The Twilight Zone (TV Series) Perchance to Dream (1959) User Reviews

Quite Intriguing

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 26 September 2008]

While some may not like this episode, I found it quite captivating. A man is dying. Either he is going to die from a heart condition, from over-stressing himself, or he is going to die at the hands of woman whom he meets in an episodic dream. Most of the story takes place in a psychologist's office. The man relates his seemingly insane story. There are many layers here, including whether a dream is a reality, or, even more interesting, what is a dream. The concluding foray by Rod Serling talks about the momentary nature of dreams, how they may be a second long yet seem an eternity. One can only feel for the man who is trapped in a consummate no win situation. He hasn't slept for days. He is tied up in knots. The psychologist must deal with what he knows. At the end, we don't even know the reality we are supposed to believe in. Of course, this could be a criticism of this episode.

Wow....that guy has issues!

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 3 October 2009]

Richard Conte plays an odd man indeed! He has a heart condition and is convinced that a sexy siren is trying to kill him. The only problem is, she isn't real--she's only in his dreams. He's recently seen this exotic lady in dreams and when he awakens from these frightening fun-house-like dreams, he's on the verge of a heart attack. So, in desperation, he visits a psychiatrist and begins pouring his heart out to him. Apparently he hasn't slept in a very long time because he's so afraid of dying. Eventually, when Conte is leaving the office, he becomes spooked and falls over dead...or is this REALLY what happened?!

Overall, it's a pretty average but very watchable episode. It's fun seeing Conte's goofy dreams and the ending really is exceptional. Worth a look.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: I just saw an episode of an earlier anthology series ("Lights Out") and it ALSO had an episode entitled "Perchance to Dream"! And, although the shows are very similar, the earlier show was written by Robert Kalvar--NOT Charles Beaumont like this episode of "The Twilight Zone". They are so similar that I am shocked that Kalvar didn't receive some sort of credit for this show.

"How can I argue with a dream?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 5 March 2010]

I caught a lot of Twilight Zone episodes while growing up, including a lot of repeats, but I don't recall ever seeing this one. I'm sure I would have remembered it because I used to dream a lot as a kid too, especially recurring ones of flying and another that involved escaping a gorilla in the attic. I always wondered about that old conundrum whether you would actually die for real if you died in a dream, and how the theory could never be tested because you would wake up in fright first. Well there's another subject I'll have to put on my list of things to research when I can get around to it.

'Perchance to Dream' is a lot like one of those time travel stories that make your head hurt when you try to analyze them after the fact. Because when you come right down to it, Edward Hall's (Richard Conte) experience here was entirely a dream. It had to be, because he was asleep as soon as he hit the couch in Dr. Rathmann's (John Larch) office. He never had a real conversation with the Doc, and the entire escapade with Maya the Cat Girl (Suzanne Lloyd) took place on a variety of subliminal levels. I have to say the entire carnival motif was well played out, an oft used setting by a variety of writers and directors, including Hitchcock in the finale of "Strangers on a Train". It lends an even more surreal character to Hall's dilemma as he walks a delicate tightrope between the real and the imaginary.

Yet for all that, this is like one of those imaginary Superman stories from an early 1960's DC comic, the episode never really happened after Hall entered Larch's office. The boyhood story about the moving sailboat and Maya's sultry seduction are effective head fakes designed to keep us intrigued about Hall's condition, but all the while everything we're exposed to is the subconscious reverie from the doctor's couch. It ends with that single rare but fatal instance in a fleeting moment that none of us will ever get a chance to experience, trapped in a nightmare before ever hitting the ground.

An overlooked classic

[phantom_tollbooth · 10/10 · 21 February 2007]

'Perchance to Dream' is the third classic in a row, although this episode is far more overlooked than its predecessors. It is the first non-Serling script of the series, marking the debut outing for one of 'The Twilight Zone's' other main writers, Charles Beaumont. Beaumont's scripts differ significantly from Serling's, generally avoiding the melodrama and moralising that characterises Serling's work and focusing on more extreme and often horrific subjects. 'Perchance to Dream' is a great introduction to Beaumont's frequently excellent work.

