VHS Visions: Deadly Dreams (1988)

By Brad Henderson

Back in the ’80s there was an actress named Juliette Cummins who has remained one of my favorites until this day. Bringing up her name probably won’t ring a bell, but she was in such flicks as Friday The 13th Part 5: A New Beginning, Psycho 3, Slumber Party Massacre 2, Running Hot, and Deadly Dreams. (Psst. . . this post is about Deadly Dreams.) Ever since I can remember, Juliette Cummins has been a favorite of mine and I love every film she is in. Yeah, the films are pretty badass to begin with, but she makes the films better.

Deadly Dreams’ box art was probably inescapable for you. It is the one tape that I saw wherever I went but never rented it. I eventually bought a copy at a local grocery store that went out of business and I still have it. Deadly Dreams comes across as a horror film but it’s more like a psychological thriller instead. Or a long Tales From The Crypt episode. Although it feels like a horror film through and through, when it comes down to it, it’s something else. It’s not a slasher and it doesn’t have a masked killer running around town blowing people away with a shotgun. That doesn’t make it any less of a film; it’s just my two cents.

This flick is directed by Kristine Peterson, who had quite the record from 1984 – 1990. She was responsible for Body Chemistry and Critters 3 and also served as an assistant director and second unit on many horror films in the ’80s. Deadly Dreams was her debut and remains her best directorial effort to date.

We’ve all passed countless titles on the dusty shelves in the video store and never watched them or thought of them again until someone posted a picture online. Then you sat back and thought, “Holy shit, I completely forgot about that one.” Even the big collectors and hardcore horror fans have missed plenty of films or forgotten many others. With VHS Visions I hope to bring back those memories of films like Deadly Dreams and correct the mistakes of passing those titles by time and time again.

Also, Deadly Dreams has Juliette Cummins in it . . .