Dream Demon Review: A young bride-to-be finds herself haunted by her new apartment in 80’s cult classic Dream Demon.
Dream Demon Review
The 1980’s were a fantastic era for horror films. With the introduction of the trusty VHS genre, fans suddenly had access to a load more content and could find almost anything their heart desired. Then DVD, and more recently digital, came along and those titles were forgotten about. Whilst being forgotten, the stock on which they were shot was slowly decomposing. Not every print was stored in the right location and sadly many movies may have been lost forever. One film that was rescued from this fate is Harley Cokeliss’ Dream Demon. Cokeliss, along with the BFI, has painstakingly restored his treasured film and the end result get’s a screening at Frightfest.
Dream Demon marked the feature debut of Jemma Redgrave. She starred as Diana, a nervous bride-to-be who becomes tormented by nightmares after moving into her new her new home. As she spirals into despair she meets Jenny, a young woman who has a past link to Diana’s new property. The pair develop a bond and start working together to try and solve the mystery of her dreams.
Dream Demon Review
It may not be as well know as other eighties horror films, but Dream Demon has a lot of charm. The practical effects work is inventive, accomplished and shocking, even by today’s standards. It’s a film that feels very much of its era, and that is probably what had stopped it from reaching a broader audience. Those that are nostalgic for the decade will find much to enjoy, be it the music, the fashion, or just what the streets were like all that time ago.
The bond between Diana and Jenny is great, they’re a very strange pairing, but somehow it works. There’s a princess and the punk odd couple charm to them; audiences will find themselves drawn to one or the other. Also on board on acting duties are a young Jimmy Nail and Timothy Spall. In fact it is Spall that steals the film as a creepy paparazzi. His character morphs from seedy and slimy to oh so gross (both physically and mentally) and disturbing. You’ll never see him more grotesque and sinister as he is right here. It’s such an intensely uncomfortable experience that it will have the skin crawling.
Although not the most well-known film within the genre, it’s lovely to see such care taken in restoring a film to its old splendour. A delightful discovery that opens the door to a bygone decade, Dream Demon is eighties to its core and that’s okay with us.
Dream Demon review by Kat Hughes, August 2017.
Dream Demon is currently playing as part of the Horror Channel Frighfest 2017 programme.
