Top 10: Dream scenes #2

Last Updated on July 27, 2021

Dream sequences are commonly seen in the horror genre.
Not only are they considered to be apart of the group of huge movie clichés,
they are also (in most cases) put in the film simply to frighten the audience
with the ever so popular “boo scare.” They are also typically shown in the final
frames of the movie to leave room for a sequel. (LAME!)

Although there are tons of
predictable and unoriginal dream sequences in a lot of horror films, there are a
few that are able to create the eeriness, mood, and atmosphere dreams and
nightmares can bring. So here is my top ten list of memorable dream sequences in
horror that I found stood out from the rest.  Spit bullets below for your own
suggestions!

READ
PART 1 OF THIS LIST HERE

WARNING – SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!

5.
The Descent

There were quite a few dream sequences in this
creature feature.  There was a recurring dream involving Sarah’s deceased
daughter with a birthday cake, (which only makes sense at the end if you watched
the U.K. version.) and one that scared the living sh*t out of me near the
beginning of the film. However, the most important dream sequence is in the
original ending for the film.  I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t seen it
yet, but in my opinion it makes for a better conclusion with the sequence.

4.
Carrie

The concluding dream
sequence at the end of the film where Amy Irving’s character places flowers on
Carrie’s grave and gets grabbed by Carrie’s hand in the dirt was a very cheap
scare.  However, it had a very eerie and odd feel to it because the scene was
actually filmed backwards, which made it seem a little more surreal than the
standard nightmare sequence.

3.
Halloween 2

Despite the fact the
scene wasn’t scary, Laurie Strode’s dream about a childhood memory forever
changed the tone of the Halloween series from then on in.  After watching
the scene involving the dream, we find out that Michael Myers is really Laurie’s
brother who is hell bent on killing her.  Many people disliked the fact the
writers made them related, because it made Michael Myers less of an enigma, but
I feel that the series wouldn’t have been as successful as it is today, if John
Carpenter hadn’t written a specific relationship between the two iconic horror
characters.

2.
American Werewolf in London

An American
Werewolf in London was full of surreal and crazy dream
sequences that came out of nowhere and felt completely out of place, which made
for effective scares in the classic werewolf film.  The one dream I’ll never
forget is when the Nazi werewolves with machine guns killed David and his entire
family, and then he “wakes up” in another nightmare and sees the nurse get
stabbed by a Nazi werewolf. (Damn those ‘dream within a dream’ sequences! They
always get me!)

1.
A Nightmare on Elm Street

The Nightmare on Elm Street
series have become staples in the horror genre for their infamous and creative
nightmare death scenes.  Even though I could probably make up a top ten list of
dream sequences just in the series alone, the first installment is by far the
best film in the series, and deserves the most credit. The nightmare sequences
in the later films became cheesy, but the sequences involving Freddy chasing and
killing Tina, Nancy being attacked in the bathtub, and the bed that gushed
Johnny Depp’s blood will always be the most memorable and truly frightening
moments in my eyes.

READ
PART 1 OF THIS LIST HERE