A fascinating study of a man with a heart condition who dreams in sequence and dare not go to sleep because his last dream left him in such a dangerous position, 'Perchance to Dream' has two distinct acts. The first half mainly consists of a dialogue between a man and his psychiatrist. However, unlike the dull ramblings of 'Escape Clause's' dialogue heavy first act, 'Perchance to Dream' offers an incredibly interesting theme for discussion. Act two consists of recounted dream experiences and introduces us to a creepy fairground and its inhabitants. Among these inhabitants is Suzanne Lloyd as Maya the Cat Woman. She strikes the exact right chord, managing to be very sexy and utterly repellent at the same time. Richard Conte gives an intense performance in the lead role and John Larch is amusingly laid back as his psychiatrist but neither are as good as Lloyd, whose cackling, devilish minx personifies the threat that awaits if Conte nods off.

'Perchance to Dream' works so well because of its contrasting acts. Act one is involving and intelligent, drawing us into the concept by carefully explaining it. Act two is let off the leash completely, running amok with tremendous pace into the effectively creepy world of the nightmare fairground. The final twist is also very fine, requiring us to back track and work out exactly when in the episode Conte fell asleep. There is plenty more to think about, such as the amount we can dream in a short time and how tricky our subconscious can be. After all, Conte's didn't place him back in the fairground as he had imagined it would. Instead it merged his waking nightmare with his unconscious one, borrowing images he had just seen on his way into the building and creating a whole world from them. 'Perchance to Dream' is an unjustly overlooked classic which leaves the viewer with much to consider.

Scary and Fun, with a Trippy Homage to the American carnival.

[slugnutty · 10/10 · 17 October 2007]

Long before Freddy Krueger, The Twilight Zone brought us the beautiful, voluptuous, and deadly "Maya," a character in a man's dream determined to literally scare him to death. "Perchance to Dream" plays like a carnival dark ride, full of cheesy fun, nightmarish imagery, and low-rent thrills and chills. Richard Conte plays Edward Hall, a man terrified to fall asleep lest the exotically seductive Maya take him away in his dreams to a place that will cause his weak heart to fail. It's a story perfect for The Twilight Zone, helped by the series' low budget, black and white cinematography, and make-do special effects. It plays like German Expressionism done with a distinctly 1950's rural American vibe. Highly recommended!

Put Away the Sominex

[dougdoepke · 15 September 2006]

Shattered man fears going to sleep.

Richard Conte was always good at playing intensely driven characters. Here he brings a strong emotional pitch to a man near insanity because of a recurring nightmare. The dream sequences are particularly effective for their surreal stylings and the undisguised sexuality of Maya, the Cat Woman. In the buttoned-down 1950's, these were no small risks for a series, since sponsors avoided anything that might confuse or alienate audiences and potential customers. It's also a reason why TZ deserves a place in the artistic evolution of American TV. The episode itself is a solid one, with a nifty twist ending. However, I can't help feeling that the personal references to Hollywood landmarks suggest more than an exercise of imagination for writer Charles Beaumont.

Maya the Cat: every man's dangerous theme for a dream

[Coventry · 7/10 · 6 May 2016]

"Perchance to Dream" is most definitely one of the more ambitious, complex and intriguing episodes of "The Twilight Zone" that exist, but unfortunately the atmosphere of mystery and fright is too often undercut by the slow-pacing and rather dull narrative structure. If it weren't for the too many dull moments, "Perchance to Dream" would – at least according to yours truly – be one of the most fabulous episodes of the entire five-season series. Unlike most episodes in the series (as well as 90% of all movies in the world) this tale's biggest trump is unpredictability. We don't know what's troubling the obviously exhausted Edward Hall when he enters the office of psychiatrist Dr. Rathmann. He hasn't slept for 87 hours straight and claims that he will die in case he does fall asleep. Gradually, Edward Hall explains to the shrink that he dreams in chapters and he has strong reasons to believe that the next chapters will be the one of his death. His dreams recurrently feature the irresistibly beautiful but lethal Maya; a cat woman working at the town's fair. The flashback dream sequences are compelling and atmospheric, but also a bit too tedious and repetitive. Richard Conte, star of "The Godfather" but also many terrific Italian Poliziotteschi movies, gives a very intense performance as Edward Hall, but the show is indisputably stolen by the ravishing and ultimately seductive Suzanne Lloyd. Powerful climax, too.

The dream sequences give me the willies!

[guitartistic · 10/10 · 15 August 2009]

This episode, among several others, turned me on to Twilight Zone for a strange reason: they creeped me out as a child.

