Dreams are supposed to be safe places. Soft, untouchable pockets of the mind where we escape reality. But the Somnium trailer floods this sanctuary with a cold, clinical terror. Chloë Levine steps into a world where technology promises to sculpt your dreams into perfection… only to twist them into a waking nightmare. This isn’t a story about sleep, it’s about survival inside the one place you thought was yours.
At its core, Somnium is more than a horror film. It’s a descent into ambition’s shadow. This isn’t just about scares. It’s a dark, hypnotic dive into how far we’ll go to seize our dreams, and the psychological toll that chase exacts in Hollywood’s ruthless ecosystem.
Starring Chloë Levine in what critics have called an “endearing” performance, Somnium tells the story of Gemma, a small-town actress fresh off a breakup who moves to L.A. to chase her dreams. To make ends meet, she accepts a night-shift job at a sleep clinic with a sinister twist: Somnium doesn’t just study dreams, it manufactures them. But as Gemma throws herself into Hollywood auditions by day and enters a dreamworld by night, she starts to lose her grip on reality, caught in a spiralling nightmare that refuses to end.
The trailer showcases A misty night. Gemma drifts through a sterile clinic labeled Somnium. As the camera pushes in, the haunting tagline appears: “Dreams come true—but at what cost?”
From the first frame, the trailer grips you with a dreamlike disquiet. Soft lighting, echoing whispers, and Levine’s haunted gaze sets the tone. This isn’t just sci-fi, it’s a psychological horror wrapped in technicolor dread. Once Levine enters the experimental sleep clinic, the atmosphere shifts. Surreal dreamscapes, mirror corridors, levitating objects and flesh‑moulding machinery flicker by in quick cuts, punctuated by jarring sound cues. It’s like Inception meets Jacob’s Ladder, but built on indie roots and rooted in emotional realism.
Levine’s performance sells every frame. You see her transformation, from hopeful newcomer auditioning under Hollywood lights, to a woman unraveling before your eyes. One moment she’s listing her dreams aloud and the next, she’s drenched in sweat in a nightmare that bleeds into reality. Her vulnerability and steely resolve anchor the surreal chaos that envelops her.
Secondary performances shine too. Peter Vack and Will Peltz serve as enigmatic figures, sometimes confidants, sometimes antagonists, leaving you guessing about their true motives. Insets of Grace Van Dien and Jonathan Schaech add a brittle emotional depth, suggesting a web of secrets within Somnium’s walls.
The audio design deserves a mention. A whispery choir, a ticking machine rhythm, and sudden silence, the soundscape is claustrophobic. When silence strikes, you listen for what isn’t there. It’s precisely unsettling. By the end, the trailer spirals into chaos. Levine screaming, alarms flashing, the clinic’s walls cracking open, only to finish on a quiet close‑up of a wide‑eyed dreamer. No score. Just a heartbeat.
Somnium marks the feature debut of writer-director Racheal Cain.The cast also includes Peter Vack, Will Peltz, Johnathon Schaech and Grace Van Dien. Somnium opens August 29, 2025 in Los Angeles, hits New York on September 6, and rolls out on digital platforms (Apple TV, Prime Video, Fandango at Home) beginning September 9
