‘Haunters of the Silence’ Brings Atmospheric Sleep Paralysis Horror to Tubi
Sleep paralysis becomes the foundation for an experimental journey into psychological and folk horror in Haunters of the Silence, a new independent feature now streaming on Tubi.
The film comes from husband-and-wife filmmaking team Tatu and Veleda Heikkinen, who wrote, directed, filmed and edited the project together. Drawing inspiration from personal experiences with sleep paralysis, the filmmakers approached the phenomenon through an atmospheric combination of ambient horror and experimental cinema.
“When we first got the idea to make a film together, it was quite easy to pick sleep paralysis as a subject,” Tatu Heikkinen said. “We both love ambient horror and experimental cinema, and sleep paralysis as a subject matter lent itself really well for that kind of dark and psychedelic aesthetic that we wanted to create.”
Sleep paralysis occurs around the transition between sleep and wakefulness, and the sensation of being conscious while unable to move has long provided fertile ground for horror. For the Heikkinens, however, the attraction wasn’t simply the phenomenon itself but the altered perception and dread that can accompany it.
“I’ve had sleep paralysis, and it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life,” Heikkinen said. “We tried to capture that atmosphere of abstract dread that distorts your perception of time and place.”
That approach places Haunters of the Silence within a corner of independent horror more interested in mood, imagery and psychological unease than conventional scares. Its combination of folk horror, psychedelic aesthetics and personal experience allows the filmmakers to translate sleep paralysis into something designed to feel disorienting rather than simply explain it.
The film’s intimate production also reflects its experimental nature.
Haunters of the Silence was shot between 2024 and 2025, with much of the production taking place inside the filmmakers’ own home and around its surrounding areas in Portland, Oregon. The husband-and-wife team handled multiple aspects of production themselves, extending the personal nature of the project from its inspiration through its execution.
The film began its festival run with a premiere at the Serbest International Film Festival in September 2025. The following month, it received the Best Experimental Film award at the Paris Film Awards.
With its move to streaming, Haunters of the Silence now has an opportunity to reach horror audiences outside the festival circuit, particularly viewers drawn to slow-burn, atmospheric and unconventional approaches to the genre.
Rather than treating sleep paralysis merely as the setup for a monster lurking beside the bed, the Heikkinens appear interested in something more abstract: the terror of losing control over one’s own perception while the familiar spaces surrounding you suddenly stop feeling familiar at all.
Haunters of the Silence is now streaming on Tubi. The film is also available on DVD through Savo-Karelian Productions.
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