DREAM DEMON

The 1980s were not particularly kind to British horror. Hammer Studios had closed its doors after a series of financial failures, and the onslaught of American horror cinema pushed smaller local companies out of the market. All the more reason to appreciate Harley Cokeliss THE DREAM DEMON – one of the few British horrors from this period that genuinely tried to offer audiences something original.

The main character is Diana, a London teacher who is preparing to marry Oliver, a man from high society. The closer the wedding gets, the more often the girl has terrifying nightmares. Worse still, the ghastly dreams quickly begin to turn into reality.

Cokeliss combines clear inspirations from A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET with references to… just about everything else he could think of. The film’s poster has the obvious impact of Johann Füssli’s famous painting The Nightmare. The film itself fuses cinematic surrealism, Italian Gothic horror and giallo, and at times even…Shakespeare. The whole thing is devilishly theatrical and stylish, with ingenious dream sequences that make the viewer forgive the absurdities they are forced to believe.

A young Timothy Spall appears in a supporting role at the very start of what would become a stellar career. It is a shame that Cokeliss never returned to horror – shortly after the release of THE DREAM DEMON, he moved to the United States, where he found a new calling on the sets of XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS and HERCULES with Kevin Sorbo in the title role.

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Text: Grzegorz Fortuna