Dream Demon

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.

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".

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.

Diana, engaged to military hero Lieutenant Oliver, is plagued by nightmares - mostly horrible visions of Oliver abusing her. With Oliver being a local hero, Diana is being harassed by reporters Russell and Paul, enquiring not just about their wedding plans, but also intimate details.

Jenny Hoffman, who just arrived in London, comes to Diana's rescue when she fights off the reporters. As the two women become acquainted, Jenny tells Diana she believes she once lived in Diana's apartment, but can't remember. She also only recently discovered she was adopted, with very little memory of her real parents.

Diana's dreams intensifies until they eventually turn life-threatening. Diana unintentionally pulls Jenny into her dreams, endangering her life also. Wait, is this premise starting to sound all too familiar? Let's just say, if the character of Russell was replaced with Freddy Krueger, this would have been a worthy installment in the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' franchise. 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 7: Dream Demon'. Yup, definitely has a ring to it!

Just like the Elm Street movies, 'Dream Demon' is atmospheric and the transition from real life to the nightmare world is equally effective, and spooky. The film boasts very good effects, and the lighting effects are also brilliantly well done. The film looks so good with such a modern feel to it that its hard to believe this movie was made nearly four decades ago!

'Dream Demon' felt like a combination of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', 'Poltergeist', and 'Hellraiser 2: Hellbound', yet at the same time it felt original. I also rather enjoyed Jenny's back story, and how well her story compliments Diana's story, resulting in them finding themselves in very similar situations, with both fighting for answers. Very clever indeed.

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.