Dream Demon

This movie is an under-rated gem.

It's genuinely scary, without being filled with blood & gore like many low-budget horror movies are.

Its has its flaws, but if you can get past them, you will be rewarded with a genuinely original horror movie. I had to watch it at least twice, before the full implications of the story became apparent to me.

There are many scenes, where you don't know what is real & what is a dream and for me, this adds to its effectiveness.

The soundtrack is also interesting because it was composed by Bill Nelson (ex Bebop Deluxe) during his "ambient music" phase of the 1980's.

I don't wish to discuss the story in any detail, because this might spoil the movie for you.

Unfortunately, this is currently unavailable on DVD, long since out of print in any other format, and might not be available again for some time to come, because it would appear that the rights ownership have become confused by bankruptcy. The only way to see it is to get hold of an old 2nd-hand VHS copy.

Thoroughly recommended.

An interesting but old idea for a film is unfortunately a mixed bag. The director didn't know how to stage the scenes and the acting. The two leading ladies are certainly capable of better performances. This needs a better director with more expertise and a better written script. There are many good and spooky scenes in the film but they are interspersed with poor scenes and reactions that are clearly uncertain. Half of the movie is suspenseful but the other half lollygags due to dark humor and poor direction. As it is, the film might be improved with more crisp editing. There are too many things seen that make no sense or are old tired cliches. You are left with many questions about what you have seen at the end.

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!

The musical scores reminded me of Hellraiser. There was a lot of effort put into making the movie look and feel like a nightmare which I thought was great. Almost a crossover between Hellraiser (1987) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).

The lead character Diana played by Jemma Redgrave reminded me a lot of the character Kirsty from Hellraiser who was played by Ashley Laurence. The similarities where uncanny.

Dream Demon could easily fall into the category of weird horror. There is a lot of strange imagery through out the movie a lot of which ends up making sense at the end. Fun and enjoyable.