accident that left one of the daughters dead. However, the remaining daughter soon begins hearing things at the new house, and it's not long before she's 'in league' with her dead sister and carrying out her revenge - by picking off members of her own family one by one! The film's main influences would appear to be the classic films, The Bad Seed and Psycho. Both of these films are massive favourites of mine, and while this one is nowhere near as good as either, the way that the plot takes influence from both is good in that it uses the influence well to come up with a somewhat 'new' story. The characters aren't too badly drawn considering that this is a TV movie, and the director ensures that the family members do somewhat reflect real life, although it could be said that the characters are clichéd. The film features some decent performances from the central cast. Robin Ignico is the standout in her role as the demented daughter, and receives good support from Dennis Weaver in the role of her father; although for me, Ruth Gordon was ineffective as the mother. The film succeeds overall due to the fact that it's always a lot of fun to watch, and thankfully it all boils down to a satisfying conclusion that justifies watching the film. Overall, compared to other horror films; this one isn't brilliant, but it's a cut above a lot of direct to TV stuff.