I remember vividly the first time I saw this episode, during a New Year's marathon. I'm pretty sure I had nightmares for awhile about this happening to me. Maya's eyes were so unnerving and the suggestion that one could have such sensory dreams that reality becomes a tangent dream to wake from made me worry about remembering nightmares the morning after.

A Thing About Machines comes next on my list of episodes that developed phobias for me to battle. I'm still treating my machines with the utmost respect for fear that they may revolt.

Sleeping no more....at least not temporarily!

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 18 February 2019]

The great Richard Conte gives an outstanding performance in this homage to fear over that last sleep that could me not waking up and the issues of exhaustion that follow. Conte has not slept for over 80 hours and if he does he fears as he tells psychiatrist John Larch, he may not wake up again. Conte reveals his fears to Larch which comes in a dreamlike vision for the audience and involves the spooky looking Suzanne Lloyd who reminded me in this episode of British actress Barbara Steele. That dream sequence, set in a carnival haunted house and roller coaster, is reminiscent of the Hitchcock dream sequence in "Spellbound" and other film noir classics which utilized that as part of its theme. This is one of the early episodes I would not have mind seeing expanded into an hour-long one because I would have liked a little more detail. The twist towards the end comes at you with such fury that you will not see it coming, and the conclusion gave me a few questions that seems to be the writer's intention rather than everything being wrapped up neatly. I could easily watch this again in a week and see something that I missed, with the structure being so fast moving and filled with surprises that indeed it is speedy as a rollercoaster.

Visually unforgettable!

[tforbes-2 · 9/10 · 2 May 2006]

I first saw this episode in 1981 as a college student in Syracuse, New York, and--for me--this is quintessential Twilight Zone. I myself find the plot convincing, and the performances from everyone are excellent.

What stood out for me are the visuals. Granted, this is 1959, and most TV is in black and white. And it is a crude medium. But the visuals are strikingly effective, reminding one of the dreaminess of the 1956 GM promotion film "Design For Dreaming." I wrote a review of that film on IMDb.com that refers to this episode. This episode seems to play like a creep show using some of the same dreamy imagery of the short. In fact, Tad Tadlock's dance is not unlike the one that Suzanne Lloyd performs in this episode.

And it seems as if Maya's music is the same one used for Catwoman in the 1966 Batman series. I am not going to mention the plot per se, and I may sound biased, but this is my personal favourite Twilight Zone episode.

I've got a heart condition! I can't stand all this excitement!

[sol1218 · 7/10 · 1 January 2011]

***SPOILERS*** The episode title, taken from the Shakespearean play "Hamlet", "Prechanch to Dream" has to do with 35 year old Edward Hall, Richard Conte, who's in the process of inducing himself to get a fatal heart attack. In that Hall's weak heart has just about run out of gas in him keeping himself awake, mostly by popping uppers, for 87 hours or four days straight!

Going to see a psychiatrist Hall is not really interested in Dr. Rathman, John Larch, helping him but in him telling the doc what's the root of his problems before he or his heart finally checks out for good. Hall has been having a series nightmares of late that have almost caused his weak heart to give out on him. He now knows that the next shock or nightmare would be his last and wants to say awake as long as he can to prevent it from happening. Even though staying awake and not giving his damaged heart any rest would do him in just as well!

***SPOILERS*** Told by Dr. Rathman, who thinks the guy's nuts, to try to take it easy and get some rest Hall knowing he isn't getting anywhere with the doc and needing to get more pills to stay awake walks out of his office and walks straight into the nightmare that he's been trying to avoid by staying awake for the last four days! And it's good by Charlie or Eddie from that moment on! Shocking final sequence With Edward Hall running smack into the horror he's been haunted by and ending up running or jumping in the opposite, or to his death, direction away from it! ***MAJOR SPOILER*** Despite the shocking ending that Edward Hall went through in the film it in fact was far less disturbing then what really happened to him. As Dr. Rathman told his secretary Miss. Thomas, Suzanne Llyod, at the conclusion of the "Twilight Zone" episode: "At least he died peacefully".

Heart-pounding and terrifying

[nvasapper · 10/10 · 21 December 2008]

This is my favorite Twilight Zone episode. It is so well-made and frightening that, when you watch it, you'll feel as if you were punched in the chest. It poses the question- Is the reality we encounter in our dreams and nightmares, where we can suffer and die, greater than the one we experience while awake? RICHARD CONTE turns in a stellar performance as Edward Hall, a man in his mid-thirties with a weak heart and an all-consuming fear of falling asleep. Visiting a psychiatrist(JOHN LARCH) whom his doctor recommended he see, Mr. Hall tells a story which, for him, turns out to be a nightmare in living color.

