Dream Demon - Traumdämon

"Dream Demon" follows Diana, a Londoner about to be married to a prominent man, who is suffering from disturbing nightmares after having moved in to her new house. She soon meets Jenny, a tourist from Los Angeles who claims Diana's new home was her biological parents' last address; she has no memories of her parents or her early years spent there, but feels drawn to them. Diana's powerful and terrifying dreams begin to impact reality, and the two women begin to delve into the home's history and Jenny's connection to it.

A relatively unknown British-set offering by American director Harley Cokeliss, "Dream Demon" is in the same league as a number of over-the-top supernatural horror films from the late 1980s, such as "Night of the Demons," "Mirror, Mirror," and "Witchboard" (the latter of which Kathleen Wilhoite, portraying Jenny here, also appeared in). The distinction with "Dream Demon" is that the film has a particularly English bent to it that borders on gothic at times.

Another distinguishing element here, and perhaps the film's most interesting feature, is that it toys with narrative quite cleverly as Diana's grasp on reality begins to tunnel in on itself, to the point that she (and eventually Jenny) cannot discern waking life from Diana's lethal slumber. There are elements redolent of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" in this case--Diana's dreams begin to impact her physical environment, endangering those around her (including a pair of crude journalists harassing her). Though not the most original idea, it is orchestrated nicely here, and keeps the viewer on their toes as the two characters venture through a topsy-turvy world.

Jemma Redgrave turns in a solid and understated performance here as the tormented Diana, and Kathleen Wilhoite offers a spunky performance as the mouthy California punkster who joins her. Things start to coalesce in the final act of the film, and the fragments from Diana's dreams begin to paint a picture of why the two women have been united in the first place. Though not really a twist per se, the revelation feels appropriate and I left the film satisfied despite a few loose ends.

Overall, "Dream Demon" is worth a viewing for fans of late '80s supernatural films, as it features a similar aesthetic and premise to its peers. The English bent adds a distinct flavor, while the screenplay is clever, if not entirely perfect. Recommended for genre fans. 8/10.

Sort of a send-up of "A Nightmare on Elm Street", "Dream Demon" must be the only horror flick that references the Falklands War. The plot is pretty routine - woman starts having nightmares and it turns out that they relate to her past - but I liked the gag that they pulled in the opening scene; seriously, not even the Evil Dead movies thought of that! The only cast member whom I recognized is Timothy Spall (Wormtail in the Harry Potter movies). His character got to experience the REALLY ugly stuff, and I suspect that it was fun to create those makeup effects. Overall, this movie is probably worth seeing once.

PS: at the 1988 Fantasporto festival (held in Porto, Portugal), "Dream Demon" got nominated for Best Foreign Film.

British Working-Man Film-Maker Harley Cokeliss has a Frenzied Touch for Glossy Visuals.

But has a Tendency Here to Beat-the-Drum One Too Many Times Echoing the Samo-Samo Reveals Over and Over.

You Will Lose Count of the Number of Times Doors are Opened and the Fake Surprise of the 2 Heroines Enter the Identical Maze of Rooms, Stairs, and Mirrors Again and Again.

By the End it is an Irritant Prolonging the Movies End and is Just Puzzling in its Insecurity that the Audience Needs More and More Repeated Information or Another Similar Trope.

The Girls (Jemma Redgrave and Kathleen Wilhoit) are Fine but the "Comedy Relief" of (Jimmy Nail and Timothy Spall) again Outstay Their Welcome Going Over the Same Ground and Makes You Want it to STOP!... End the Damn Thing Already.

The Scare Resonate the First Time, as Does Yucky Vomit Wearing Timothy Spall the 1st Time He Shovels Food in His Mouth, but Wears the Upchuck Suit Way too Long and the "Humor" Beaten to Death's Door Until YOU may Do Your Own Purging.

Despite Returning to the Same Gags and the Same Mystery...it's Still...

Worth a Watch

Note...For the Fans who insist on claiming a "Nightmare On Elm Street" (1984) Rip-Off...let's be kind for all the effort and call it a "Homage".

I was very pleased when I saw this film. I rented it thinking it would be a cheesy, unlikable horror film, but it is a lot better than that. I'd say it is a gem in its own right.

Made in 1988 but not released on video until 1993, Dream Demon is about an English bride-to-be who begins to have terrible, horrifying dreams. Not sure why she is experiencing them, and not able to find help from those close to her, she confides her trouble to an American woman (played by Kathleen Wilhoite, who is a very underrated actress) visiting London, who seems to be connected to the dreams in some way. It is then that the dreams turn more serious, as anyone unfortunate enough to be around the bride-to-be when she falls asleep can be pulled into the dream itself!

From the opening scene (I was caught by surprise there, a rarity for me) this movie grasps you. It is a clear and rare case of a movie that could have been done extremely poorly done very well thanks to fine performances by the two female leads and a director who knew what to do when others would flop. It isn't an edge-of-your-seat horror film, but it is freaky and well-done; worth checking out. Zanatos's score: 7 out of 10.

It might be strongly argued that one of the more unique British Genre films produced in horror's heady 1980s heyday was imaginative writer/director Harley Cokeliss's demonically eccentric, visually inventive, playfully outlandish, generously practical Fx-laden, deliciously unpredictable 'Dream Demon' that proved to be a Big Box VHS knockout horror-hit upon its initial release, but, sadly, the grisly, gut-churning shocker slipped into relative obscurity, and the luminous, considerably more than welcome Arrow Video 2K restoration highlighting many of the nightmare-inducing film's eye-poppingly audacious, brain-fizzingly bonkers set-pieces, pleasingly exposing a wickedly warped wealth of devilish detail once lost in the frightful fug of fuzzy analogue video. Prim, beautiful, and upwardly docile Diana (Jemma Redgrave) is a sheltered, privileged, overly timorous young debutante anxiously awaiting her imminent marriage to no less picture perfect war hero partner Oliver (Mark Greenstreet) who, perhaps, hides a nefarious secret to rival that of the delightfully ominous abode Diana has been given by her wealthy socialite parents. The wonderfully torrid text by talented Hammer alumnus Christopher Wicking & Harley Cokeliss is a zesty, neo-Gothic delight, boldly eschewing most of the misogynistic stalk and slash tropes for a richly maniacal mine of mentally tormented maleficence! The giddy grand Guignol grandeur of 'Dream Demon' succeeds where all too many other low-budget Horror Films fail, being more imaginative, and forward-thinking, not merely utilizing talented actors Kathleen Wilhoite, and Jemma Redgrave as mere glamorous knife-fodder, but as spirited, 3-dimensional characters one can empathize with, their greatly imperilled, demon-infested journey of Diana & Jenny ( Kathleen Wilhoite) making for a deeper, more rewarding experience than e might initially expect. While 'Dream Demon' clearly gleans a smidgen of inspiration from 'Nightmare on Elm Street, and 'Bad Dreams' it has a searingly sinister singularity all of its own, in an increasingly monotonous era of enervating jump-scares, and tawdrily uninspired horror remakes, its majestically malign lustre shines ever brighter today!