In Dreams

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In Dreams

R

1999

1h 44m

Horror

Drama

Fantasy

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

26%

Tomatometer

46 Reviews

39%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

After clairvoyant Claire Cooper (Annette Bening) has a disturbing dream about the murder of a young girl, her daughter, Rebecca (Katie Sagona), is found dead in a lake. When the police dismiss Cooper's offers to help their investigation, she seeks treatment with therapist Silverman (Stephen Rea), who diagnoses her as emotionally disturbed. As Cooper's dreams become increasingly vivid, she grows concerned that she has developed a psychic link to serial killer Vivian Thompson (Robert Downey Jr.).

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Critics Consensus

Some interesting visuals, but the movie is as confusing as a dream.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

Oct 24, 2006

C+

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.

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Michael Wilmington

Chicago Tribune

Jan 1, 2000

A memorably creepy and lyrical shocker full of spine-chilling scenes and moments!

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Melissa Morrison

Arizona Republic

Jan 1, 2000

The plot is the stuff of cheap paperbacks.

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Jason Shawhan

Nashville Scene

Dec 16, 2021

Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, The Good Thief) took an interesting but messy Bari Wood novel, Doll's Eyes, and turned it into one of the greatest thrillers of the '90s.

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Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

May 2, 2014

4/5

Has a strange beauty, an intensely creepy atmosphere, and a grandly operatic feel.

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

May 3, 2009

1.5/4

In dreams, this film would be a chilling exercise in psychological horror; in reality, it's a fascinating folly.

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B P

@Bradster69 Sep 20, 2026

Not Bad, but Not My Favorite

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Farah R

@Farah Apr 27, 2025

In Dreams has an intriguing story that gets too caught up in its twists it becomes incoherent. Even the actors who give it their all don’t help it make any sense.

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Feb 8, 2023

Unsatisfying and often ridiculous.

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Mar 11, 2022

It has atmosphere but boy is it weird. I would love to get a copy of the novel it’s based on.

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Jun 1, 2021

Not really my kind of movie, but it was pretty good. Robert sells his role so well, as do the rest of the main cast. Everyone else falls a little flat though. I can't complain about the ending though. All around worth at least one watch. It's a slow pace movie, but filmed really nice.

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Apr 19, 2021

Visuals are great, dialogue is terrible and undeliverable - hence the terrible acting. The unbelievable plot could have been rendered less ridiculous with a script overhaul.

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Neil Jordan

Director

Annette Bening

Claire Cooper

Aidan Quinn

Paul Cooper

Robert Downey Jr.

Vivian Thompson

Paul Guilfoyle

Det. Jack Kay

Dennis Boutsikaris

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Synopsis

After clairvoyant Claire Cooper (Annette Bening) has a disturbing dream about the murder of a young girl, her daughter, Rebecca (Katie Sagona), is found dead in a lake. When the police dismiss Cooper's offers to help their investigation, she seeks treatment with therapist Silverman (Stephen Rea), who diagnoses her as emotionally disturbed. As Cooper's dreams become increasingly vivid, she grows concerned that she has developed a psychic link to serial killer Vivian Thompson (Robert Downey Jr.).

Director: Neil Jordan
Producer: Charles Burke, Stephen Woolley
Screenwriter: Bari Wood, Bruce Robinson, Neil Jordan
Distributor: DreamWorks SKG, Red Feather Photoplays
Production Co: DreamWorks SKG, Amblin Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: Horror, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 15, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $11.9M
Runtime: 1h 44m
Sound Mix: Surround, SDDS, Dolby Digital

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