Devil in the Room is a terrifyingly illustrated documentary about sleep paralysis. The phenomenon, in which awareness and nightmares collide, may explain legends of demons and visits from extraterrestrials. “It doesn’t matter if it’s real …because itfeels real.” And because of the paralysis, you can’t do anything about the situation, which adds another layer of terror. Find out more about sleep paralysis at The Sleep Paralysis Project
Throughout summer 2012, two or three times a week, I would wake up unable to move, deeply afraid and convinced there was someone or something in the room with me. Sometimes I would see or hear people around the bed or feel cats padding over the blanket. One time I woke up and saw a giant spider hovering over me! This strange phenomenon is called sleep paralysis, and I decided to make a film about it. This experimental docu-horror was supported by a Wellcome Trust Arts Award and made as part of an MA in Animation at Royal College of Art. It is part of The Sleep Paralysis Project (thesleepparalysisproject.org). See the website for more information on the scientific and cultural background of sleep paralysis.
Narrated by Prof. Chris French; Sleeper - Anne Sophie Marie; Additional Voiceover & Old Hag - Victoria Grove
Produced and Directed by Carla MacKinnon
Projection mapped bedroom animated and mapped by seeper.com
Sound and Music by Dominic de Grande
Demons designed and fabricated by Anna Ginsburg and Jen Cardno
Researched by Dan Denis
Associate Produced by James Mullighan
Additional everything by Christian Schlaeffer and Stephen McNally
