The Sandman is every child's nightmare- going to bed with a unknown horror lurking in the shadows. Paul Berry directed this animated screamer, and the characters are Tim Burton-esquire in the design. (Not surprising, as a few years later Paul worked on the Nightmare before Christmas with Tim) The film is very short, clocking in at a mere ten minutes, but it's disturbing enough to play a part in your nightmares. This film may seem to be aimed at children, as a young boy is the main character and it's a animation, but beware against showing it to any child below the age of about ten. Even that might be pushing it, as we watched this film in our Year 8 English class and we were still sufficiently creeped out.
The film starts off happily enough, just before the boy's bedtime. When he makes his way up to his bed, he enters the world of the Sandman.
The trippy '92 animation only adds to the atmosphere and the music is pure genius- a chord sounds every time he takes a step.
Several false alarms lead you to believe that maybe all is well and the Sandman will not be visiting that night. Unfortunately, not all stories have a happy ending.
A slight criticism- was it really necessary for the Sandman to dance? And the weird elbow thing- it made it more laughable which didn't set in with the mood of the film.
Therefore, I give this film 9/10.
