32 Crazy Dream Sequences From Movies And TV Shows

Some might argue that a scene from a film or TV series that turns out to have existed all in a character’s head is a cop out. Maybe that’s true in some respects, but when done right and without misleading intentions, dream sequences can be used as a great opportunity to let artists run wild with their imaginations, resulting in some of a title’s most memorable moments. Here are some of the most wonderfully surreal scenes from the big and small screen that may have had you questioning if you had entered dreamland.

Dawn Haunts Renton (Trainspotting)

Director Danny Boyle's 1996 adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel Trainspotting follows a group of Scottish addicts trying to get clean, none of whom has a harder time with it than Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor). One signature scene sees him locked in his childhood bedroom by his parents and forced to wean off his habit cold turkey, during which he suffers an intense fever dream featuring hallucinations of his parents on a game show, his various friends, and the spirit of a deceased infant he once knew climbing on his ceiling.

Bruce Wayne's Alternate Life (Batman: The Animated Series)

One of the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, let alone one of the strangest, is "Perchance to Dream." As part of a scheme by Mad Hatter, Bruce Wayne finds himself living in a fantasy in which his parents were never murdered, he is engaged to Selina Kyle, and someone other than him is protecting the streets of Gotham as Batman.

Sarah's Apocalyptic Nightmare (Terminator 2: Judgment Day)

One thing that makes the classic sci-fi movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day one of the all-time greatest sequels is the way it depicts Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and her growth as a character following the traumatic events of the first film, especially through one wild fantasy sequence. In the dream, she witnesses her happier past self and other bystanders at a park where they suffer a nuclear blast that ends up burning off her skin, leaving her remaining skeleton clinging to a chain-link fence.

All Of Season 9 (Dallas)

Dallas delivered one of the craziest retcons in TV history when it was revealed that the death of Bobby Ewing (Patrick Duffy) and the entire ninth season of the hit primetime soap opera all happened in the head of his wife, Pamela (Victoria Principal). The retcon was prompted after Duffy, who had previously left the show, agreed to return for Season 10, which opens with Pamela waking up to find Bobby in the shower.

Happy's Happy Place (Happy Gilmore)

The classic golf movie, 1996's Happy Gilmore, stars Adam Sandler in the title role of a guy with a talent for tee time, but the rage of a hockey player, which his trainer, Chubbs (Carl Weathers), tries to help him control by envisioning his own "happy place." He imagines his girlfriend, Virginia (Julie Bowen), carrying drink pitchers, his grandmother (Frances Bay) finding the money she needs from a slot machine, and a little cowboy riding an old-fashioned bicycle, for some reason. However, a later attempt to escape into this fantasy world is interrupted by the invasion of his nemesis, Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald).

The Solomons Suffer From Bizarre Dreams (3rd Rock From The Sun)

The two-part Season 2 finale of 3rd Rock from the Sun tried something unique by airing in 3D, but saving that format for some incredibly insane sequences. The surreal, avant garde scenes are dreams that Dick (John Lithgow) and the rest of his extra-terrestrial comrades are experiencing, but for the first time since taking human form, which leads them to assume they are ill.

Old Blue Saves The Day (A Christmas Story)

The classic holiday movie, 1983's A Christmas Story, follows young Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) and his devotion to making sure he finds an official Red Ryder, carbine action, two-hundred shot range model air rifle under the tree. He seems to believe that it will make his life better, based on a daydream in which he, dressed as a hero named Old Blue, uses the BB shooter to rescue his family from criminals.

The Opening Scene (8 1/2)

Federico Fellini's signature 1963 film opens with a bizarre dream in which the main character gets trapped in his smoke-filled car in full-stop, literal bumper-to-bumper traffic. After he finally escapes, it cuts to him flying through the clouds until he is pulled down by his ankle by a person on a beach, and descends into the water just as he awakens.

Gutterballs (The Big Lebowski)

There are two great dream sequences from Joel and Ethan Coen's hilarious, classic '90s movie, 1998's The Big Lebowski, the first of which sees The Dude (Jeff Bridges) flying over L.A. trying to reach his stolen rug after receiving a crack on the jaw. However, the more memorable scene sees him, after being sedated by Jackie Treehorn, imagining he is the star of a Busby Berkeley-inspired adult film about bowling.

