Sleepwalker (2026 film)

Sleepwalker (2026 film)

Sleepwalker is a 2026 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Brandon Auman. It stars Hayden Panettiere, Beverly D'Angelo, Justin Chatwin, Mischa Barton, Lori Tan Chinn, and Kea Ho.

The film was released in the United States on January 9, 2026.

Plot

Sleepwalker (2026 film)

An accomplished artist is haunted by the tragic loss of her daughter, following a car accident that has also left her abusive husband in a coma.

Cast

Sleepwalker (2026 film)

• Hayden Panettiere as Sarah Pangborn • Beverly D'Angelo as Gloria Pangborn, Sarah's mother • Justin Chatwin as Michael Anders • Mischa Barton as Joelle Anders • Lori Tan Chinn as Bai Zhao • Kea Ho as Alexis • Eric Lutes as Doctor Henson

Production

Sleepwalker (2026 film)

Principal photography began in February 2025, when it was announced that Brandon Auman would be writing and directing a psychological thriller film, with Hayden Panettiere cast in the lead role, alongside Beverly D'Angelo, Justin Chatwin, Mischa Barton, Lori Tan Chinn, and Kea Ho.

Release

Sleepwalker (2026 film)

Sleepwalker was released in the United States on January 9, 2026.

Reception

Sleepwalker (2026 film)

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 14% of 14 critics' reviews are positive.

Isabella Suares of Collider gave the film a 3/10 rating and she said that: Sleepwalker doesn't effectively incorporate this complex disorder into its premise, resulting in a puzzling story about a woman going on a spiral without any healing prospect.

Paul Lê of Bloody Disgusting also gave the film a negative review and a rating of 1.5/5 and wrote: Maybe the starting material would have better served as an anthology segment, as opposed to something that feels stretched beyond its limits.

Gregory Nussen of Screen Rant gave the film a rating of 1/10 and said: If, for most of us, nightmares are our worst fears made manifest in surrealist, haunting imagery that is difficult to recall even moments after having been seen, then Auman's imagination is woefully stuck in painfully obvious, literalist overdrive.

Brian Orndorf of Blu-ray.com gave the film a rating of D+ and wrote: Sleepwalker is more of a "Twilight Zone" episode with increasingly tedious jump scares and acting that can’t quite sell the frightmare developing over the run time.

However, Phil Walsh of GVN gave the film positive review and a rating of 7/10 and he wrote: An unsettling deep dive into grief that kept me on edge right until the end, which felt like a perfect ending to a dream. Abrupt and shocking.