Descente aux Enfers

Despite being saddled with one of those supremely irritating "dream vs. reality" type plots, DREAM DEMON is a surprisingly well-made British horror film which could be considered the British equivalent of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. The budget may have been low (especially considering the state of British cinema in the '80s) but the producers of this movie picked some fairly good actors and mixed them into a complicated plot involving a girl's dreams which become reality. This is a film which manages to be pretty suspenseful in places and even - wow! - scary on occasion. I wouldn't consider it a great movie but it passes the time nicely and has some over-the-top splatter for gore fans to enjoy, while displaying an imagination usually lacking in late '80s cinema.

Opening with a superbly crafted shock scene involving a decapitation at a wedding of all places, the film alternates between reality and dreamscapes repeatedly with the lines between the two becoming ever more blurred. Shots of heroines running down weirdly-lit netherworldly corridors deserve a nod to HELLRAISER, that other major late '80s British horror movie, but the script remains unpredictable at all times. The cast is an interesting one, with Jemma Redgrave giving a powerful performance in the leading role as the dreamer, with Kathleen Wilhoite as her imported American friend (shame about that dated haircut though). Surprisingly the heavies are played by Timothy Spall and Jimmy Nail, two well-known British comedy actors. The surprising thing is that they're actually very good as the two loathsome reporters, with Spall being particularly repulsive.

The splatter effects are kept to a minimum but tend to go over-the-top when they do appear. In all the film doesn't really make much sense (at least to this viewer), and with the flashback to the burning figure I wasn't really sure how that linked to all of the terror. Still, there is plenty to be entertained by for the horror fan including walls which crack and bleed and lots of shadowy menace. An intriguing effort.

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".

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.

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.

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.