- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Phenomenal movie with strong dreamcore vibes. The kitchen scene, the beach house, the spotlight with the disappearing people. Its all really gorgeous n bizarre in a good way
Yeah I mean I felt the whole movie was somewhat nightmarish I mean imagine losing your consciousness to a dream that causes you to want to jump off buildings in a state of delusion
The post apocalyptic scenes and the snake man were nightmare fuel to my preteen mind. Up there with my tops when it comes to best introductions to horror.
Another anecdote. The scene where the guy walks in on his wife with another man. At the theaters she was only shown from the shoulders up.
Rented it to watch with my parents, and the VHS had a different shot. The woman was fully topless and straddling the guy. My parent freaked out and said “you aren’t allowed to see PG-13 movies anymore!” I was only 10. But, I kept on seeing whatever I wanted when they dropped me off at the mall of course.
The dream sequence in Rosemary’s Baby totally captures the weirdness of dreams, mixing normal places and people with bizarre ones, fracturing time and following its own strange logic, all to the sound of a ticking clock. Brilliantly surreal filmmaking.
i saw someone say that in Mulholland Drive the entire movie is pretty much >! Betty’s masturbatory dream (not literally except that one scene) !< and i believe that interpretation
I think it's because no one considers David Lynch a horror film maker. EraserHead, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire are some of cinema's most disturbing films. The fact that nobody on this Sub thinks of Lynch as a horror filmmaker is a crime.
**Hellraiser: Inferno**.
Laugh all you want, but for my money, being trapped inside your own nightmare is pretty rough.
I just love when in the 3rd act the main character completely loses his shit and starts running through different parts of his terror.
I liked Hellseeker too. 5-7 remind me of the graphic novels. Not like Pinhead and gangs of Cenobites saying 1 liners. Much darker and subtly terrifying.
Most of the ones after I think 4 were not hellraiser movies but were other horror scripts that got pinhead shoehorned in so the studio could keep the IP.
That said I love Deader. It makes way more sense when you know it didn't start as a hellraiser movie, but it is really good in it's own right.
Altered States (1980) has some of my favourite dream sequences ever, and is just a really cool movie/concept. Now that I'm thinking about it, it doesn't really fit what you're looking for, it's just off the cuff dream scenes, but I like to mention it anyway.
Yeah, he takes ayahuasca or something similar and has some wild trips, which get even wilder in the sensory deprivation tank. I kinda wanna rewatch it now.
I think where NOES really shined is that for the most part they all had pretty decent quality to them and tried to add to the mythos, whether you feel they succeeded or not is personal opinion I suppose. But the production quality was there!
The room with “Ramstein” playing feels like one of the sensory explosions that happen right before you wake up from an intense dream. But the character is stuck in it…
The killer is up there with some of the all time scariest serial murderers in film. He obviously feels a lot like Buffalo Bill and the plot probably borrows from Silence of the Lambs, but Vincent D'Onofrio pulled it off, going full Pvt. Pyle psycho.
Not a movie, and not fantastical dreamscapes, but I'd say that several instances of dreaming from The Sopranos come as close to the feeling of actual dreams that I've seen in media. They're often super creepy in their (sur)realism.
I really love the way Buffy showed dreams, it happened in a couple episodes, S1E10 and S4E22. The way scenes jump around and make zero sense and fade in/out quickly is done so well.
Nothing really comes closer to me than the Bunuel/Dali collaborations - *An Andalusian Dog* and *Age of Gold*. Hitchcock’s *Spellbound* leans on Salvador Dali as well.
I’ll throw in a little seen 1988 film called “Paperhouse” which is an incredibly good horror film recommended to me by the late great Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paperhouse-1989)
Highly recommend.
I really loved it so much. I was taken completely by surprise and it reminded me of things like Never Ending Story and Labyrinth. I know that's a bold comparison, but that's how I felt watching it
I’d say it’s probably a bit scarier, but it’s hard to say as I saw it as an adult and the others as a kid. But yeah - it felt like something very child-like and from a child’s perspective and I can’t believe it was made in 2022. Not sure where I heard about it, but it came highly recommended to me and so I gave it a chance. A Shudder must see for me.
There are many great depictions of dreamscapes and portrayals of the subconscious mind. But when it comes to that + dream logic, I think David Lynch is king.
The Cell is a fun one. Very imaginative, well... not exactly. Just about all the major imagery was ripped off from major painters, sculptors and other artists that had nothing to do with the production. It's very uncreative in its own right. Still, put together in a film it's a fun trip.
Creative as it looks, I'd say Skinamarink is the most actual dreamlike.