The Entire Series (Newhart)

One of the most iconic, oft-parodied, and simply best TV series finales is that of Newhart, in which the actor and comedian wakes up in bed as Bob Hartley, his role from his first hit sitcom, The Bob Newhart Show. His co-star from said 1970s hit, Suzanne Pleshette, wakes up next to him as Hartley's wife, Emily, and he explains to her that his entire life as Vermont innkeeper Dick Loudon was a dream.

Rosemary Drifts On A Mattress (Rosemary's Baby)

Some of the best horror movies include a dream sequence that sneaks up on you with its more nightmarish qualities, such as in 1968's Rosemary's Baby. The first half of Rosemary's (Mia Farrow) dream is somewhat peaceful, showing her lying on a mattress floating on a bed of water, but in the second half of the dream, she is attacked by a demon. To make matters worse, that occurrence might not be part of the dream at all.

Buffy's Slaying Is A Delusion? (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

Sarah Michelle Gellar's title hero from Buffy the Vampire Slayer has likely wished that her life could be free of encounters with bloodsuckers, demons, and all kinds of things that go bump in the night, but she probably never wanted to experience it the way she does in Season 6's "Normal Again." Buffy becomes exposed to a demonic, hallucinogenic venom that causes her to become trapped in a fantasy in which she is a mental patient, and her life of fighting paranormal activity has been all in her head.

Nazi Werewolves (An American Werewolf In London)

Writer and director John Landis' An American Werewolf in London boasts one of the most incredible moments of body horror in cinematic history, but one could argue a crazier moment in the classic werewolf movie happens earlier. While recovering from his animal attack, David (David Naughton) dreams he is back in the States with his family when a group of gun-toting, lycanthropic SS soldiers invade.

Tony Becomes A Salesman (The Sopranos)

Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) experienced multiple, eye-opening dream sequences throughout HBO's run of The Sopranos, including one that took place during most of an entire episode. In Season 6's "Join the Club," a comatose Tony dreams of an alternate life away from the DiMeo Family in which he is an ordinary salesman named Kevin Finnerty.

The Clown Hospital (Pee-wee's Big Adventure)

A movie scene that scared many '80s kids occurs in Pee-wee's Big Adventure when the titular man-child (played by Paul Reubens) has a nightmare about his missing bike. The prized, two-wheel vehicle is picked up in scraps by a group of horrifying harlequins who use unconventional and concerning methods to put it back together again.

Adam's Repeated Death Row Sentence (The Twilight Zone)

All of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone feel like a dream (or a nightmare), but Season 2's "Shadow Play" actually takes place entirely in one. Dennis Weaver stars as a convicted criminal trying to convince the other characters that his condemnation is merely part of a recurring nightmare.

Sue Visits Carrie's Grave (Carrie)

Director Brian de Palma's 1976 adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie ends with one of the most iconic and influential jump scares, which actually inspired the ending of 1980's Friday the 13th. A grieving Sue Snell (Amy Irving) dreams that she is visiting the resting place of her titular telekinetic classmate (Sissy Spacek) where her bloodied arm emerges from the ground and grasps onto her. Sue does not wake up from the nightmare, but is unable to stop screaming in her sleep.

Cooper's First Visit To The Red Room (Twin Peaks)

Most of David Lynch's movies and TV projects feel like long dream sequences, but when depicting Special Agent Dale Cooper's (Kyle MacLachlan) nightmare about the Red Room in an early episode of Twin Peaks, the master of surrealism really goes for it, resulting in a dream sequence more authentic than most. The inexplicably aged-up Coop meets a dancing little person who tells him, in backwards speak, "That gum you like is going to come back in style." He then meets a blonde woman resembling Laura Palmer (played by Sheryl Lee) and asks if she is the murdered teen, to which she responds, also in backwards speak, "I feel like I know her, but sometimes my arms bend back."

Lloyd And Mary's Romance (Dumb And Dumber)

In the 1994 Jim Carrey movie favorite, Dumb and Dumber, while traveling to Aspen, Lloyd Christmas (Carrey) fantasizes that his crush, Mary Swanson (Lauren Holly), will fall for him immediately after he returns her missing briefcase. The daydream continues to show highlights of their imaginary relationship, from a party where Lloyd entertains guests with uproarious tricks (like lighting his flatus on fire), to a romantic dinner where he engages in a cinematic-style kung fu fight.

