10 Powerful Non-Horror Movies That Are Still Nightmares for Audiences
Movies are pretty good at bringing dreams to the screen. Almost anything a person can imagine can be captured in the visual medium of film, and thus the history of cinema has given us many brilliantly realized dreams over the decades. In some cases, dreams are turned into inspirational films, with a few clear examples by Akira Kurosawa is underrated dreams (1990), was an anthology film depicting many of the dreams the director had throughout his life.
At the other end of the spectrum, cinema can capture nightmare experiences and represent them visually on screen. It is perhaps best seen in the horror genre, but other genres can also evoke the feeling of being in a particularly terrifying nightmare just as frighteningly. The following 10 movies can’t exactly be described as horror movies, but all are good at providing a dark and psychologically tense atmosphere that ultimately reminds viewers of bad dreams they’ve had before.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
Very few directors make dreamy, nightmarish characters David Lynch. You can say that he made a career with one movie in particular eraser head – itself a black-and-white nightmare feature film – and a similar show twin hillsworking on sleep logic most of the time.
Mulholland Drive interesting though, because while it’s certainly disturbing, it’s not so much a horror film. It’s a very dark look at the grittier side of Hollywood, and while it starts off feeling relatively grounded in reality (at least for Lynch), it gets more and more surreal as it goes on. . What starts out as a dream turns into more of a nightmare, and the fact that he pulls it all off without turning into a horror movie is a testament to Lynch’s ability to capture the unreal on the big screen.
“A Serious Man” (2009)
From many movies The Coen Brothers there are scenes that capture the feeling of having an uneasy fever dream, but few sustain that feeling for an entire film. A serious manon the other hand, he does as he follows a physics professor who seems to have the worst luck in the world.
In fact, the universe seems to be looking out for Larry Gopnik, or at least refusing to give him a break. This is what ensured how personal disaster after personal disaster happened to Larry A serious man staying firmly in the dark comedy/drama genres feels like the kind of nightmare that’s more comforting than waking up.
“White Noise” (2022)
white noise It is a very difficult film to describe because of its design. It follows a family led by a nervous father and the strange events that occur when a nearby disaster causes a toxic cloud to form over their town. Panic grips the family and the rest of the townspeople, and it only gets worse when they’re told they have to evacuate.
It creates a sometimes funny and always disturbing romp wrapped in the disaster movie genre, with scenes involving a toxic cloud giving a particularly eerie dream feel. white noise at times it feels like it’s dipping its toes into the horror genre, but it never quite pulls through. Still, that doesn’t stop most of his scenes from feeling pretty nightmarish.
‘Baby Shiva’ (2020)
Shiva baby On paper, the provision may not seem so intense or scary. The film takes place during a protracted funeral and follows a young woman named Danielle who doesn’t really want to be there. His parents are authoritarian, he doesn’t like gossip and has various secrets that those around him constantly threaten to reveal/reveal.
It’s tone and style Baby Shiva it almost feels like a psychological thriller, though it’s more easily defined as a comedy. The claustrophobic setting, constant background noise, and the various things the main character emphasizes have a huge impact on the viewer, leading to a dark comedy that sometimes feels like a surprisingly bad dream.
“Under the Silver Lake” (2018)
Few films are so spectacularly paranoid under the silver lake. It’s an underrated, genre-bending film about a young man who uncovers a massive conspiracy hiding in plain sight in Los Angeles while searching for a mysteriously missing woman, gradually leading him down a never-ending rabbit hole.
It’s a paranoid thriller through and through, and certainly has some interesting and sometimes dark fun stuff. It is unlikely that there will be a dream with the same angry energy under the silver lake will last as long as the movie, so anyone who wants to have a crazy dream won’t wake up for more than two hours, under the silver lake surrounded you.
“After Hours” (1985)
Martin Scorsese better known for crime films, but surprisingly good at capturing nightmares on screen if underrated. hours later it is something that will pass. This cult classic black comedy tells the story of a man having the worst night of his life, when a date goes out of control and he faces unexpected terror in New York City’s particularly hellish spectacle.
Several films also include a heightened sense of anxiety and fear hours later does, and the fact that it does so while being one of Scorsese’s funniest films makes it all the more effective. It’ll probably make you squirm as much as it will laugh, but if it avoids those tense moments, it won’t quite capture the nightmare feeling in the same way.
“The Court” (1962)
Test up to because it is criminally underrated Orson Welles as movies go, it’s honestly not that well done Citizen Kane. based on Francois Kafka the story of the same name and follows the unfortunate events that befall a man after being tried for a crime that no one will ever explain.
This naturally prevents the main character from defending himself, since he does not know what he is accused of. Things go from bad to worse over and over again, making for a heady, tense and incredibly surreal film that effectively puts you in the nightmarish headspace of its utterly failed main character.
“Night” (2016)
while the night of is a miniseries that runs much longer than the movie, so effective at capturing a sense of nightmare that it’s worth mentioning. This is especially true of the first episode, which is similar to the above Test. Here, the protagonist is accused of a crime he is sure he didn’t commit (a gruesome murder), but no one wants to believe him, and he goes through the grueling process of being arrested, interrogated, and finally locked up. up. .
Things get a little less scary after the show’s first episode, but there’s no denying how surreal and unnerving it feels. For anyone who has had disturbing dreams about committing a crime or being accused of a crime, the night of it can be very intense to understand.
“Uncut Stones” (2019)
Time is something we all struggle with, and that’s why time sometimes plays the role of an abstract antagonist in the world of cinema. Uncut Stones is an example of this, as it’s about a man who owes too many people to count and is racing against the clock to play the big game and efficiently collect all the money he needs, and more.
It is a brutal film that never stops and is full of loud noises, suspenseful sequences and unpleasant scenes. It’s such an effective thriller that it’s harder (and scarier) to watch than many horror films, while also falling outside of what might be considered a horror film.
“Brazil” (1985)
Brazil it’s a difficult film to sum up. It’s set in a dystopian landscape far more terrifying than the world we live in now, and follows a lonely man who lacks passion in life as he’s oppressed by various power systems he can’t resist. .
There are several moments where the protagonist’s own dreams offer some sort of escape, but even imagining a better world doesn’t prove to be a lasting solution. Things are getting more and more surreal and dreamlike Brazil continues, ending with a series of repetitive fantasies that end up being just that… fantasies. It’s dark, but at least it’s also fun and moving to watch.