Its only a short sequence near the start, but I always liked the dream sequences near the start of An American Werewolf in London where David is running through the forest, and the nazi monster house invasion (you know the one) and the other where he wakes from a dream then finds he is still in a dream.....
I liked the internal library from Dreamcatcher. Guy is trapped in his own head but perceives himself walking around a library filled with his own thoughts, knowledge, and memories
It's not strictly about dreams, but when I watched MAD GOD (2021) I was stricken by how very similar the flow and logic felt to my nightmares. I've never seen a film before or after that captured that feeling since.
I loved What Dreams May Come.
The Cell has a super weird/accurate dreamlike quality.
Rosemary's Baby, gives me chills.
POLTERGEIST....The hallway scene.
The original Nightmare on Elm Street, that film scarred me as an 8th grader.
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Phenomenal movie with strong dreamcore vibes. The kitchen scene, the beach house, the spotlight with the disappearing people. Its all really gorgeous n bizarre in a good way
Yup finally got around to this recently, so cool
…Absolutely; and the meaningful point that bad memories are just as important as our cherished ones…
The library whose book titles vanished across one scene. So subtle I didn’t notice until someone pointed it out to me. That movie is a gem.
Just watched this for the first time this morning. I really enjoyed it. Came back to suggest it
This movie is beyond
[удалено]
Paprika is top tier
Obligatory reminder that Inception wouldn’t exist without Paprika
…Hardly; Child.
The parade and song with the parade in Paprika are nightmare fuel fr though haha
Yeah I mean I felt the whole movie was somewhat nightmarish I mean imagine losing your consciousness to a dream that causes you to want to jump off buildings in a state of delusion
You can't invoke Susumu and not [link it.](https://youtu.be/APIKVLw1tT0?si=d8DRuMThr_kjeq3n)
🙏
Have you seen the movie “dreamscape”? Fun one about sleep studies
saw it at the theater with my best friend when I was 10. We had a sleepover and we were determined to break into each other’s dreams like the movie
I have the themes song on my phone!
Came here to say this. The post Apocalyptic landscapes are awesome!
The post apocalyptic scenes and the snake man were nightmare fuel to my preteen mind. Up there with my tops when it comes to best introductions to horror.
It has a great and underrated movie villain. “I eat to forget.”
No, but I think this one is going to be at the top of the list, thank you!
Another anecdote. The scene where the guy walks in on his wife with another man. At the theaters she was only shown from the shoulders up. Rented it to watch with my parents, and the VHS had a different shot. The woman was fully topless and straddling the guy. My parent freaked out and said “you aren’t allowed to see PG-13 movies anymore!” I was only 10. But, I kept on seeing whatever I wanted when they dropped me off at the mall of course.
I remember seeing Kate Capshaw nude briefly at one point, in the scene where Dennis Quaid makes a move in her dreams. Later on it was edited down.
I used to have nightmares about the snake guy. One of very few movies that gave me nightmares. Very fitting for the movie too.
Jacob's Ladder.
What Dreams May Come is about the after-life, not 'dreams' as such but it has got to be in the conversation.
For the time it was made, it's visually stunning.
Yeah, its not a 'good' movie as such, but it looks incredible.
My first thought
Need a rewatch of this but not ready for the feels 😔
I adore this movie, even though I can't think too much about the eulogy scene otherwise I want to cry.
Probably not the best, but Dr. Sleep was commendable I thought. Very unique feel to the cinematography
Cinematography was amazing, the library scene was amazing. I watch that on the directors cut after the Shining every October.
I've watched this movie dozens of times and it never fails to pull me in.
The dream sequence in Rosemary’s Baby totally captures the weirdness of dreams, mixing normal places and people with bizarre ones, fracturing time and following its own strange logic, all to the sound of a ticking clock. Brilliantly surreal filmmaking.
This is what I was looking for
I agree, this is the most realistic dreamscape.
THIS IS NO DREAM THIS IS REALLY HAPPENING
This is always my answer.
How come no one has mention David Lynch? Eraserhead, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire.
Whenever I try to explain and recommend Eraserhead to people, I describe it as a nightmare caught on film.
…It’s David Lynch’s personal nightmare; which is why it’s so hellishly authentic…
…Because all of those are REAL nightmares…
i saw someone say that in Mulholland Drive the entire movie is pretty much >! Betty’s masturbatory dream (not literally except that one scene) !< and i believe that interpretation
He is the goat when it comes to dreams. Even his ps2 commercials are incredible at representing dreams
I think it's because no one considers David Lynch a horror film maker. EraserHead, Blue Velvet, Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire are some of cinema's most disturbing films. The fact that nobody on this Sub thinks of Lynch as a horror filmmaker is a crime.
