Dreamscape (1984)

A young psychic on the run from himself is recruited by a government agency experimenting with the use of the dream-sharing technology and is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of the U.S. president.

Director:

Joseph Ruben

Writers:

David Loughery (story), David Loughery (screenplay)

Stars:

Dennis Quaid, Max von Sydow, Christopher Plummer

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Quaid	...	Alex Gardner
Max von Sydow	...	Doctor Paul Novotny
Christopher Plummer	...	Bob Blair
Eddie Albert	...	The President
Kate Capshaw	...	Jane DeVries
David Patrick Kelly	...	Tommy Ray Glatman
George Wendt	...	Charlie Prince
Larry Gelman	...	Mr. Webber
Cory 'Bumper' Yothers	...	Buddy
Redmond Gleeson	...	Snead
Peter Jason	...	Babcock
Chris Mulkey	...	Finch
Jana Taylor	...	Mrs. Webber
Madison Mason	...	Fred Schoenstein
Kendall Carly Browne	...	Mrs. Matusik

Storyline

A government funded project looks into using psychics to enter people's dreams, with some mechanical help. When a subject dies in his sleep from a heart attack Alex Gardner becomes suspicious that another of the psychics is killing people in the dreams somehow and that is causing them to die in real life. He must find a way to stop the abuse of the power to enter dreams.

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Plot Keywords:

dreamscape | shared dream | character's point of view camera shot | sexual fantasy | caught having sex | 

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Taglines:

Alex Gardner has an extraordinary gift. The government wants it...The scientists want it... To keep it may cost him his life...

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 August 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

El túnel de las pesadillas

Filming Locations:

1320 Miller Drive, West Hollywood, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,257,000, 19 August 1984, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$11,484,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Zupnik-Curtis Enterprises,Bella Productions,Chevy Chase Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was the second film to be Rated PG-13 under then new MPAA ratings guidelines following Red Dawn (1984), which had come out weeks prior to this film's release.

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Goofs

During the dream sequence at the end of the film, the camera crew is reflected in the wall as Blair rounds the corner to the elevator.

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Quotes

Doctor Paul Novotny: Bill Hardy has been a good test subject for us before.
Alex Gardner: Oh, he's a steel worker. I'll probably wind up in some bad beer commercial.

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Alternate Versions

When reclassified by the BBFC in 2000 the nunchaku weapon was no longer deemed a problem to pass on film following a weapons rethink in 1999. The BBFC waived the 28 seconds of cuts made to previous versions. Dreamscape was cut for the UK cinema upon original release in 1984 and video issues also suffered the same edits. The scene on the train where Alex meets Tommy is shorter as it features the infamous nunchaku, which rarely made it onto the British Screen at this time, and shots of a man's severed heart were also removed by the UK censor. This scene can be seen in the TV version which was shown on BBC1 albeit minus a few "strong" words. When the BBFC reclassified the film in 2000 under newer guidelines the nunchaku was no longer a problem and they waived the aforementioned cuts.

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Connections

Referenced in Inception (2010)

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Soundtracks

Lip Service
Composed and Produced by Craig Huxley (as Craig Hundley)

User Reviews

Uneven but enjoyable psychic thriller

I just saw Dreamscape on television. Despite some flaws, it's not a bad movie at all. It's very well-acted (though George Wendt is wasted in a thankless plot-device role) and features some very impressive, CONVINCING effects. If you want gratuitous computer-cartoon crap, look elsewhere. The "snake man" is impressive, and the actual dreamscapes themselves feature some inventively bizarre set design.

Of course, I must mention the flaws. Though Dennis Quaid and Kate Capshaw have appeal, their characters are only partially developed, and the romantic angle of their relationship is quite standard and seems a bit forced. The motivations of several characters seem muddled, and the film tries to be too many things (horror, political conspiracy drama, Raiders of the Lost Ark-inspired adventure) for too many audiences. Also, despite creepy bits, it does seem to pull some punches. It's too explicit to be purely psychological, yet it stops just short of being a visual nightmare. Basically it lacks a hard edge...of course, as I said, I saw it cut for TV.

Still, despite the problems, it's worth watching if you run across it. It's well-made and effective, with engaging performances and some sufficiently eerie passages.