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The Ghost Of Slumber Mountain (1918)
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The “plot”: An explorer discovers a telescope that enables him to see back in time to age of the dinosuars.
The plot device: For such an early example of filmmaking this has a quite complex narrative structure. It begins with the explorer relating a tale from his past to two young boys, but then in the tale he falls asleep and has a dream adventure. So it’s a tale within a tale, within a fictional film.
Cheese before bed? This was a short film made by Ray Harryhausen’s future mentor, Willis O’Brien (most famous for creating the stop motion FX in King Kong ) so no surprise there are animated dinosaurs here. There’s also the ghost of a mad old hermit, played by O’Brien himself.
Any hints it’s more than just a flight of fancy? Not much of the film actually still exists any more, so it’s difficult to say for certain, but all the fantasy elements of the film take place in the dream sequence so the story telling sections could be a “true” account. But for the sake of this feature: it isn’t, okay?!
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The 5,000 Fingers Of Dr T (1953)
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The “plot”: In the only film ever written by Cat In The Hat ’s Dr Suess (he also wrote the songs), a boy who hates his piano lessons enters a fantasy world where his piano teacher is an evil dictator with a bizarre castle who kidnaps children who are forced to play music for him.
The plot device: The boy, Bart, dreams the whole thing, but in true Wizard Of Oz style, people from his real life turn up in his fantasy.
Cheese before bed? Sadly Dr T (short for Terwilliker) doesn’t have 5,000 fingers (trading standards should look into this); instead the title refers to the fact that he needs 500 children to play his giant piano. The film also boasts a pair of rollerskating henchmen who share a beard and some seriously weird, expressionistic sets. Which all sounds fab, but it is, in fact, deathly dull.
Any hints it’s more than just a flight of fancy? Nah. Bart’s just got a seriously overactive imagination.
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Click (2006)
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The “plot”: Fed up with having too many remote controls in his life, Michael buys a universal remote to control everything. And it does control everything – he discovers he can skip and fast forward through his life. In doing so he learns valuable life lessons, and the audience feels like throwing up at this vile techie version of It’s A Wonderful Life .
The plot device: It was all a dream, but one that saves Michael thousands in shrink fees.
Cheese before bed? Adam Sandler in a fat suit is far more freaky than any of the time jumps.
Any hints it’s more than just a flight of fancy? Yeah. After he wakes up he discovers the remote control and a note from the guy who sold it to him in his dream. That’s almost profound, if profound meant, “what a lot of crock”.
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The Cabinet Of Dr Caligari (1920)
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The “plot”: Carnival performers Dr Caligari and his somnambulistic, prescient sidekick Cesare are, in fact, serial killers, in this masterpiece of German expressionism.
The plot device: It’s all the deranged rantings of an inmate in a lunatic asylum… well, that’s what it was after the producers had their way, anyway. They thought the original ending was too grotesque and so imposed upon the director Robert Weine the idea that everything turns out to be the narrator’s delusion.
Cheese before bed? It’s German expressionism, what do you think? The whole thing looks like a chessboard in a distorting mirror. When you’re drunk.
Any hints it’s more than just a flight of fancy? Not after the producers had their way, but in the original, it’s clear that Caligari and Cesare were real and were responsible for a number of deaths.
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