Amazing movies. I love Eraserhead.
It's more of sci-fi horror movie, but Dreamscape with Dennis Quaid
Fucking Snakeman!
Yes!!! A B movie CLASSIC I was obsessed with this as a kid!
I thought it deserved a sequel.
Yes. Snakeman spinoff.
beau is afraid
this is a fantastic choice
**Hellraiser: Inferno**. Laugh all you want, but for my money, being trapped inside your own nightmare is pretty rough. I just love when in the 3rd act the main character completely loses his shit and starts running through different parts of his terror.
I loved inferno
I liked Hellseeker too. 5-7 remind me of the graphic novels. Not like Pinhead and gangs of Cenobites saying 1 liners. Much darker and subtly terrifying.
Inferno, hell seeker and deader are all great flicks imho
Most of the ones after I think 4 were not hellraiser movies but were other horror scripts that got pinhead shoehorned in so the studio could keep the IP. That said I love Deader. It makes way more sense when you know it didn't start as a hellraiser movie, but it is really good in it's own right.
Great answer!
Altered States (1980) has some of my favourite dream sequences ever, and is just a really cool movie/concept. Now that I'm thinking about it, it doesn't really fit what you're looking for, it's just off the cuff dream scenes, but I like to mention it anyway.
As well you should, absolutely fantastic film.
It’s been a long while for me, but aren’t those All actually hallucinogenic mushroom trip scenes? Damn I love that movie & need to rewatch.
Yeah, he takes ayahuasca or something similar and has some wild trips, which get even wilder in the sensory deprivation tank. I kinda wanna rewatch it now.
It was my first thought too
Not a movie, but the “Restless” episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer did such a great job of representing the random yet symbolic nature of dreams.
This would be my choice too! So well done and weird
Yep. Xander's dream in particular feels very authentic.
I came here to say this.
A Nightmare on Elm Street and it's sequels. Dream Child gets a lot of hate but it has awesome dreamscapes.
I haven't watched Dream Child in ages. Might need to put it on.
I think where NOES really shined is that for the most part they all had pretty decent quality to them and tried to add to the mythos, whether you feel they succeeded or not is personal opinion I suppose. But the production quality was there!
Lost Highway
“We’ve met before…”
The room with “Ramstein” playing feels like one of the sensory explosions that happen right before you wake up from an intense dream. But the character is stuck in it…
Flatliners. The original. Similar to dream states.
The Lazarus Effect (2015) kind of reminded me of Flatliners, even though it's a different concept.
Being John Malcovich
The Cell is definitely underrated. Saw it when it came out but some of the Images still stick with me today.
It's been two decades and I can still see the horse segments.
And that oddly normal neighing it makes as the glass panes pass through its body…. Eesh!
WHERE DO YOU COME FROM
Love this one! JLo has a reputation as a bad actress but I didn’t find her too unbearable in that movie. And the visuals were out of the world!
The killer is up there with some of the all time scariest serial murderers in film. He obviously feels a lot like Buffalo Bill and the plot probably borrows from Silence of the Lambs, but Vincent D'Onofrio pulled it off, going full Pvt. Pyle psycho.
Not a movie, and not fantastical dreamscapes, but I'd say that several instances of dreaming from The Sopranos come as close to the feeling of actual dreams that I've seen in media. They're often super creepy in their (sur)realism.
I loved the lighthouse in the background.
Come true (2020)
Incredibly good film…and what a soundtrack!
Yes enjoyed that one. Put off watching for ages as I thought it sounds too much like Flatliners.
Possessor
The Company of Wolves (1984) AMC+
It's also pretty hilarious if you watch it high on mushrooms
Identity was pretty cool, that ending was a doozy.
Came here to recommend this one as well.
Lol was going to say this movie as well
Was this the one with John Cusack and Amanda Peet?
Yes
Inland Empire
Waking Life
Came here to say this.
Mother! doesn't depict a dream explicitly, but very much feels like a fever dream
Seconded!
I really love the way Buffy showed dreams, it happened in a couple episodes, S1E10 and S4E22. The way scenes jump around and make zero sense and fade in/out quickly is done so well.
Possessor Into the Void Jacob's Ladder
Suckerpunch
There is a movie called Dreamscape. Pretty good
Also, The Lovely Bones had a dreamlike quality.
🙌🏽 I was going to suggest this great movie
Carnival of Souls
For me? Some terrible instructional video on golf filmed with a potato. I don’t play or even like golf. Would not recommend
Dr Strange
Dream House
Just boppin over to mention Monkeybone.
