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->''"I want to see you clearly, come closer to this \\
But all I remember, are the dreams in the mist \\
These dreams, go on when I close my eyes \\
Every second of the night, I live another life."''
-->-- '''Music/{{Heart|Band}}''', "These Dreams"

The images are sometimes slightly blurry, the music has harps or ominous over-tones, and might be shot from a first-person perspective. The last word of every sentence echoes (echoes, echoes). Yep, your character is having a Dream Sequence. Expect the action in this dream sequence to be a thinly disguised look at the dreamer's internal dilemmas -- their rocky romances, the choices they are facing, the regrets they've left behind, yes, the Dream Sequence is an excellent excuse for a short-term excursion into a character's head.

Another variety of this sequence is when the characters have fantastic and silly adventures in settings that the show's main premise could not accommodate. This can also overlap with SeparateSceneStorytelling if the dreamer is told a story while falling asleep.

Differs from AllJustADream in that usually you know immediately that the character is dreaming, and the dream usually lasts for no more than 2-3 minutes.

Musically, its beginning is often indicated by an upward-moving [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_tone_scale whole tone scale]] (example: C, D, E, F#, G#, A#, C, ...) played on a instrument like a harp or a keyboard with lots of reverb. The end of the sequence is often indicated by the same scale played downwards. The same musical motif is often used for FlashbackEffects. In the whole tone scale, all the notes are the same distant apart, with no single tone standing out, which creates its blurry, dreamy quality. "Impressionist" composers like Claude Debussy made an extensive use of that scale.

Sometimes ends in OrWasItADream, just like AllJustADream. See also DreamLand, DreamWithinADream, RealDreamsAreWeirder and IWasHavingSuchANiceDream. Go to NightmareSequence for the horrifying alternative. Compare and contrast with FantasySequence.
----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Dream sequences play a major part in the plot of ''VisualNovel/DaCapo'', even though they tend to be rather surreal at times.
* In ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon'', Chapter 42 is about Laios going into Marcille's dream to rescue her from a pack of nightmares that have trapped her there. It starts with Laios already in his own dream and quickly moves onto Marcille's once he remembers where he is.
* ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' has an episode dedicated to Osaka's, Tomo's, and Sakaki's (and Kaorin's, in the anime) New Year dreams. Chiyo doesn't have a dream, but somehow ends up in everyone else's dreams.
* Takeshi Hokuto has two of these in ''Manga/CromartieHighSchool'': one of them deals with his subordinates and an obsession with meat, and the other deals with him switching places with Ara-chan the seal, whom he despises.
* In the manga version of ''Manga/ChronoCrusade'', Chrono has a dream in which he's standing on a battlefield littered with bodies, and Aion holds out an outstretched hand and urges him to come. It reflects Chrono's troubled past and foreshadows flashbacks we get to see in later volumes.
* In ''Anime/PrincessTutu'', Ahiru has a dream in the beginning of each season. The first one is later revealed to be a flashback showing how Drosselmeyer chose her to be the titular MagicalGirl, while the second season shows her dancing with Mytho--only to be shocked when he performs the ballet mime for "death" and transforms into Fakir. [[spoiler:This foreshadows Fakir slowly becoming her main love interest, and probably relates to his backstory as well.]] There's several other dream sequences that either foreshadow coming events, or relate to a character's current problems.
** ''WebVideo/PrincessTutuAbridged'' plays the first one (mostly) straight but the second seems [[EroticDream slanted towards the sexy]] and is more blatant with the imagery. In this, Ahiru (Duck) is heading towards Mytho and is about to take his hand before Fakir snatches it, pulls her away, lifts her chin up, runs his finger over her lips and closes them and leans in for the kiss and Duck wakes up. She is quite upset, being the Mytho fangirl she is, about dreaming of Fakir.
* In the ''Anime/SpeedRacer'' episode "Motorcycle Apaches" Spritle falls asleep while driving a wagon and dreams he's a cowboy, getting into gunfights with outlaws in [[ArtShift a different art style]].
* The third episode of the OVA ''Manga/MyDearMarie'' consists entirely of these.
* Yuichi in ''Manga/KanonChihoSaito'' briefly has one of these while actually still awake after [[spoiler:briefly snapping when Mai appears to have committed suicide. But he can't hold onto it and returns to reality, and things... get better somehow. Magic!]]
* ''Manga/MysteriousGirlfriendX'', at least its earlier issues, would periodically have short dream sequences or immense panoramic dream panels. Fans miss them...
* Not really a dream, but ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' had "Tamaki Inner Mind Theatre". The anime had a straighter example with Haruhi taking a trip [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Down the Rabbit Hole]] complete with Ouran characters taking the role of various Wonderland characters.
* While trying to study for entrance exams in episode 11 of ''Manga/GourmetGirlGraffiti'', she fell asleep and dreamt the studying materials turning into a monster and falling on her body.
* ''Manga/AsteroidInLove'': The first strip of Chapter 10 sees people from 10,000 years later finding fossils of [[ClubStub the Earth Sciences Club]] when they attempt to find resources. Turns out it's Mira narrating her dream to the rest of the club.
* The whole premise of ''Manga/InTheseWords'' is to juxtapose reality with dreams so as to expose Asano's shattered mind as he gradually can't tell anymore if he's dreaming or if the images in his brain are rather deeply repressed memories that traumatized him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Arts]]
* The ''The Dream Stela of Thutmosis IV'' placed between Art/TheSphinx's paws tells a story about the young Thutmosis IV resting in the sphinx's shadow (protected from the midday sun). He fell asleep and dreamt that the god Hor-em-akhet-Atum-Khepri was his father. The god promised the kingdoms of upper and lower Egypt to Thutmosis IV if he cleared away the sand that had been building up around the Sphinx. Thutmosis IV got the sand removed, the sphinx restored and the ''Dream Stela'' stone placed between the paws.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Dreams appear quite regularly in ''Franchise/TheAdventuresOfTintin''. They are often surreal.
