The theatrical version was compared with the Director's Cut. Both are on the UK Blu-ray from Arrow.

DREAM DEMON: A British take on the NIGHTMARE series

Diana is about to be married to the highly respected soldier Oliver, who is still very much involved in her career. Thus it comes that Diana must spend some time alone in a newly bought house. Again and again she has nightmares that seem very real to her. When one day she is harassed by a curious reporter, who then suddenly disappears, but always appears as a demon in Diana's dreams, a panic develops in her. At her side is Jenny Hoffman, who has travelled from Los Angeles and is trying to remember what her relationship is to the old house. Through Diana's dreams the two women slowly come to understand a dark secret from Jenny's childhood.

Originally planned as a rip-off of A Nightmare on Elm Street, the film was rewritten as a horror satire on Lady Diana, according to director Harley Cokeliss. Especially the pushy reporters and the relationship to Oliver let you guess the references to Lady Diana. The logic according to which Diana creates her dream worlds and how one is drawn into them doesn't always seem coherent, but the gory special effects let one generously overlook this. The shady figure of Oliver and the secret of Jenny's youth, which has to be deciphered, create some tension. Dream Demon is a quite solid representative of the genre with minor weaknesses in content.

Director's Cut first released by Arrow Video on Blu-ray

On Arrow's UK Blu-ray there is a newly created Director's Cut alongside the well-known theatrical version, which first ran at the Sitges Film Festival and is now available on the home cinema market. The only difference to the theatrical version is that the final scene was shortened. At the very end the two reporters Paul and Peck break out of a basement wall, with Peck urging to go out for a bite to eat. Presumably this is supposed to illustrate that the two have escaped Diana's dream world, which is expressed with the fact that Peck's severed ear grows back. The Director's Cut ends with the camera movement through the basement room. You can hear little Jenny screaming "Please!" once again. The end of the Director's Cut is a bit more coherent, as the somewhat inappropriate comic relief by Paul and Peck was omitted and thus the scene with the visit of the cemetery still resonates.

The Arrow Video Blu-ray can be called a highly recommended one. The picture quality is excellent, you can choose between the theatrical version and the Director's Cut and the extensive bonus material completes the release. I

Runtimes:

Theatrical version: 89:22 min.
Director's Cut: 88:07 min.

[01:26:03][01:26:03]

At the end of the movie, when the camera moves through the basement, the picture darkens in the Director's Cut and the credits follow. Before that you can hear little Jenny shouting "Please!" once more.

In the theatrical version the scene goes even further.

The camera moves on through the cellar and stops in front of a brick wall. From behind the wall a brick is pushed out. Paul can be seen.

Paul: "Well, thank Christ for that."

Paul knocks the bricks out of the wall and steps through.

Paul: "Peck? We're out."

Peck also enters through the hole in the wall. He's missing an ear.

Peck: "About bleeding time. Do you know something?"
Paul: "What's that?"
Peck: "I feel really hungry."

They look back in the hole. Suddenly, Peck's ear grows back.

Paul: "I think it's time we left."
Peck: "Yes."
Paul: "Yes."
Peck: "How about a nice fry-up?"
Paul: "I'd settle for a good skinful."
Peck: "Oh, no, I think a fry-up. With lashings of ketchup."

They walk away, then the camera moves to the black hole. Finally the credits roll.

DC: 2 sec.
TV: 1:17 min.