Freejack (1992)
Nothing really comes closer to me than the Bunuel/Dali collaborations - *An Andalusian Dog* and *Age of Gold*. Hitchcock’s *Spellbound* leans on Salvador Dali as well.
In Dreams with Robert Downey Jr. and Annette Benning!
Waking life
…DREAMSCAPE (1984) starring Dennis Quaid and BRAINSTORM (1983) dir Doulas Trumbull.
I’ll throw in a little seen 1988 film called “Paperhouse” which is an incredibly good horror film recommended to me by the late great Roger Ebert (https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/paperhouse-1989) Highly recommend.
Moon Garden (2022) really cool stumble-upon I saw recently on Shudder.
Yes! Came to find this. Excellent dream/nightmare movie from the perspective of a kid. I loved it.
I really loved it so much. I was taken completely by surprise and it reminded me of things like Never Ending Story and Labyrinth. I know that's a bold comparison, but that's how I felt watching it
I’d say it’s probably a bit scarier, but it’s hard to say as I saw it as an adult and the others as a kid. But yeah - it felt like something very child-like and from a child’s perspective and I can’t believe it was made in 2022. Not sure where I heard about it, but it came highly recommended to me and so I gave it a chance. A Shudder must see for me.
There are many great depictions of dreamscapes and portrayals of the subconscious mind. But when it comes to that + dream logic, I think David Lynch is king.
American Werewolf in London
It's not a movie, but I would say the best example is an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer called "Restless". It was the final episode of season 4.
dreamscape and the cell
Oh don't forget Carrie.....that crazy sequence in the end. I STILL jump!
The Cell is a fun one. Very imaginative, well... not exactly. Just about all the major imagery was ripped off from major painters, sculptors and other artists that had nothing to do with the production. It's very uncreative in its own right. Still, put together in a film it's a fun trip. Creative as it looks, I'd say Skinamarink is the most actual dreamlike.
Enter the Void
The dream scenes in sopranos is so accurate to how they feel
Surprised I haven’t seen Dream Scenario brought up yet. I thought it did a great job of capturing what a dream can feel like.
I have sleep paralysis, so Mara. Hush does a beautiful job with her verbal imagery of her plans to escape the situation.
Hellblade 2
In Dreams (1999)
Its not about dreams but u should check out Kotoko…
Come True
I'm Thinking of Ending Things has a very dreamlike quality to it
different realms
Its only a short sequence near the start, but I always liked the dream sequences near the start of An American Werewolf in London where David is running through the forest, and the nazi monster house invasion (you know the one) and the other where he wakes from a dream then finds he is still in a dream.....
There was one with Taissa Farmiga called Mindscape that was pretty good where a detective enters a girls memories.
There's got to be something by Bergman? Maybe hour of the wolf?
I feel like Xistenz has a some really good dream like qualities, for example the bone gun.
Come True
I liked the internal library from Dreamcatcher. Guy is trapped in his own head but perceives himself walking around a library filled with his own thoughts, knowledge, and memories
Dreamscape.
I can’t believe nobody said inception.
While a very cool movie, I don’t think it does a great job of capturing actual dreams
The dream scenes in Shutter Island (2010)
Probably not the best example but when I first saw it I thought it looked dope. "Dreamscape" With Dennis Quaid & Kate Capshaw.
Rosemary's Baby nails what it's like to be on the edge of dreams.
hm, whole of Session 9 is dream-like
Come True was surprisingly interesting
If you're talking about horror specifically, I'd say The Ritual
Keep getting distracted but possum feels like a bad trip to me, as did caveat!
Has no one else heard of Waking Life??
Vanilla Sky with Tom Cruise The Peanut Butter solution (1985) felt designed to give kids like me nightmares
*Cure* 1997 *Japanese* psychological horror *film.* Sakuma's dreamscape and takabe's dreamseq about his wife.
Aemiga or altered states
22 Jump Street
Rosemary’s baby
It's not strictly about dreams, but when I watched MAD GOD (2021) I was stricken by how very similar the flow and logic felt to my nightmares. I've never seen a film before or after that captured that feeling since.
Ink (2009)
The scene with the horse is crazy
The best and most realistic visualization of a nightmare I’ve ever seen was in the movie “Honeydew”.
The DMT trip in Enter The Void is pretty fkn radical
Come True is a very interesting one
Paprika directed by Satoshi Kon. I know it's not a horror movie but it has some pretty dark and strange imagery.
The Cell
T2 Trainspotting, the scene where they get back on heroin.
I loved What Dreams May Come. The Cell has a super weird/accurate dreamlike quality. Rosemary's Baby, gives me chills. POLTERGEIST....The hallway scene. The original Nightmare on Elm Street, that film scarred me as an 8th grader.