In Dreams (1999)

22% of critics liked it
(49 reviews)
41% of users liked it
(8,032 ratings)

Claire Cooper (Annette Bening), has been having psychic visions all of her life, though she's never been clear of what they mean. Now an adult, she lives an idyllic, small-town life in a Massachusetts farmhouse with her airline-pilot husband Paul (Aidan Quinn) and her young daughter Rebecca (Katie… More Claire Cooper (Annette Bening), has been having psychic visions all of her life, though she's never been clear of what they mean. Now an adult, she lives an idyllic, small-town life in a Massachusetts farmhouse with her airline-pilot husband Paul (Aidan Quinn) and her young daughter Rebecca (Katie Sagona), while Claire illustrates children's books. A psychopath (Robert Downey Jr.) has been kidnapping young girls in their area, and one is currently missing. Claire has a recurring dream about the killer walking with a girl through an apple orchard. Paul tells police detective Jack Kay (Paul Guilfoyle), who doesn't believe him, as the girl's body had been found at the bottom of the lake. Claire's vision was actually a premonition, starting a chain of events that would create a two-way link to the killer. The key to the mystery is the lake itself, of which Claire dreams, created when the old town of Northfield was flooded to make a reservoir. As her psychiatrist Dr. Silverman (Stephen Rea) does not understand her now waking dreams, Claire alone must now lose herself to the visions. She must relive the killer's memories to find his identity and location. Director Neil Jordan has explored the nature of dreams in a more Freudian manner in his Company of Wolves. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr.
Directed By: Neil Jordan
Written By: Bruce Robinson, Neil Jordan
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Horror

In Theaters: Jun 1, 1998 Wide
On DVD: Aug 29, 2000
Studio: Dreamworks

Critic Reviews

Emanuel Levy, Variety
Ambitious but ultimately incoherent and frustrating tale that may be too cerebral for the horror genre crowds and too literal-minded for the genre's more intelligent viewers; lush visual style compensates only up to a point.
Susan Stark, Detroit News
This routine fright factory employs the usual horror movie tactics.
Kevin Maynard, Mr. Showbiz
It's got little in the way of plausible plotting.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
In dreams, this film would be a chilling exercise in psychological horror; in reality, it's a fascinating folly.
Rob Gonsalves, eFilmCritic.com
Jordan drops his common sense so consistently here that much of In Dreams is fascinating.
Judith Egerton, Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)
Someday, Annette Bening is going to star in a movie that's as interesting and powerful as she can be as an actress.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Pretty much falls into the bin with the many other serial killer movies made recently.
John R. McEwen, Film Quips Online
Overall, a mediocre film with a few adequately chilling moments.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

moon r

Frustrating initially as Bening's character virtually makes every dumb bad movie choice (i.e. "...don't go outside/upstairs/downstairs ALONE!") a character can make, the work eventually settles into a double horror piece with strange and moody locales and… More
Frustrating initially as Bening's character virtually makes every dumb bad movie choice (i.e. "...don't go outside/upstairs/downstairs ALONE!") a character can make, the work eventually settles into a double horror piece with strange and moody locales and Downey's enjoyable Lector pastiche.
Richard C

this movie sucks. D
Anthony L

Beautifully shot but it all gets a little too weird towards the end!
Lady D

This really was a film of two parts for me, I felt through most of the film the frustration that the character played by Annette Benning was under and thought she did a convincing job. The storyline up until the point when Robert Downey Jr came in was pretty entertaining and unusual,… More
This really was a film of two parts for me, I felt through most of the film the frustration that the character played by Annette Benning was under and thought she did a convincing job. The storyline up until the point when Robert Downey Jr came in was pretty entertaining and unusual, however, I felt the character played by Downey Jr was pretty over exagerated in perfromance and not very believable, so much so this film was heading for 4 stars but took a turn.
Dean M

Average thriller of a woman's dreams foretell the murder of her daughter, but the horror doesn't stop there - it seems the killer is actually stalking her through her psychic nightmares.
Daniel P

Wow, this is bad. Ok, I quite liked the production design, and especially liked the opening underwater sequence and the scene where Bening drives her car off the cliff near the beginning. But this is all flashy style over any kind of substance. Restless, chaotic, nonsensical and… More
Wow, this is bad. Ok, I quite liked the production design, and especially liked the opening underwater sequence and the scene where Bening drives her car off the cliff near the beginning. But this is all flashy style over any kind of substance. Restless, chaotic, nonsensical and horribly plot driven, <i>In Dreams</i> features a toe-curlingly awful performance from the usually great Annette Bening and an eye-rolling, OTT act from Robert Downey Jr. I can't believe Neil Jordan made this film, it's utterly risible but too dull to be enjoyable, and doesn't even have internal logic. If you fell in love with the equally flashy <i>The Cell</i> then you'll probably appreciate this, too. I'm angry I wasted my time with this rubbish.
Marcus W

This is one gorgeous film (the submerged town, the play, the cider factory) , and Jordan is evidently a brilliant director. Sadly the plot comes straight out of some Dark Castle produced b-movie nonsense about missing children and people thinking you're crazy - and the acting is… More
This is one gorgeous film (the submerged town, the play, the cider factory) , and Jordan is evidently a brilliant director. Sadly the plot comes straight out of some Dark Castle produced b-movie nonsense about missing children and people thinking you're crazy - and the acting is nothing special. Turn the sound off and it's far better.
Linda K

This is a film that people wont see because of its bad reviews, but it has much more to the film than just a nutcase housewife dreaming about a killer. As a many Jordan's films, this film discusses the Irish culture in every way. The one that stands out the most is the concept… More
This is a film that people wont see because of its bad reviews, but it has much more to the film than just a nutcase housewife dreaming about a killer. As a many Jordan's films, this film discusses the Irish culture in every way. The one that stands out the most is the concept of Irish Gothic which is something that we might think of but has a great meaning to the film. Jordan's also explores the Freudian approach of psychoanalysis. Overall, this is a very complex film than it seems, which might be a turn off for viewers. On the other hand, the cast is as complex as the story. Starting with Annette Bening's character who is in a state of unbelievable madness that is being invaded by horrific dreams. Then there is Robert Downey Jr. who, i gotta say, looks like a killer in this film. He has the look and the attitude, thus he was perfect in this part. Bening was great but Downey Jr. was beyond what i imagined. Finally, people should give it a shot and see how mad it can get.