10 Movies about Dreams and Nightmares That Will, Ironically, Keep You Awake
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If I had a dollar for every time I woke up, rolled over, and texted my BFF some version of "OMG, you won't believe the wildest dream I just had," then I'd be a verrry rich lady. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes your dreams can feel so out-there and random that you start to question how your brain even came up with it in the first place, but TBH that wild ride you get to go on while catching some shuteye is exactly what makes dreams so fascinating. Quite literally anything can happen! You can hitch a ride into outer space, become besties with a celebrity, or try to catch a serial killer who's on the loose (yes, these are all actual dreams I've had, and no, I can't remember if I caught him).
With all that room to play, it comes as no surprise then that dreams (and their much more anxiety-inducing counterpart, nightmares) have inspired many a movie plot. Of course most people are familiar with the major dream-inspired hits like Inception, but there are tons of lesser-known dreamy movies that are worth putting off some sleep to watch. So without further ado, here are 10 of the best movies about dreams and nightmares that you'll definitely want to check out.
Last Night in Soho (2021)
In this British psychological thriller, a young aspiring fashion designer with an affinity for the '60s mysteriously finds herself able to travel back to the era when she goes to bed. But her dreams soon start to show some very dark cracks.
Inception (2010)
If you've never seen Inception, let me break it down for ya: our boy Leo plays a thief with the ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets. But now he's being given a new and seemingly impossible task—plant an idea in someone's head.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz is never not worth a re-watch. From following the yellow brick road to watching the wicked witch melt to Dorothy waking up back home in Kansas (implying it was all a dream), the movie is a total classic.
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
If you want something a little darker, you can't really go wrong with a slasher film. In Nightmare on Elm Street, a group of teens fall victim to Freddy Krueger, who has the super creepy ability to murder people through their dreams. Yikes!
Dreamscape (1984)
This lesser-known Dennis Quaid movie is seriously underrated. In it, teenage Alex Gardner (played by Quaid) joins a government project where he's trained to enter other people's dreams. But when a new official takes control of the project, its dark side starts to show.
Horse Girl (2020)
If you were traumatized by horse girls on the school playground, don't let the title dissuade you. Alison Brie plays a sweet but pretty awkward girl (who loves horses, ofc). She starts to have some lucid dreams that begin to blur her perception of reality.
Alice in Wonderland (1951)
It's easy to forget, but after Alice's wild adventures in Wonderland, she wakes back up at home in England, realizing it was all just a dream.
Mulholland Drive (2017)
After a car accident leaves a woman with amnesia, she and a helpful new friend search across Los Angeles for clues, but their adventure takes them down some dark paths that blend nightmares with reality.
Slumberland (2022)
This might be a movie meant for kids but it has Jason Momoa, so you can sign me up! It's about a young girl who finds a secret map to the dreamworld of Slumberland, traveling across it in hopes of finding her father.
A Dangerous Method (2011)
This movie is a bit of an interesting take on dreams. It's about the origins of psychoanalysis, which, if you're not familiar, involved quite a bit of dream analysis. It also delves into the competition between two of the biggest names in the field of psychology: Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.
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