** In one the Captain hallucinating that Tintin is a bottle of Champagne and attempting to pull his head off.
** The one in ''Recap/TintinCigarsOfThePharaoh'' is downright creepy.
** In ''Recap/TintinTheSevenCrystalBalls'', Tintin, Haddock and Calculus all dreamed that the mummy one of Calculus's friends had brought back from Peru had come to life and was going to destroy them. The mummy -- not all bandage-wrapped, but a arrestingly realistic dessicated corpse -- comes to life to throw a glass ball filled with poison gas. The mummy is hallucinatory but the gas is real. Tintin dream sequences had a heckuva lot of disturbing images in them.
* In ''Action Comics #275'', Comicbook/{{Supergirl}} dreams about her being raised by Pa and Ma Kent -[[Franchise/{{Superman}} her cousin's]] foster parents- in Smallville.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Violine}}'', Violine has several plot-related ones. Recurring themes are a man wearing a witch doctor mask beating a drum, characters taking off masks to reveal other characters, and monstrous appearances.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* ''ComicStrip/BeetleBailey'': Sarge has a little too much pepper pizza right before bed and has a really trippy dream series about being "[[https://www.comicskingdom.com/trending/blog/2016/8/5/sarge-dreams-2 Super Sarge]]," a food-themed superhero. He ends up trapped in a giant pizza and finds out he's actually fighting his blanket. Beetle even dreams a sarcastic version of Super Sarge
* ''ComicStrip/PhoebeAndHerUnicorn'': Marigold tells Phoebie about the Answer Pixie that appears in dreams, and Pheobie sucessfully summons it the next time she sleeps.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/ACrownOfStars'': Shinji has several dreams where Rei appears and talks to him in this story and in the preceeding fic. In those dreams Shinji feels cold and clammy, and a thick fog surrounds him. Previously Rei showed up to ask him if he was satisfied with his life and to tell him that she cared for him. In chapter 72, though, she showed up to try to convince him to dump Asuka.
* ''Fanfic/TheChildOfLove'':
** Asuka has several of these:
*** In chapter 3 she has a feverish dream in which a voice asks her dying and another voice encourages her to keep living, open herself and be a good mother.
** Shinji also goes through several dream sequences:
*** In chapter 6 he dreams of his mother telling him being strong and reassuring him that she will protect him and his family.
*** Later he has another dream in which his daughter warns him that her and her mother are in danger and they need him.
** In the side-story called "Ayanami's Lesson", Rei has a dream where she meets Teri. After that dream she makes her choice to [[spoiler:turn against Gendo.]]
* ''Fanfic/ChildrenOfAnElderGod'': In chapter 5 Shinji has a fairy tale-like dream (and he is aware of it being a dream the whole time) where he is the Prince of Tokyo-3 and has to move all of Princess Asuka's possessions to her new room before sunset in order to receive King Gendo's reward and become a god, and Pen Pen and a horde of penguins help him to complete the task. From that point the dream got increasingly and quickly disturbing.
%%* Dream sequences are major parts of, and a primary plot point in the WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic fanfiction ''Fanfic/{{Composure}}''.
* In ''Fanfic/KyonBigDamnHero'' Haruhi was shown dreaming about flying through the sky, sentai-style, with Kyon the rest of the brigade, to fight evil aliens.
* Dream sequences occur several times in the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfiction ''Fanfic/MotherOfInvention'' as part of its OntologicalMystery.
* ''Fanfic/TheOneILoveIs'': Shinji had one when he was trapped inside Leliel and another when he was stuck into Unit-01 after fighting Zeruel. They consisted of memories and visions intermingled where his family and friends asked him about his life and helped him to reach a resolution.
* ''Fanfic/SOE2LoneHeirOfKrypton'': In chapter thirteenth's omake Shinji dreams that Asuka and Misato are fighting over him before deciding on sharing him.
* ''Fanfic/ThousandShinji'': Rei had one in chapter 13 during a synch test where she saw a giant man with star-filled eyes. It completely freaked her out. Unbeknown to her, [[spoiler:it foreshadowed Shinji's future transformation.]]
* ''Fanfic/ForestofDespair'': Whenever Akita goes to sleep, she has one of these with her alter ego.
* ''Fanfic/TheMeaningOfHarmony'' opens with one of these, which quickly turns into a NightmareSequence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* The film ''WesternAnimation/WakingLife'' was (possibly) nothing but dream sequences. These were depicted by surreal rotoscoping, the surreal happenings, and almost no overarching plot.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/TheBloodyMan'': After reading the words on the back of the comic that end up summoning The Bloody Man, [[TheProtagonist Sam]] goes to sleep and has a dream about the last time he saw his mother. The dream starts out relatively nice, but becomes a NightmareSequence when it gets to her death.
* ''Film/ALittleBitZombie'': After falling asleep for the first time after being bit by an undead mosquito, Steve has a dream where [[DeliberatelyMonochrome everything is black and white]]. In it, he's in a 50s-style house, and everyone is not-so-suddenly telling him to eat brains (even serving a box of cereal that says "Raisin Brain").
* The 1945 Creator/AlfredHitchcock film ''Film/{{Spellbound}}'' famously has a dream sequence designed by Creator/SalvadorDali(!).
* The movie ''[[Film/TheIncrediblyStrangeCreatures The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies]]'' (it is every bit as bad as it sounds) features a long, freakish dream sequence reflecting the effects of mind control on the main character. In the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' version, it makes Servo freak out for the entire duration.
* The live-action Creator/DrSeuss musical ''The 5,000 Fingers of Doctor T'' is a feature-length dream sequence with reality bookends. A boy falls asleep at the piano when he's supposed to be practicing his piano exercises: he has a long surrealistic nightmare in which he imagines that his piano teacher is a "racketeer" attempting to take over the world.
