Dreams | |
Classification: | Miscellaneous |
Associated franchises: | Buffyverse DC Comics Marvel Comics Star Trek Star Wars Terminator |
Associated programs: | ALF Bionic Woman Charmed The X-Files |
Associated comics: | Sandman Vol 2 |
Dreams are the funny pictures you see inside your head while you are sleeping. Most of the times they involve sex. Dreams that have an adverse or frightening effect on the dreamer are referred to as nightmares. Oddly, these too are usually about sex. Dreams plays an important role in various forms of fiction, as they provide a convenient vehicle for plot and character exposition, recapping events from previous stories and foreshadowing future events. They may also be used as filler material if a particular script does not meet the required running time for a particular movie or TV episode. This technique is especially useful in the case of soap operas, which has a very regimented block of time with which to chronicle a tale depending upon weekly broadcast schedule and cast availability.
In speculative fiction, dreams can often become a key plot element, and the concept of dreams and their affect (if any) on the waking world has been experimented with since the earliest days of entertainment.
In DC Comics continuity, the entire land of sleep is a mystical dimension referred to as The Dreaming. It is lorded over by the master of dreams, Morpheus of the Endless. Morpheus headquarters himself inside of a towering palace, where he is assisted by various attendants, some of whom were once humans whose spiritual essence has transcended the mortal coil and become avatars within The Dreaming. As the ultimate Oneiromancer, Morpheus has access to the thoughts and imaginations of every creature on the planet capable of Dreaming. His influence even extends to alien cultures, who often see him cloaked in a guise that is more palatable to their culture and expectations.
Nightmares[]
AGGGGH!!!! Did that scare ya? No? Then clearly someone wasn't doing something correctly. Nightmares are a form of dream that evokes the darker and more primal elements of fear. In fact, there's an ever-growing laundry list of phobias that can manifest themselves in nightmares (including fear of dreaming).
For example, the character of Sarah Connor from the Terminator franchise often suffers from recurring nightmares of the end of the world. In many of these Apocalyptic scenarios, she even dreams of her own death, which is usually exceedingly violent, such as being roasted to ash in the wake of a nuclear bomb or being murdered by a robotic Terminator. Sarah's nightmares have been so extreme that on one occasion, she actually pulled up stakes and moved based solely on the intensity of a particular nightmare. [1]
In fiction[]
ALF[]
Alf once had a dream that he lived on the fictional island presented in the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island. In the dream he met older versions of Gilligan, the Skipper, the Professor, and Mary Ann, who had grown tired and weary of living on the island for more than twenty years. [2]
Notes[]
- The study of dreams is called oneirology
Appearances[]
Television[]
- Ash vs Evil Dead: Delusion - Ash dreams of his past fighting the Deadites.
- Bionic Woman: Jaime's Mother - Jaime Sommers has a dream of her childhood.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Welcome to the Hellmouth - Buffy dreams of Slayer-related portents.
- Charmed: Dream Sorcerer
- Teen Wolf: Galvanize - Derek Hale has a dream.
- The Tick: Secret Identity - Arthur has a nightmare that Overkill kills his father and The Terror terrorizes him.
- The X-Files: Little Green Men Mulder has dream about his sister's abduction when she was 8.
Comics[]
- 1st Issue Special 12 - Starman dreams of events leading up to his escape from Talok III.
- Amazing Spider-Man 405 - Peter Parker awakens from a nightmare.
- Daredevil 506 - Matt Murdock has a dream about Elektra.
- Doom Patrol Vol 2 19 - Cliff Steele has a nightmare of the racing accident that destroyed his body.
- Evil Ernie 1 - Dream Probe is used on Ernest Fairchild.
- Flash Comics 1 - Carter Hall dreams of his past life as Prince Khufu.
- Journey Into Mystery 57 - Travel agent Eli Twiddle has the ability to travel in his dreams.
- Preacher 11 - Jesse Custer dreams of having sex with Tulip in an Arizona desert.
- Spider-Man 62 - Ben Reilly experiences lucid dreaming/nightmare.
- Tomb of Dracula Vol 3 1 - Marlene McKenna dreams of Rachel van Helsing and Quincy Harker.
- Uncanny X-Men 97 - Xavier dreams of Shi'ar battle cruisers.
- Witchblade 2 - Sara Pezzini has a nightmare.
- Witchblade Vol 2 1 - Alex Underwood has strange dreams.
Films[]
- An American Werewolf in London - David Kessler has nightmare about slaughtering his family.
- Dollman vs. Demonic Toys
- Castle Freak
- Curse of the Puppet Master
- Howling, The - Karen White has nightmare about Eddie Quist.
- Misery - Paul Sheldon has nightmares of Annie Wilkes.
- Seed of Chucky
- Silver Bullet - Reverend Lowe has dream where church people turn into werewolves.
Novels[]
- Misery - Paul Sheldon has nightmares of Annie Wilkes.
See also[]
- Appearances of dreams
- Appearances of nightmares