An entire horror franchise is dedicated to Freddy Krueger, a boogeyman who corners his prey in their own dreams to seek revenge against their parents for his murder. A24’s Dream Scenario, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli (Sick of Myself), uses that familiar concept to spin a nightmare comedy that examines cancel culture in the modern world. Instead of a vampy dream demon, though, it’s Nicolas Cage’s oafish professor who finds himself thrust into the spotlight thanks to a bizarre phenomenon. Raucous comedy gives way to a different variety of horror as unsettling reflections of reality set in, to mixed results.
Paul Matthews (Cage) lives a rather ordinary life. He’s in a loving marriage with his long-time wife, Janet (Julieanne Nicholson). He has two precious daughters, lives in a nice neighborhood, and has a comfortable gig as an evolutionary biologist professor. Never mind that he has aspirations of writing a book that he’s made no steps toward achieving or that landing a coveted spot at a distant pal’s famous dinner parties comes with a heightened sense of social awkwardness from Paul, often to everyone’s embarrassment. The discomfort felt by Paul’s loved ones and friends only increases when he’s suddenly appearing in people’s dreams. But the novelty of Paul’s peculiar dream crashing turns nightmarish when those dreams start getting traumatically violent.
Dream Scenario offers heady commentary on the way ordinary people suddenly find themselves the center of the pop culture consciousness, struggling to navigate the unwanted attention as the public turns on a dime. Borgli tracks this chaotic journey by toggling between comedy and horror. At first, Paul’s life presents almost like a sitcom, with Cage more than up to the task of handling the self-deprecating humor and oddball quirks of his character. Even the start of Paul’s dream appearances plays for laughs as he passively watches from the sidelines as various dreams play out in fantastical ways. Borgli slowly strips away the humor as the dreams become more violent and harrowing, blurring the lines between the dream version of Paul and his waking self.
Despite the central conceit, Borgli surprisingly never gets as weird or as edgy as you’d expect. Bursts of violence, nightmare sequences, and even mentions of Rue Morgue magazine frequently acknowledge the horror of Paul’s plight, but it’s never pushed far enough to match the collective PTSD that Nightmare Paul inflicts. While a clever metaphor for the pitfalls of the social media age and how not to handle unwanted attention, Dream Scenario doesn’t delve deep enough beyond a superficial trajectory, robbing the narrative whole of some unpredictability.
Dream Scenario’s biggest asset, what sells the humor of this nightmare comedy the most, is Cage’s performance as Paul. Borgli’s script wisely never lets his protagonist fully off the hook for social faux pas or selfish choices made, and it lends complexity to the character that Cage makes wholly his own. Whether he’s farting mid-seduction or tormenting his daughter via cartoonish boogeyman movements mid-dream, Cage effortlessly lands every comedic beat. Even as Paul becomes more overtly selfish and deranged, Cage ensures the character doesn’t entirely evade sympathy.
Borgli’s latest makes for a propulsive watch that wields its comedy and genre conventions smartly. It’s bolstered by a captivating performance from Cage. While the commentary on cancel culture feels apt, Dream Scenario tends to rely too heavily on low-hanging jokes and references to Barack Obama or Tucker Carlson over a more profound examination. Even still, it makes for a brisk and frequently amusing spin on the Freddy Krueger-type for a modern, terminally online world.
Dream Scenario made its World Premiere at TIFF and will release in theaters on November 10, 2023.