* Most of Creator/BusterKeaton's film ''Film/SherlockJr'' is a dream that the main character has when he falls asleep next to a movie projector.
* ''[[Literature/TheEmigrants Unto a Good Land]]'' features a couple of very long dream sequences which are essentially flashbacks of what happened to Arvid and Robert on the California Trail.
* ''Film/TheScienceOfSleep'' had an abundant amount of dream sequences due to Stéphane's difficulty with copying with reality and it later gets difficult to know which scenes were real or not... that scene where they're all dressed like cats playing instruments was definitely a dream though.
* In ''Film/DraculaDeadAndLovingIt'', Dracula has a "[[BigLippedAlligatorMoment daymare]]," where he believes his vampirism is cured and goes out to enjoy the beauty of the light. Then he bursts into flame and wakes up screaming and running.
* Most of ''Film/{{Inception}}'' is basically a ''huge'' dream sequence. With [[DreamWithinADream dreams within dreams]].
* In ''Film/{{Kontroll}}'' when Szofi wakes Bulcsu and shows him a straight and narrow tunnel leading out of the underground system. Probably not many people find it.
* Known for their surreal works in film, Creator/MichaelPowell and Emeric Pressburger's ''Film/IKnowWhereImGoing'' has a fairly surrealistic dream where their protagonist is literally married to a company.
* ''Film/{{EXplorers}}'', Ben has a dream
* In ''Film/{{Jungle}}'', Yossi has two elaborate dream sequences while is going mad from hunger. In the first he is at a fast food restaurant and gets loaded up with a ridiculous amount of fast food. In the second, he is a high roller at a casino and gets woken up just as he is about to have sex with Amie.
* ''Film/NobodySleepsInTheWoodsTonightII'': The movie begins at a masquerade ball with a woman chained to a statue. Then Adas walks in, clad in his police uniform and toting a shotgun, and we find out the dancers are feral killers. He blows them all away, saves the girl, then kisses her... then he wakes up.
* ''Film/AllMonstersAttack'': Unlike every other movie in the ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}'' franchise, Godzilla and the other kaiju only appear in the dreams of a little boy named Ichiro, suggesting that, unlike every other movie, it takes place in the "real" world (note that this film was made [[NoBudget on the cheap]] for a local kids film festival). This might explain why nearly all the monster scenes are StockFootage from earlier Godzilla movies.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* Asi Hart
** ''Literature/BlackTrip'': Mack has a dream where he is in the Vatican. This is ironic, considering his own situation.
** The "Sea of Red" chapter from ''Literature/InTheRealmOfCarnalHorror.''
** ''Literature/UnderAFreezingMoon'' has an [[MindScrew unknown number]] of dream sequences. A minimum of one.
* ''Literature/{{Deryni}}:''
** Nigel has a powerful dream during the ritual Kelson uses to partially trigger the Haldane potential in ''The King's Justice''. Nigel experiences the change as himself being washed down a raging cataract and landing on a beach (which may reflect his feelings of helplessness and unease regarding his place in the succession), followed by the reassuring presence of Camber of Culdi.
** Kelson has a drug-induced dream about marrying and mating with Rothana during his ''cruaidh-dheuchainn'' (trial ritual) in ''The Quest for Saint Camber''.
** Kelson has recurring anxiety-induced dreams about Mahael, Teymuraz and Araxie in ''King Kelson's Bride''. Their faces are vague because he doesn't really know what any of them look like (this is before he met Liam's uncles for the first time, and he hasn't seen Araxie since they were children).
* ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'': A small scene in ''Double DOwn'' is Greg recalling various strange dreams he has had: one about sneezing his teeth out, one where he's a turtle, one where he is made to walk the plank, and one where he grows a tail.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Aside from the special dreams that resulted from his psychic bond with Lord Voldemort, Harry was also very prone to bizarre and amusing dreams, including one of Neville and Professor Sprout waltzing in the Room of Requirement while Professor [=McGonagall=] accompanied them on the bagpipes and another of Ron chasing him wielding a Beater's bat [[spoiler:after he falls for Ginny and worries that Ron won't approve]]. These were left out of the film adaptations.
** In the very first book, in Harry's first night at Hogwarts, he dreams various creepy things encompasing the strange new magical world he's in, which finishes with [[ForeShadowing Quirrel's Turban talking to him]].
* In ''Literature/TheHauntingOfDrearcliffGrangeSchool'', Amy has a series of recurring nightmares about living in a haunted mansion that's a distorted version of her boarding school. Three of the nightmares are recounted in detail, each taking up an entire chapter.
* In the third book of ''Literature/TheEmigrants'' series, the story of what happened to Robert and Arvid on the California trail is told through Robert's dreams after his return.
* ''Literature/SputnikSweetheart'' has several, though some are [[MindScrew hard to tell as to whether they are dreams or not]]. One of the key ones that definitely is forms the basis of a piece of writing from Sumire, one of the main characters.
* The efficiently-named poem ''Literature/DreamOfTheRood'' is about the narrator receiving a dream-vision of the tree that was used to make Christ's cross.
* In ''Literature/HardTimes'', Stephen Blackpool's dream of a wedding quickly becomes that of a burial.
* Martha has a couple in ''Literature/ClocksThatDontTick''. In the first, she dances with one of her imaginary friends. In the second, she looks down at the decaying world from the Space Needle while being accosted by a different one.
* The centerpiece of ''Literature/RosemarysBaby'' is Rosemary's wild drugged dream [[spoiler:on the night she's impregnated by Satan]]. It's a bizarre and highly realistic dream sequence in which snippets of real life keep intruding into a fantastic, nonlinear nightmare that, like most real nightmares, seems completely ridiculous when you really think about the details (Rosemary dreams she is bitten by a mouse on a cruise ship to see the Pope with former First Lady Jackie Kennedy, and also there's a hurricane and her entire family--pregnant and in bikinis--are lounging on deck).
