Film Review: ‘Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal’ Doesn’t Have Enough Bite

Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – There’s something deeper going on in “Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal,” opening tomorrow at Music Box. I think. It’s about a struggling artist who finds inspiration in a small town when he’s forced to serve as guardian for the title character. Don’t all artists have something in common with cannibals given the way they turn their own (or other people’s) insides into fuel for their creativity? While that’s an engaging and interesting starting place for a horror-comedy, Boris Rodriguez’s movie sadly ends up being neither an effective horror movie nor a memorable satire. It just kind of, pardon me for going there, sleepwalks through its clever set-up.

Thure Lindhardt, so great in “Keep the Lights On,” stars as Lars, a painter who goes to a snowy, secluded town to find his creative muse and does so in the most unexpected of places. During the day, Lars is a teacher, and it’s there that he befriends the silent and stoic Eddie (Dylan Smith). Getting Eddie to break out of his shell through art, it’s clear that Lars has a connection with him. And so he is asked to be Eddie’s caregiver, allowing the burly gentleman to move in with him. One night, Lars stumbles upon a sleepwalking Eddie with blood around his mouth. He sees a decimated rabbit corpse and, inexplicably, finds his artistic muse. The graphic violence inspires creativity. Before long, Lars isn’t just painting again, he’s funding the school at which he works with the profits. So, a few bad guys are getting eaten in the middle of the night – the kids get a new swimming pool. Who’s really getting hurt?

Read Brian Tallerico’s full review of “Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal” in our reviews section. [9]

The cast of “Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal” is strong from top to bottom even if Rodriguez gives them disappointingly little to do. I really like Lindhardt as an actor. In both this and “Lights,” he finds unique approaches to his characters and I could very easily see him finding a breakthrough role that brings him to household name status. Georgina Reilly is beautiful and engaging as the romantic lead, Smith brings a nice physicality to Eddie, and the always-great Stephen McHattie is wonderfully slimy as Lars’ agent.

Continue reading for Brian Tallerico’s full “Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal” review. [9]

Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal
Photo credit: Music Box Films