Elliott '90s Sitcom Fantasy (Mr. Robot)

A top-rated Season 2 of Mr. Robot called "eps2.4_m4ster-s1ave.aes" is depicted predominantly in the style of '90s sitcom and even features a cameo by ALF. However, it is later revealed that this laugh-track-filled fantasy is Elliott's (Rami Malek) dream, and that he has been asleep in a hospital after being violently beaten by Ray Heyworth's (Craig Robinson) goons.

Beauty School Dropout (Grease)

In the 1978 movie musical Grease, Frenchie (Didi Conn) is encouraged to put her cosmetology career on hold and go back to high school by an unexpected person, Frankie Avalon, with a dreamy number called "Beauty School Dropout.'

Kevin Becomes An Assassin (The Leftovers)

In Season 2 of The Leftovers, Kevin (Justin Theroux) is told by Virgil (Steven Williams) that the only way to cure his persistent visions of cult leader Patti Levin (Ann Dowd) is to take his own life. This sends him into a bewildering reality in which he is a contract killer assigned to kill Patti, who is a presidential candidate.

Ronnie Births A Maggot (The Fly)

At one point in the tragic romantic thriller that is David Cronenberg's 1986 remake of The Fly, Ronnie (Geena Davis) discovers she is pregnant with the child of Dr. Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum), who has been transforming into a half-man, half-insect at this time. Her fear of what could be growing inside of her is personified in a nightmare in which, instead of a human baby, she gives birth to a giant larva.

Jeff Lives A G.I. Joe Fantasy (Community)

The best episodes of Community experiment with different genres, such as the time the series put the cast in the world of the '80s-era beloved animated series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. The action-packed, cartoon setting of "G.I. Jeff" is revealed to be a fantasy Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) has created to cope with turning 40.

Henry Loses His Head (Eraserhead)

In Eraserhead, Henry (Jack Nantz) has a nightmare in which his head falls off his neck, where a new head resembling his mutant child pops out to replace it. Of course, this dream sequence is no more bizarre than anything else that happens in David Lynch's perplexing 1977 debut feature.

Rob Suspects There Is An Alien Invasion (The Dick Van Dyke Show)

In a classic episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show called “It May Look Like a Walnut,” Rob Petrie (Van Dyke) watches an alien invasion movie involving extraterrestrial walnuts and otherworldly visitors without thumbs. The next day, his life begins to resemble the film's plot, until he wakes up that night to discover it was all a dream.

Wayne Meets Jim Morrison (Wayne's World 2)

The plot of the hit 1993 SNL movie Wayne's World 2, in which Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Algar (Dana Carvey) put on their own concert, is set in motion when Wayne dreams he is in a desert where he meets the spirit of The Doors frontman, Jim Morrison (Michael Nickles).

Frasier Is Visited By Sigmund Freud (Frasier)

In the Season 4 Frasier episode "The Impossible Dream," the eponymous therapist and radio host (played by Kelsey Grammer) has a suggestive dream about his effeminate colleague, Gil Chesterson (Edward Hibbert). He eventually determines the dream is no more than a task his subconscious gave himself to satisfy his currently unchallenging career, but the episode ends with an even more confusing nighttime encounter with his idol, Sigmund Freud, who joins him in his bed and implies a request for intimacy.

Ray Gets Cooked (The 'Burbs)

In 1989's The 'Burbs, family man Ray (Tom Hanks) initially refuses to believe that his neighbors could actually be the murderous cult that other locals suspect they are. However, he does reach a breaking point when he dreams that they tear through his house with a chainsaw and sacrifice him on a giant barbecue pit.

Cliff's Muppet-Filled Nightmare (The Cosby Show)

One of the weirdest episodes of The Cosby Show involves Cliff Huxtable (Bill Cosby) dreaming that the Muppets have taken over his life.

Alex Gives Birth To His Doppelganger (Junior)

Arnold Schwarzenegger playing a man who becomes pregnant is a pretty intriguing concept on its own. However, things get especially bizarre in 1994's Junior when the actor's character dreams that he has given birth to the spitting image of himself.

D.J.'s SAT Disaster (Full House)

In a Season 6 episode of Full House, D.J. Tanner's (Candace Cameron Bure) stress over the upcoming SATs culminates in a nightmare in which Wheel of Fortune's Vanna White appears to inform her that she has failed the test and will go to Clown University.