* ''Literature/TheSilverChair'': While spending the night at Harfang, Jill has a very intense dream about Aslan reprimanding her for not remembering the signs. In the BBC adaptation, this scene is especially scary, with images of Jill and Aslan floating around the room.
* ''Literature/TheSorcererOfTheWildeeps'': Demane has several, most likely due to his divine ancestry.
** When he is running down south to scout the road through the Wildeeps, the monotone act of running makes him reminisce about his divine heritage and how he can never truly to use it to its full potential. He slips into a dream sequence in which he flies as a stormbird would, only snapping out of it when he reaches the Crossings river.
** While trying to stop Captain from beating some unruly brothers as punishment for misdemeanor, Demane briefly touches Captain and is promptly snagged into a vision of corpses rotting by the sea, the smell of which indicates Captain is among them. Before he can think more about it Demane snaps out of it, however.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
%%* ''Series/{{Blossom}}'' has this almost OncePerEpisode.
* ''Series/TheBradyBunch'': Several times, Bobby went into a dream world:
** "The Winner," from Season 2, where perpetual loser Bobby – complaining that he had never taken first place in anything on his own merits – has a dream one night about winning at everything, including racing (a foreshadowing of his adult career as a race car driver). Of course, he falls out of bed and tearfully vows to win something.
** "Never Too Young": In perhaps the most suggestive scene of the series, a dream sequence shows Bobby and his girlfriend, Millicent (a pre-''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' Melissa Sue Anderson) running toward each other and kissing.
** "Out of This World": Bobby dreams that a UFO -- manned by two friendly aliens from Klaputian -- lands in the Bradys' yard. The Klaputians take the awed youngest Brady boy on a trip to their world.
** "The Hustler": Bobby dreams he's a billiards champion.
* The entire ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E22Restless Restless]]", the finale for season 4, was four dream sequences; these turned out to prefigure the major events for the remaining seasons.
* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'' episode "Freudian Sleep". Frasier has an AllJustADream experience, followed by dream sequences from the other members of the Crane family (even Eddie, the dog.)
%%* ''Series/GilligansIsland'' had more than its share of dream sequences, though they often provide the program's biggest laughs and the cast reportedly loved doing them.
* In ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'' episode "Questions and Answers", Dorothy dozes off while studying for Jeopardy and has a dream in which she goes up against a first time opponent and a returning champion, who surprisingly is Rose.
* ''Series/{{Mash}}'' has a season 8 episode, simply titled "Dreams", which concentrates on the dreams and nightmares had by each of the main characters as they try to catch sleep during a grueling, casualty-heavy two-day period.
* There was an episode of ''Series/NewsRadio'' in which the air conditioning was malfunctioning, causing the entire cast to have hallucinations. Some of these were short AllJustADream moments, but others were obvious dream sequences.
* ''Series/NorthernExposure'':
** An extended Dream Sequence (in this case actually a hallucination) -- lasting nearly the entire episode -- was used to very good effect in "Dinner at Seven-Thirty". As evidenced by this episode, an extended DreamSequence may perform the function of an AlternateUniverse in series where an AlternateUniverse ''per se'' would not fit with the show's genre.
** Joel has another episode-long dream in "Jules et Joel".
** More traditional examples occur in "Spring Break", with everyone getting slightly loopy with the arrival of the eponymous season.
%%* ''Series/SavedByTheBell'': Silly dream sequences were often seen.
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', ''[[ChristmasEpisode Lexmas]]'' is mostly Lex's extremely [[Heartwarming/{{Smallville}} heartwarming]] and [[TearJerker/{{Smallville}} tearjerking]] dream.
* ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'': The dream episode -- each of the four aliens dreams for the first time. Their dreams were all surreal, lavishly produced, full of symbolism, and directed by guest directors, and were all done in very different styles. It was also in 3D, as part of a theme night.
* In ''Series/TheToyCastle'' episode "Brother John", the Goblin, tired from not having his nap, falls asleep during a game and dreams that he's Brother John, and that the Soldier, Clown, and Strongman cannot wake him.
* ''Series/TwinPeaks''. The dream sequences contained major plot points, and the reality of the dream-world was eventually shown to be the home of several minor characters as well as BOB, the BigBad.
* ''Series/TheVampireDiaries'': Stefan has one in which Elena is bitten by Damon. Damon finds this hilarious.
** Katherine does this several times to Stefan. He has dreams involving him and Katherine doing the dance in 'Miss Mystic Falls' (which was done by his brother and Elena), and a dream with Elena and Damon kissing and acting like cute little love birds. Due to the popularity of Elena/Damon this was presumably partly to provide ShipTease.
** A heartbreaking example, also courtesy of Damon: when Rose is dying, he gives her a calming dream of her favorite place and stays in the dream with her until she dies.
* In ''Series/The10thKingdom'', Virginia and her father have an extremely bizarre and disturbing example of this, complete with [[SpiritAdvisor the ghost of Snow White]] doing her level best to snap them out of it. Christine's usage of the poisoned comb on her little girl's hair is particularly chilling, while the weird Electra-complex suggested by Virginia being Tony's wife (not to mention Wendell the dog as her brother--[[spoiler:or is that [[PsychicDreamsForEveryone prophetic?]]]]) are just plain odd. But what do you expect from something inspired by eating magic mushrooms? Of special note (something which appears throughout the miniseries) is the emphasis on the decidedly more grim aspects of fairytales...
* A common form is for the dreamer to slip into the world of whatever they were researching or watching when they nodded off. Expect an IdenticalGrandson. ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'' got sent back to the [[TheWildWest Old West]] twice, and to Arthurian Britain.
* ''Series/GrowingPains'' sent Ben into a world where his family life was a sitcom, of which he was the star.
