Awoken (2019) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A desperate attempt to cure inherited insomnia uncovers a demonic cycle that threatens both a family and an illegal medical experiment.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

A Brother Without Sleep

Karla struggles to save Blake after his parents' deaths and the onset of Fatal Familial Insomnia. Robert offers an illegal basement sleep trial as their only apparent hope.

Key Events

• Family Trauma Revealed — Karla and Blake's parents die in a murder-suicide, leaving Blake vulnerable to familial insomnia. Characters: Karla, Blake, Sarah Location: Family home
• Blake Develops FFI — Blake develops Fatal Familial Insomnia after witnessing the deaths of his parents. Characters: Karla, Blake Location: Family residence
• Forgotten Basement Lab — Robert introduces Karla to the secret illegal sleep laboratory beneath the medical campus. Characters: Karla, Robert Location: Medical campus basement
• Illegal Trial Begins — Karla agrees to Robert's illegal trial in hopes of saving Blake. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert, Patrick Location: Basement sleep lab
• Patrick Joins Group — Patrick joins the group as pharmacist despite Karla's anger over his earlier abandonment. Characters: Karla, Patrick, Robert Location: Basement sleep lab

Evidence Beneath the Campus

The trial group discovers a hidden room containing footage and a journal from Sarah's earlier experiment. Blake begins repeating the frightening behavior shown in the recordings.

Key Events

• Sleep Study Commences — The participants undergo sleep-related observation while Robert directs the experiment. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert Location: Basement sleep lab
• Hidden Room Discovered — Karla and an unnamed friend find a concealed room containing recordings and a journal. Characters: Karla, Robert Location: Hidden basement room
• Sarah's Trial Footage — The tapes show Sarah displaying strange, seemingly demonic behavior during her sleep trial. Characters: Karla, Sarah, Robert Location: Basement viewing area
• Blake Mirrors Sarah — Blake repeats Sarah's behavior, including tearing pages from a Bible. Characters: Karla, Blake, Sarah Location: Basement sleep lab
• Participant Seeks Escape — A frightened participant begs Karla for help after witnessing the disturbing behavior. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert Location: Basement sleep lab

The Locked Trial

A participant dies during a trance, and the remaining group learns that the basement is locked. Karla and Patrick investigate the tapes while the experiment becomes increasingly lethal.

Key Events

• Suicide During Trance — Karla watches a participant enter a trance and commit suicide. Characters: Karla, Robert Location: Basement sleep lab
• Doors Refuse Escape — Robert says the trials will end, but the group discovers they are locked inside until the next day. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert, Patrick Location: Medical campus basement
• Karla Reconnects Patrick — Karla reconnects with Patrick and persuades him to watch the recovered recordings. Characters: Karla, Patrick Location: Basement viewing area
• Journal Explains Possession — The journal explains that a demon targets people with insomnia and that sleep keeps it away. Characters: Karla, Robert Location: Hidden basement room
• Robert's Knowledge Exposed — The tapes reveal Robert knew about the demon, while the priest hid the material as a warning. Characters: Karla, Patrick, Robert Location: Basement viewing area

The False Savior

Further deaths reveal the demon's connection to insomnia and Robert's prior knowledge. Robert's childhood trauma explains why he views the entity as a savior.

Key Events

• Deaths Spread Through Lab — The group fails to warn another participant in time; that participant dies, followed by another participant's murder. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert Location: Basement sleep lab
• Exorcism Begins — Karla begins an exorcism to free Blake, refusing to abandon her possessed brother. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert, Patrick Location: Basement ritual room
• Robert Kills Patrick — Robert interrupts the exorcism, kills Patrick, and knocks Karla unconscious. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert, Patrick Location: Basement ritual room
• Robert Reveals His Motive — Robert reveals his childhood abuse and declares that the demon is his savior. Characters: Karla, Robert, Blake Location: Candle-filled room

Exorcism and Aftermath

Robert attacks the exorcism and kills Patrick, but his attempt to control the demon ends in suicide. Karla helps Blake expel the entity, although her own insomnia remains a warning.

Key Events

• Robert Attempts Control — Karla resumes the exorcism while Robert attempts to assume control of the possessing force. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert Location: Candle-filled ritual room
• Robert's Forced Suicide — The demon rejects Robert's control and forces him to kill himself. Characters: Karla, Blake, Robert Location: Candle-filled ritual room
• Blake Expels the Demon — Karla urges Blake to fight, enabling him to expel the demon as its specter disappears into the ground. Characters: Karla, Blake Location: Basement ritual room
• Hospital Survival — Karla and Blake reach a hospital, where Blake survives but Karla remains unable to sleep. Characters: Karla, Blake Location: Hospital
• Insomnia Threat Remains — Karla's continuing insomnia implies that she remains vulnerable to future possession. Characters: Karla, Blake Location: Hospital

Story Breakdown

• Family Trauma — Karla and Blake carry the consequences of their parents' violent deaths.
  • Parental Murder — Their parents die in a murder-suicide witnessed by Blake.
  • Inherited Insomnia — Blake develops Fatal Familial Insomnia, while Karla also suffers from insomnia.
• Illegal Sleep Lab — Robert recruits Karla into a secret basement trial intended to save Blake.
  • Robert's Proposal — Robert presents the illegal experiment as a possible cure.
  • Patrick Returns — Karla's ex-boyfriend joins the trial as its pharmacist.
• Hidden Evidence — The investigation uncovers records connecting the present experiment to Sarah's earlier trial.
  • Secret Room — Karla discovers a camera, VHS tapes, and a journal.
  • Sarah's Footage — The recordings show Sarah exhibiting seemingly demonic behavior.
• Possession Pattern — Blake's behavior confirms that the earlier trial's supernatural danger has returned.
  • Mirrored Behavior — Blake tears Bible pages and repeats behaviors seen in Sarah's footage.
  • Sleep as Defense — The journal states that sleep was created to keep the demon away.
• Lab Becomes Prison — The experiment turns lethal as participants die and the group loses the ability to escape.
  • Trance Suicide — A participant enters a trance and dies by suicide.
  • Further Deaths — Another participant dies before the threat kills a second participant.
• Robert's Hidden Agenda — Robert abandons the medical pretense and reveals his desire to summon the demon.
  • Childhood Trauma — Robert describes repeated physical and sexual abuse by his guardian.
  • False Salvation — Robert believes the demon saved him and tries to control it.
• Final Exorcism — Karla fights to separate Blake from the possessing force despite Robert's violence.
  • Patrick's Death — Robert kills Patrick and knocks Karla unconscious during the ritual.
  • Blake Fights Back — Karla gives Blake the strength to expel the demon.
• Unresolved Aftermath — The siblings reach safety, but Karla's continuing insomnia leaves the threat open-ended.
  • Hospital Arrival — Karla and Blake make it to a hospital after the exorcism.
  • Lingering Vulnerability — Karla remains unable to sleep and may still be at risk.

Directed by

Daniel J. Phillips

Key Cast

• Erik Thomson — Robert
• Sara West — Karla
• Benson Jack Anthony — Blake
• Matt Crook — Patrick
• Robert MacPherson — Doctor Mulcahy