Silly Psycho-Thriller ‘In Dreams’ Offers More Laughs Than Gasps

The key to the demented mind of a serial killer, and to his connection with a neighborhood clairvoyant, is to be found in a child’s bedroom in a town at the bottom of a lake formed by a flood 30 years ago. The water, it should be quickly noted, isn’t the only substance piled high in Neil Jordan’s ludicrous horror-thriller “In Dreams.”

Adapted from an out-of-print pulp novel, “Doll’s Eyes,” with apparent additional inspiration from “Nightmare on Elm Street” and, perhaps, a few Dionne Warwick psychic infomercials, “In Dreams” tells of the psychological war between children’s book illustrator Claire Cooper (Annette Bening) and the madman who haunts her premonitory dreams.

Claire doesn’t even have to be asleep to dream of this killer’s deeds, which involve--but are not limited to--the kidnappings and murders of small girls, whose bodies are invariably found in the sunken ghost town. He has somehow gained access to Claire’s mind, does some of her thinking for her, even uses her teeth to bite through her husband’s lip when the mood strikes him.

As the body count and bitten lips mount in the small New England community, so too do the clues of the killer’s identity, at least in Claire’s porous mind. There is a recurring children’s nursery rhyme, an apple orchard, a boy’s bedroom, chains, the flood. Naturally, husband Paul (Aidan Quinn), detective Jack (Paul Guilfoyle) and her psychiatrist (Stephen Rea) think Claire’s insane, so it is up to her to turn her power against her mind’s possessor.

Speaking of possession, we can only wonder what drew such high-powered talent as Jordan, Bening and her co-stars Quinn and Robert Downey Jr. (as guess who) to such wretched B-movie material. The script, by Oscar nominee Bruce Robinson (“The Killing Fields”), is direct-to-video stuff, a run-on of preposterous psychic horror cliches.

At the root of all evil in “In Dreams” is child abuse, begetting child abuse. Where there’s a serial killer, you can be sure there was once a sadistic authoritarian parent, and an inciting event, all of which makes, in this case, for some graphically jolting flashbacks.

The underwater images, of both the flooded town and the circumstances of young Vivian Thompson’s escape from it, have the haunting atmosphere typical of Jordan’s past horror films, “Interview With the Vampire” and “The Company of Wolves.” If this were a portrait of a demented mind, “In Dreams” might have been worthwhile. (Of course, Jordan just did that, with last year’s brilliant “The Butcher Boy.”)

In any event, the psychic connection overwhelms every other element of realism. “In Dreams” doesn’t even work on its own level of fantasy. Claire’s clairvoyance (come on, guys, you can do better than that!) isn’t the major theme; it’s Vivian’s ability to enter her mind. And why does he do that? Because, Claire reasons, he wants to get caught. Please.

Bening works this role like a sore muscle, or a tooth that needs pulling. It’s a courageous, anti-glamour effort, one of those sweat-and-drool “Snake Pit” performances that drives hair and makeup crazy, not to mention mental-health-care providers.

She’s nothing if not a pro.

Others in the cast were less inspired. Quinn plays Claire’s husband, a 747 pilot, like a guy losing at poker and looking for a reason to quit. The low level of energy that Rea brings to the psychiatrist makes you wonder if the character hasn’t been sneaking the Thorazine. And Downey, well, you want psycho, he’ll give you psycho.

* MPAA rating: R for violence, terror and language. Times guidelines: The horror verges on the laughable, but there’s lots of violence or implied violence to children.

‘In Dreams’

Annette Bening: Claire Cooper

Katie Sagona: Rebecca Cooper

Aidan Quinn: Paul Cooper

Robert Downey Jr.: Vivian Thompson

Paul Guilfoyle: Det. Jack Kay

DreamWorks Pictures. Directed by Neil Jordan. Screenplay by Bruce Robinson and Neil Jordan. Produced by Stephen Woolley. Co-producer Redmond Morris. Based on the novel “Doll’s Eyes” by Bari Wood. Director of photographer Darius Khondji. Production designer Nigel Phelps. Film editor Tony Lawson. Costume designer Jeffrey Kurland. Music by Elliot Goldenthal. Running time: 1 hour, 52 minutes.

Playing in general release around Southern California.