* ''Series/{{House}}'' has a few in the episode "Bombshells", including:
** House and Cuddy vs. [[Film/ButchCassidyAndTheSundanceKid the Bolivian army]]
** House and Wilson adopting Rachel in a sequence parodying ''Series/TwoAndAHalfMen'' (with House as Creator/CharlieSheen's character)
** House vs. the ZombieApocalypse
-->'''House:''' "Good thing I brought my axe-cane."
** House, Cuddy, and Rachel living an idyllic life in a 50s sitcom
** A dance-number by House and Cuddy to Harold Arlen's "Get Happy"
* In ''Series/{{Moonlighting}}'', episode 10 hung a lampshade with the title, "The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice", using not one but two dream sequences in succession. After a brief framing sequence, Maddie Hayes dreams herself and Dave as Rita and Zack, respectively, in one possible sequence of events for an unsolved murder mystery from the 1940s; and at the halfway point, David Addison falls asleep and dreams himself and Maddie as the same pair in another possible sequence of events for the same mystery.
* Even ''Series/KateModern'' managed an example (supposedly a reconstruction of a dream), [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXTjBWdDdxg Awful Dream]].
* ''Series/{{Lost}}'' frequently employs dream sequences. Often these dreams are prophetic, but occasionally the "glimpse into the psyche" type is used, such as Hurley's dream in "Everybody Hates Hugo," which reveals his anxiety about being the one to ration the newly discovered food.
* The ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' episode "[[Recap/BlackadderS3E2InkAndIncapability Ink and Incapability]]" features a scene where it appears that Edmund's looming catastrophe has suddenly been solved, but when more and more bizarre things start happening, he realizes he's dreaming, and thus still screwed when he wakes up.
-->'''Dr. Johnson:''' I think it's an awful dictionary. Full of feeble definitions and ridiculous verbiage.\\
'''Blackadder:''' Are you sure?\\
'''Dr. Johnson:''' I've never been more sure of anything in my life, sir.\\
'''Blackadder:''' I love you, Dr. Johnson, and I want to have your babies. ''[sees Aunt Marjorie]'' Sorry, excuse me, Dr. Johnson, but my Auntie Marjorie has just arrived. ''[Blackdrick appears with a dog's head instead of his own]'' Baldrick! Who gave you permission to turn into an Alsatian! Oh God, it's a dream, isn't it? ''[Dr. Johnson, Aunt Marjorie and Bladrick starts to dance around the room]'' It's a bloody dream! Dr. Johnson doesn't want us to burn his dictionary at all.
* ''Series/TheSopranos'' has some of the best dream sequences in any show or movie. Some of the creepy ones with Tony's mom are much more frightening than your average horror scene. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXi_mVNeIb4&t=188s/ Exhibit A ]]
* Blair on ''Series/GossipGirl'' is prone to having these. They are always nightmares, based on her favorite movies, and usually open the episode they appear in.
* ''Series/SunsetBeach'': The trope appeared often, and with great hilarity.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz8ppujjTXw This]] scene from series 3 of ''Series/AshesToAshes2008''. [[ShipTease UPTOWN GIRL!]]
* ''Series/HomeImprovement'' had several, mostly depicting Tim's dreams, including one where he and his family are wooden dolls like in a ChristmasSpecial, and one where he and Jill are paranormal investigators like in ''Series/TheXFiles''.
* Walter Sherman from ''Series/TheFinder'' tends to have symbolic dreams regarding the case he's working on, generally leading to an EurekaMoment which leads to him solving the case.
* ''Series/TheYoungOnes'': "Sick" has a memorable one. A conscience-stricken Rik, believing that he has killed Neil, dreams of being tried and sentenced to death by Mike and Vyvyan, causing the gallery of attractive young women to plead for his life and then start to remove their clothes...
--> '''Rik's Conscience''': Oi! OI! - Stop having a wet dream, you little pervy, you're supposed to be ''racked with remorse''!
* Wonderfully done on ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' in which the town experiences ''shared'' dreams. HilarityEnsues.
* ''Series/CosmosASpacetimeOdyssey'' has a significant one in its first episode: Giordano Bruno, a free thinker during the Inquisition, dreams one night of a confining curtain of stars which he is able to crawl under into the infinite cosmos he believes in. It features stars, planets, and Ophanim[[note]]those angels that look like wheels[[/note]]. Since this is considered heresy by the geocentric Church, preaching about this dream eventually leads to his death. (In RealLife there was more to his trial than that, but belief in a "plurality of worlds" was one one of the charges.) The dream gets a CallBack in the final episode when Bruno "escapes" from his prison cell in a FantasySequence.
* ''Series/GreysAnatomy'': At least twice.
** Right after the grim opening scene of the bomb scare episode in Season 2, Meredith asks "What's the one thing you've always dreamed of doing before you die?" Cue Izzie, Meredith and Cristina [[FanService together in a shower]], [[MaleGaze soaping each other up]] and [[GirlOnGirlIsHot obviously enjoying themselves]]. Meredith [[DeadpanSnarker quips]], "Okay, hello, clearly, not my dream." and sure enough - wow, George, who knew you had it in you?
** The one in season 3 where Meredith wanders alone down the hall of the hospital, with an eerie lighting style reminiscent of her near-death scene.
* Crop up rudely and frequently in ''Series/NightAndDay'', whether characters are awake or sleeping. In addition to frequent imaginary conversations with the vanished Jane Harper, viewers could expect the full gamut of scenarios, including but not limited to: film noir, Biblical tableaux, a Britney Spears drag act, medical burlesque, virginity fairies, the Grim Reaper, magic carpet rides, bad porn parodies, a builder's-van reimagining of 'We Go Together' from {{Film/Grease}}, and the creepiest Pinocchio skit you've probably never seen.
* ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' starts with Jean-Luc Picard dreaming that he's back on the ''Enterprise''-D playing poker with the deceased Data while "Blue Skies" plays in the background. Things take a dark turn when the surface of Mars starts exploding outside the window -- at which point Picard wakes up at his chateau in La Barre.
* ''Series/RedDwarf'': "[[Recap/RedDwarfSeasonIIParallelUniverse Parallel Universe]]" has a unique opening sequence where the main cast [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3t3IKlXqFU performs a dance number]] as one of the Cat's dreams.
* ''Series/{{Newhart}}'': The episode "A Midseason's Night Dream" depicts dreams that various characters are having. The series finale retroactively makes these into a DreamWithinADream scenario.
* ''Series/JejakSuaraAdzan'':
** Episode 2 has a short sequence, seen from first-person perspective, filtered and filled with bubbles, when a half-asleep Dimas in Jakarta dreams of Zahra telling him that she has found his brother Dika and asks him to go back to Tasikmalaya. It's treated more like a sign that Dimas is really in love with Zahra and it motivates him to go back to Tasikmalaya. [[spoiler:Though it turns out to be quite prophetic as Dika/Putra is indeed in Tasikmalaya and Zahra is the first to figure out that they are the same person.]]
** Episode 4 has a scene showing Ririn's dream where Dimas returns after finding Dika, but he says that Dika wants nothing to do with Ririn after she gave him away to another family. Mila and Ike assure Ririn that it's just a dream and it won't happen. [[spoiler:Indeed, Dika/Putra has no ill will towards her and his first instinct after finding out about his adoption is to fulfill Ririn's wish.]]
* ''Series/{{Interview with the Vampire|2022}}'': Near the end of "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E6LikeAngelsPutInHellByGod Like Angels Put in Hell by God]]", Daniel Molloy slips into slumber after receiving a levodopa transfusion, and he dreams about how he and Louis de Pointe du Lac (''and'' Rashid, as it turns out) first met at Polynesian Mary's in 1973.
* ''Series/RadioEnfer'': One episode has Vincent telling Dominique about various dreams he had, with Dominique trying to find out the meaning of those dreams using a book. At the end of the episode, [[spoiler:it's revealed he never had those dreams and made them up because he wanted to be closer to Dominique after learning they were step-siblings]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* The song "Thirtyfour" by Music/{{CultOfLuna}} is about chasing a girl in a dream, only to find she disappears.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music Videos]]
* In the mid 1980's, Music/{{The Rolling Stones|Band}} produced a compilation of music videos/promo films entitled '''Video Rewind''', which entailed bassist Bill Wyman, disguised as a guard, breaking into a 'lost' exhibit at the British Museum, which consists of various rock artifacts - one of the artifacts being a mid-70's Mick Jagger! They use the artifacts as a springboard to show the various videos, while also making pithy comments about their own career as the Stones (Mick: You ever try sleeping in the same room with Keith? Bill: No but I've stayed in the same hotel with him!). Near the end, Bill is wandering through the room, sees a 'Music/PaulMcCartney jacket, complete with one of the MBEs, that The Beatles had, commenting, "They never gave US one of those!", and takes it, pinning it on HIS jacket. Just then, real guards bust through the doors, and then the scene shifts - Bill is waking up to Mick shaking him, telling him its time to go on stage...except..Bill has the MBE on his shirt lapel!
* Happens in the video to Music/{{Queensryche}}'s well-loved BlackSheepHit, "Silent Lucidity". There's also a NightmareSequence thrown in for good measure between the middle and near the end of the video.
* Music/{{Krokus}}'s "Screaming in the Night" plays with this. On a mysterious island, the hero, who is imprisoned, is in love with a beautiful woman, but an evil dictator sentences him to death and kills the woman. [[spoiler:The hero turns out to be the lead singer, and he ends up in a diner, where the beautiful woman is a waitress, the dictator was the chef, and Krokus was on the TV, which the lead singer sings to while standing on the counter that his band-mates were eating at.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
* ''Series/SesameStreet'': In a 1992 Sesame Street insert, After Cookie Monster ate the whole box of his grandmother's cookies that he was going to have at his birthday party, He got depressed that there were no cookies left for the party, And takes a nap and dreams of meeting "The Monster Cookie." The Cookie tells Cookie Monster a tearjerker story of how he became "The Monster Cookie." All he ate was just cookies and was turned into one. He sadly regrets that he never had any healthier food. After the dream sequence, Cookie Monster took his advice and vows to never eat cookies ever again. Then he started to eat carrots, fish, and whole wheat bread. And then he ask the cookie: "Say you talking, Cookie?....You crying, Cookie?" Then eats the cookie and remarks: "Well, Maybe sometime a cookie."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Usually with Miss Brooks dreaming about Mr. Boynton sweeping her off her feet, or in some fairy tale. Then the alarm clock goes off and ruins it all, i.e. "First Day".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Religion]]
* ''Literature/TheBookOfMormon'': Lehi has several prophetic dreams, including one about an iron rod marking the way through a dark mist to a special tree. It's a good deal more coherent than regular dreams, as is to be expected from an apparent message from God, but things still have a tendency to appear out of nowhere. His older sons are unimpressed by him leading his family away from their home into the desert based on dream messages, while his younger sons pray about it and receive their own revelations.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* The ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' 3.5E supplement ''Heroes of Horror'' includes tips on how to DM a dream or nightmare sequence.
** The free adventure [[http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/oa/20030629a "Fallen Angel"]] suggests a dream sequence as a plot hook.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]
* In musical theatre, the DreamSequence is a [[DreamBallet conventional way to work in a ballet]]. "Laurie's Dream" from Creator/RodgersAndHammerstein's ''Oklahoma'' is one of the earliest examples.
** Unusually, ''Lady in the Dark'' concentrates practically all its singing and dancing into three long {{Dream Sequence}}s. The sole exception is an IWantSong which appears in a {{flashback}} to complete the DreamMelody with lyrics.
