Annette Bening stars as Claire in In Dreams, a tortured woman haunted by dreams and visions of a young boy chained to a bed as his room slowly floods with water.
These intrusive visions become more intense and after a tragedy involving her daughter, Claire becomes unstable and attempts suicide. All this and her husband tries to be supportive but ultimately has to decide if he should institutionalize her.
So, what’s going on in this supernatural thriller produced by Steven Spielberg’s studio? A lot. And sometimes it’s hard to understand, but ultimately it’s a good film with great performances.
In Dreams is the 13th film from director Neil Jordan, famous for The Crying Game and Interview With a Vampire. He’s taken some elements from other horror movies but added an “elevated” approach. I say elevated because it’s actually a basic horror film only with better cinematography and Oscar-winning actors.
Basically, as stated above, Claire has a psychic connection with serial killer Vivian (Robert Downey Jr.), they share memories and premonitions.
In some ways that is a spoiler, but don’t be mad. Take it as a gift because In Dreams takes its time revealing its motivation and ironically knowing the set up early on helps you enjoy the movie more. Don’t worry, there are plenty more twists and surprises along the way.
In Dreams, if I were to compare it to others movies, it’s part Malignant, some Nightmare on Elm Street, a tad Silence of the Lambs; maybe a pinch of Longlegs.
Like those movies above, In Dreams has a great premise and its plot moves along pretty fast. It also feels like a J-Horror paranormal mystery even though this is an American film based on the 1993 book “Doll’s Eyes” written by Chicago author Bari Wood.
While the movie overextends itself into tropes that are borrowed from past films, it does so artistically and with better acting. Although this was Downey Jrs’. edgy phase, his star power is present and he’s undoubtedly creepy.
In Dreams is an amalgam but it’s an effective one, and mildly unnerving. If you’re into serial killers, psychics and J-horror mechanics, you’ll probably like this film.
To find out where to watch this classic, click HERE.