In 2017, illustrator Adam Ellis turned to Twitter to talk about the paranormal things happening to him.

After he moved to a new apartment in Aug. 2017, he started having sleep paralysis and nightmares about a boy with one side of his head caved in. In one nightmare, he learned that the boy’s name is “Dear David” and that he cannot ask him three questions. If he does, he’ll die.

However, he forgot that rule and ended up asking him a third question. Ellis survived, but odd things from his nightmares began appearing in his apartment. He even ended up capturing pictures of David.

As a kid, I remember being terrified of this story. Nine-year-old me was convinced that it was real and that David would show up in my dreams. Whether it was real or fake, Ellis did a great job of telling a story. People enjoyed his experience so much that his tweets were turned into a movie released on Oct. 13. 

I enjoyed the movie. It was a bit cheesy with 2017 humor and unrealistic cyberbullying, but at least that makes it accurate to the time it takes place in. In the movie, BuzzFeed artist Adam Ellis receives several hate comments, and responds to one by telling the commenter to die in a fire. This causes David, who was sent death threats as a kid, to start tormenting Ellis. Ellis documents what happens to him on Twitter, but his boss thinks it’s fake. Ellis tries to convince everyone around him that David is real as his friends and boyfriend start to distance themselves from him. 

There is a creative yet confusing scene in the movie that I overall liked. Ellis is in his house when a masked figure appears, turning Ellis into a video game character and controlling him against his will. I was confused on who the masked person was and it was never revealed who or what they were, but the scene captured my attention so much that I forgot about the random appearance of the strange person.

I think people take themselves and cinema too seriously. Sure, the movie isn’t the greatest piece of horror to come out, but it was still an interesting watch. I was entertained throughout the entire movie and thought it was the perfect length at one hour and 34 minutes. It also sends a positive (although cheesy) message against cyberbullying. 

Cameron Nicoll plays young David in this movie. He was recently seen acting as another young boy in the show “Gen V,” released this year. Augustus Prew, who plays Ellis, and Andrea Bang, Ellis’s best friend, act well together. Their friendship feels realistic and genuine, like they were best friends off of set. Prew also did an amazing job showing how terrified and desperate for answers Ellis is. 

While the original tweets are definitely worth reading more than the movie is watching, it still can be a fun and new horror movie for Halloween. The movie is currently in theaters and available on Amazon Prime Video. Just remember, if a boy with a dented head appears in a nightmare, make sure not to ask him three questions.

I give “Dear David” a 6/10.