** The second act of ''Mamma Mia!'' opens with a warped, strangely echoing reprise of the earlier songs, and then segues into the young heroine's nightmare about who her real father is. The dream involves neon and black colors (with plenty of purple), eerie lighting, snorkels and flippers, and a man in a bridal gown (we do not make this up.)
* The Rodgers and Hart musical ''I'd Rather Be Right'' is almost entirely a dream sequence. The young lovers fall asleep in Central Park, sharing a dream in which they meet President Franklin Roosevelt and various other political figures of the 1930s, then awakening at the end.
* In a fashion, this is the pas de deux in ''Theatre/AnAmericanInParis''. Lise really is dancing, but [[spoiler: Jerry as her partner]] is in her imagination.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/BaldursGate2'' has a number of dream sequences, each urging you to submit to your destiny as Bhaalspawn.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Birdland}}'', Bridget has many strange dreams during her time at summer camp, and what she does in them affects her mood the following day, limiting your choices.
* Several of these happen over the course of ''VideoGame/CalmereNightmare'''s story. It's [[OrWasItADream left ambiguous if they really were dreams]], and if so, which parts.
* A part of ''VideoGame/ChickenFeet'' involves you being sent to a dream where you meet and talk with the giant chicken Cooper.
* ''VideoGame/{{Daxter}}'': If the player makes Daxter go to sleep, his dreams will involve him enacting some sort of movie pastiche (''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', ''Film/RaidersOfTheLostArk'', etc) while defeating a slew of enemies headed his way. Completing the quick-time mini-games featured in these sequences allows Daxter to learn new attacks, gain more health, receive cosmetic upgrades ([[AndYourRewardIsClothes Hat, pants]]), and prize codes the player could enter on the ''Daxter'' official website.
%%* ''VideoGame/EternalSonata'' is mostly this.
* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', this is the start of the first Valentine's Day Event, "Chocolate Lady's Commotion," complete with a light mist distorting the beach where the protagonist wakes up to indicate this is probably a dream. Before the protagonist wakes up from the dream, however, VoluntaryShapeshifting {{Yandere}} Kiyohime explains that she had [[MundaneUtility morphed herself into chocolate]] and [[LetsMeetTheMeat is happy to let all 240,000 calories of herself to be eaten]], [[BlackComedyCannibalism even if she were cut into pieces to be eaten later]]. The protagonist snaps to reality either decrying this as a crime or realizing it's a dream.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' has sequences where the characters fall asleep due to a mysterious force, and they dream about the adventures of Laguna Loire, Kiros Seagill, and Ward Zabac. [[spoiler:It later turns out that these "dreams" are essentially a form of time travel caused by Ellone, allowing the characters to experience actual past events from the trio's perspective.]]
* The ''Mask of the Betrayer'' {{expansion|Pack}} to ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' has several dream sequences [[spoiler:during which you can gather the pieces of the titular CoolMask if you're paying attention]]. TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon [[spoiler:(where you battle the Spirit-Eater for control of your soul)]] is a dream sequence as well.
** Teammate Gannayev-of-Dreams is an old hand with dream sequences [[MeaningfulName as his name suggests]]. He shepherds the PlayerCharacter through them all if he's in the party. Yes, he can enter ''other characters''' dream sequences.
* ''VideoGame/{{Scratches}}'' has two dream sequences on different nights, the first one has hints of [[OrWasItADream not being just a dream]], the second is purely nightmarish.
* ''VideoGame/Tak2TheStaffOfDreams'': The Dream Realm portions have Tak go through a dream world, [[spoiler:also potentially the entire game]].
* In ''VideoGame/TearsToTiara2'', Hamil dreams of meeting the supreme goddess Tanit in an oasis and begs for guidance. His request is answered and [[spoiler:Tanit appears on earth as Ashtarte.]]
* In ''VideoGame/VividConceptions'', the protagonist belongs to the Bantam race which tends to have very vivid dreams. In-game, these become "dream levels" with tough platforming sequences that eschew realistic environments.
* [[PlayerCharacter Clementine]] has a rather tragic dream sequence after [[spoiler:being shot]] in ''VideoGame/TheWalkingDeadSeasonTwo''. She dreams that [[spoiler:she is back in the RV the group used in Season One, eight years old again and reunited with her long-dead guardian Lee. He offers her some reassuring words and, if prompted, will promise to stay with her and keep her safe]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Chapter 2 of ''Webcomic/ApricotCookies'' starts with Apricot being contacted in a dream about having incorrect billing information.
* ''Webcomic/AvasDemon'': Chapter 26 contains a sequence where Gil has a dream of himself as a merman and Odin as a prince and they kiss in a beach. [[spoiler:It's left ambiguous whether he is just having a dream or seeing Nevy's memories; overlaying himself in her place and Odin in Pedri's.]]
* ''Webcomic/TheChapelChronicles'': season one ends in a four page Dream Sequence entitled [[http://www.chapelchronicles.com/comic/28 Chapel in Wonderland]] in which Chapel finds herself dressed as Alice from Alice in Wonderland. Fred, her archenemy is the Cheshire Cat, Lady Gaga appears having beheaded Justin Bieber, wanting to play chess with flamingos and using Rupert as the ball. Chapel finally leaves and walks off but is still dressed as Alice at the end.
* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'' has a StoryArc showing the quite revealing dreams of each major character the night after the fight with BigBad Damien[[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-08-02]]; this continues into the succeeding arcs with Ellen's dreams, which are particularly significant due to Nioi's [[PlotRelevantAgeUp magical intervention]].
** Later, Sarah has [[http://egscomics.com/index.php?arcid=96 a dream]] about [[IJustWantToBeSpecial getting magic and using it to save the day]].
* ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' features an [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=182 amusing dream sequence]] from Kat. It involves lots of [[Series/TheXFiles Fox Mulder.]]
* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'' uses this trope in many different ways: First, the use of "dreamselves" that reside in Prospit and Derse. Sometimes the story follows all of the main character's dreamselves. Then there is the "dream bubbles," basically the afterlife, in which people relive their memories and stay there for eternity. Sometimes the story follows characters in dream bubbles. These are also used for people who have no dreamselves. Third, there is [[TheWoobie WV's]] nightmare, shedding some light onto his [[spoiler: SurvivorsGuilt.]]
* ''Webcomic/HoneyAndTheWhirlwind'' takes place partially in a dreamworld.
* ''Webcomic/MedicPics'': The author has a dream about a bizarre hospital visit that never took place. The only wrong thing he notices when waking up was that his friend in the dream [[ComicallyMissingThePoint wasn't even a med student]].
* [[http://centralcitytower.blogspot.com/2010/02/new-installment.html Project 0]] opens with a dream sequence. Doubles as a GoodMorningCrono.
* ''Webcomic/PunchAnPie'' uses Dream Sequences as a means of contrasting the two main characters' different thought processes. Angela has wacky and meaningless dreams involving her favorites TV shows, video games, and books; Heather has introspective dreams where she reexamines her flimsy FreudianExcuse and tendency toward projecting her repressed traits onto others.
* At the start of ''Webcomic/CommanderKitty'', CK's tenure as the dictator of the entire Cat System turns out, mercifully, to be this.
* ''Webcomic/TheBullysBully'' begins each story with one of these, usually [[TheHero the little girl heroine]] dreaming of bullies getting their comeuppance.
* ''Webcomic/{{Morphe}}'' pulled this off by [[http://morphe.thewebcomic.com/comics/1790280/chapter-2-page-19-sweet-dreams/ having a very dark and twisted animated sequence]] mostly in first person with ominous music.
* ''Webcomic/{{Newheimburg}}'' features the [[{{Deuteragonist}} Jack's friend Mortimer]] experiencing a fever dream where his fish lead him to an undersea palace.
* The protagonist of ''Webcomic/Life2012'', Felicia, has a few of these, [[http://www.cha0sden.com/Life.php?comic=53 this one]] being one of the longer ones (and one of her RecurringDreams).
* Webcomic/OzyAndMillie: When Millie resolves herself to have more interesting dreams, she get's one that counts down her top 5 dreams.
* In ''Webcomic/{{Rascals}}'', Chrissy day dreams of Quick introducing her to his parents and then subsequently making out.
* There are a number of them in ''Webcomic/CharbyTheVampirate'' such as this [[http://www.charbythevampirate.com/comic/916 one]] of Tony's that mixes his food preferences with insight to his conflicting thoughts about his feelings for Mye.
* ''Webcomic/DevilsCake'' opens with a the tail end of one of [[http://devilscake.smackjeeves.com/comics/284989/book1-ch1-pg02/ Kea's dreams.]]
* ''Webcomic/TheAngelWithBlackWings'': Ray dreams of someone calling out for help in Chapter 1: The Encounter.
* ''Webcomic/{{PRISMWING}}'' begins with Indigo dreaming of a large shadowy figure.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''WebAnimation/BrokenSaints'' makes frequent use of these, most notably in Acts 2 through 5 of Chapter 20.
* ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' has PLENTY of dream sequences, one of the more memorable recent ones being Maria Graham's dream after her [[spoiler: accidental killing of Francine Moreau]], which included Nicholas Cage and Robobear 5000. According to the writer, the likely never-to-be-finished endgame of v2 included [[spoiler: Bryan Calvert's highly symbolic dreams on the helicopter ride to meet Danya and while back home, including being back with Tori again]].
* ''Series/{{Noob}}'' makes use of them from time to time. So far one for the YaoiFangirl, two for TheTeamWannabe to the best guild and one for the KindheartedSimpleton (that ended up being some kind of SugarBowl version of reality).
* There are several in ''Literature/EntirelyPresentingYou'', which get progressively worse for Alexis, the main character, until she breaks completely.
* ''WebVideo/LeftPOORDead''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In ''[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E9ElViajeMisteriosoDeNuestroJomer El Viaje Misterioso De Nuestro Jomer]]'' Homer's hallucinatory DreamSequence due to the effects of eating chilly and candle wax offers the animators many opportunities to show off surreal animation sequences.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' has had some dream sequences as well, usually those of Helga's, and she does a little LampShadeHanging about dream sequences in "Phoebe Takes The Fall". However, the show has also had an "AllJustADream" type of dream in "Arnold Visits Arnie", and that dream featured an AlternateUniverse.
* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' referenced this version of the trope in "I'm A Little Bit Country". Instead of studying, Cartman tries to learn about the founding fathers by triggering a flashback via blows to the head.
* A number of the classic ''ComicStrip/LittleLulu'' cartoons from the 1940's contain dream sequences, such as [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EM9DL_Guh4 this one]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' is [[{{Pun}} king]] of this trope.
* The short-lived ''WesternAnimation/NightmareNed'' built its entire premise around dream sequences.
* The ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' episode "Air Force None" featured two for [[BadassAdorable Heloise]], both about her being with [[ObliviousToLove Jimmy]].
* Heidi has one in ''WesternAnimation/HeidisSong'' which doubles as a DisneyAcidSequence.
* One of the longer running gags on ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' was a character announcing that a dream sequence was starting.
* ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'': The episode "Re-Enter the J-Team" opens with Jade having a dream of fighting some Shadowkhan only to be dragged to her classroom and told to present an essay that she hasn't written yet.
* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': In "It Came From Beyond," Trini has a pretty surreal dream about a talking bird vetch. She asks to invite some friends. Then the next morning, more vetch plants pop up in Molly's garden. Trini then has a second dream where she asks the flowers to leave, but they respond poorly to her concerns.
[[/folder]]
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