When we dream, it’s almost like watching a movie that’s only meant for one person to see. There’s just no limit or telling what kind of bizarre and creative imagery can come to one’s subconscious mind when they fall asleep.
#10 Nightmare Sequence from “The Wolfman” (2010)
When poor
Larry Talbot comes into contact with a Werewolf, he too finds himself succumbing
to the cravings and ferocities of a wolf. His transition from man to wolf is
complimented with a series of nightmares, highlighting the beauty he lost, and
the horror that awaits. The original 1941 classic of “The Wolfman” likewise
had a memorable dream montage, with a number of cryptic images, but I feel the
remake took things one step-further, with more variety and scares to the visuals
on display … including this creepy wolf-child that crawls onto Larry’s bed.
#9 Nightmare Sequence from “Mama” (2013)
When a young couple, and their two adopted
girls are troubled by a mysterious entity calling itself Mama, a supernatural
investigation is underway to find a means to face her, and protect the kids. Our
first clues to the entity come in the form of some really cool dream sequences,
which effectively utilize creepy imagery, filtered effects, and even a
flashbulb effect in the same vein as Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window”.
Not only do these nightmares work as spooky highlights, they also wet our appetite
for learning more about this mysterious specter.
#8 Nightmare Sequence from “Carrie” (1976)
In this horror classic, a troubled teen with unusual psychic powers reaches her limit from a life-time of bullying, and takes her vengeance on everyone in one of the most famous prom scenes ever put to film. It’s a thrilling finale, as well as the point that marks her unfortunate demise. However, the real scare lies in the aftermath, in which one of Carries few friends goes to pay her respects at her grave site … only for Carrie to reach back from the grave. In general, not every nightmare sequence needs a big montage of creepy images … sometimes it’s the simple shocks that can stick with me just as well ... and this was certainly a memorable final scare to close the film on.
#7 Nightmare Sequence from “Sleepy Hollow” (1999)
When Constable Ichabod Crane is summand to solve the
mystery of the Headless Horsman, who plagues the town of Sleepy Hollow, all the
spooky mayhem brings back haunted memories of a forgotten childhood. Presenting
flashbacks of a characters past in the form of a dream sequence is very clever,
and it gave director Time Burton free rain to bring a sense of euphoria to both
the beauty and literal haunts of our leads childhood. For all the frights to
come from the titular Headless Horsman, it’s the images from these childhood
nightmares that always got under my skin the most … including a bright red door,
and a pair of eyes behind an iron maiden.
#6 Nightmare Sequence from “Halloween 2” (2009)
When
director Rob Zombie continued his work on the famous holiday themed horror
franchise about the masked killer Michael Myers, he brought more of his
distinct vision to the sequel … which is never subtle. Even for something as
basic as a dream scene, it’s an insanely decorative and other worldly spectacle,
with imaginative make-up designs, and a clever black and white pallet, harkening
back to classic monster movies. In the end, director Rob Zombie may know
nothing of subtlety … but he sure knows how to decorate a nightmare scene for
the Halloween season.
#5 Nightmare Sequence from “An American Werewolf in London” (1981)
You’d think that
a dream sequence in a horror film would go straight for scary imagery, but this
flick decides to mix its horror elements with wildly over the top events that
only your subconscious mind can dream up. This includes running in the woods
with a pack of wolves, visits from the ghost of your decayed best friend,
cameo’s from the Muppets, and Werewolves dressed up like Nazi’s that invade a
house … now that’s crazy! These dream scenes are darkly comedic, but shockingly
frightening, and a perfect fit for the list.
#4 Nightmare Sequence from “Cat People” (1942)
In this 1940's classic, a young woman seems like a normal everyday person, but she’s actually keeping a dark secret from all around her … a cat-like beast that
lives in her vary soul. Just like with “The Wolfman”, her fears manifest
in a nightmarish dream, complete with another montage of memorable, animated
imagery. This is personally one of my favorite classic Black and White horror
movies, which I first saw at a young age. This one quick dream, with these
creepy animated cats passing along our leads face has always stuck with me as
one of my favorite images from the classic horror movie catalog.
#3 Nightmares from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)
When it comes to horror
cinema, no-one is more famous for bringing nightmares to life then Freddy
Kruger. The whole concept after-all is about a killer who stalks teenagers in
their dreams, and if they die in the dream world, they also parish in reality.
It’s a brilliant concept, which lends itself to a number of memorable,
nightmarish set-pieces. Select frightening highlights include the female leads
best friend appearing in a body bag in school, a mouth appearing at the end of
a phone, and Freddy’s signature glove rising from a bathtub. I’ll admit, it
almost felt like a cheat to include this film, but at the same time … I just
couldn’t imagine this list without it.
#2 Nightmares from “The Nightwalker” (1964)
A woman is forced to live under the cruelty of her abusive husband, and even after his apparent death, there’s still no peace for her … as he continues to appear in her dreams as a nasty corps. The whole movie revolves around nightmares and dreams taking on a life of their own, so naturally, it has it’s share of nightmarish sequences, which are truly haunting spectacles all these years later. There’s a wedding, with a church full of motionless manikins, and montages of strange, euphoric visuals. Some of the imagery is reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1945 classic “Spellbound”, right down to all the eyes floating around in the dark, but I personally find this far more eerie and spine tingling by contrast.
Before I reveal my number one favorite, here are some quick Honorable Mentions …
Nightmare from “Nosferatu the Vampire” (1979)
Nightmare from “The Conjuring 2” (2016)
Nightmare from “Pet Semetary” (1989)
Nightmare from “The Exorcist” (1976)
Nightmare from “The Fly” (1986)
#1 Nightmares from “Rosemary's Baby” (1968)
In this 1968 Horror classic, the fear of pregnancy is taken a frightening step further, and suggests what would happen when an unfortunate young woman is selected to give birth to the Anti-Christ. I think most people are familiar with the premise of this film, and naturally, the titular pregnancy scene is what lingers in our memories as the most horrific moment of all. The film cleverly plays it out like a dream sequence, but it’s left up to the viewer to determine how much of it is an illusion, and how much of this is a living nightmare. As Rosemary so famously realizes … “This is no dream, it’s really happening!”. It’s without question one of the most disturbing nightmare scenes ever put to film, and it’s the one that’s most effectively given me nightmares as a result.
Thanks for
reading my countdown … and I wish you all pleasant dreams this October!
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