Upon entering the Doctor's office, he regards the receptionist with a strange, perturbed look as he passes her desk. Hall tells the psychiatrist that he's extremely tired and the Doctor suggests that he lie down on the couch. This Hall does, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He then opens his eyes and bolts off the couch. Spying a picture of a sailing vessel over the Doctor's desk, Hall uses it as a prop to reference an ability he has had since childhood regarding his overactive and very vivid imagination. Hall tells him that when he was fifteen, he developed a rheumatic heart. He was told he would never really get well and that he was to avoid any kind of excitement or shock. He asks Dr. Rathmann whether he believes it possible to dream in sequence, like in the old-time movie serials. Rathmann replies that he doesn't think it's impossible and Hall assures him that it can happen. He tells the Doctor that he's been awake for 87 hours now. He says it's not that he can't fall asleep, he mustn't fall asleep. Because if he does, it will be the final shock.

Hall relates a frightening story of having two sequential dreams the previous week in which he found himself in an amusement park at night. He describes the park as the kind of place you see only in nightmares- everything garish, grotesque and misshapen. He stops at one of the attractions which features a carnival dancer named Maya the Cat Girl. Played by SUZANNE LLOYD, who deserved an Emmy for her performance, Maya focuses her attention on Hall and seems to know quite a lot about him. She is incredibly beautiful and sexy in a devilish way. She has a very sensual-looking mouth and gorgeous teeth. She's all that. Hall is both uneasy in her presence and attracted to her at the same time. She lures him into the funhouse and invites him to kiss her. He says "What if I don't want to?" She replies "Oh, you want to." With that, she plants a full-mouth liplock on him. Freaked out by her and the scary exhibits, he bolts as she mocks him with her devilish laugh. The psychiatrist asks him if he recognized her from somewhere and Hall replies that he might have seen her on the street, but he wasn't sure.

He goes on to tell the Doctor that after waking from this first dream, his heart was pounding. The next night when he fell asleep, he found himself back at the amusement park with Maya. It's obvious that he's very scared of her. He knows she wants to kill him and if he dies in the dream, he'll die for real. But he cannot escape her or the hold she has on him. He tells her that he knows none of this is real. That he's home asleep in bed and that he's having a dream and that she's a part of his dream. She tells him she knows that and that now he can do all the things he can't do when he's awake. She coaxes him to follow her onto the roller-coaster and he finds himself powerless to resist her. As they hit the crest of the first rise, Maya says sardonically "Hold on, Edward!" As the coaster picks up speed, Hall is out of his mind with fear and we see Maya sitting there with the shadows of the night playing across her features. She fixes him with an evil smile, her teeth flashing in the darkness. He screams "I've got to get out" and she tells him "Jump, Edward. Jump." He tells Dr. Rathmann that if he falls asleep again, he'll go right back to the roller-coaster and Maya will push him out. And that will be the end of him. But if he stays awake much longer, the stress will be too much for his heart and that will be the end of him. He opens the door to leave and looks at the receptionist again. And this time, we see her, too. He runs back inside and tells Rathmann that it's her, the woman in his dream. Realizing there's no escape for him, he dives headfirst out the window, screaming his life away.

We then see Rathmann sitting at his desk, with a pensive look on his face. He calls the receptionist in and they walk over to the couch on which lies the inert form of Edward Hall. The Doctor checks for a pulse but finds none. He declares him dead and the receptionist is shocked at this, saying that he just came in a minute before. Rathmann says he had Hall lie down because he complained he was tired and a couple of seconds after he closed his eyes, he let out that scream. The receptionist says "Heart attack?" and the Doctor replies "Probably. I guess there are worse ways to go. At least he died peacefully." Phenomenal episode with terrific performances, a surreal atmosphere, and a very effective haunting, eerie score. 10 out of 10, hands down.

Good progression of plot

[scross-5 · 7/10 · 22 May 2006]

Edward Hall does a convincing job of looking tired, Hollywood style, i.e., no darkened bags under his eyes for being awake almost four days and nights (I can't imagine), and the subsequent development of his character is adequately done; boy, does he sure go to the doctor a lot, the same one who tells him he's finished the next time. Yet the surreal amusement park scenes with Maya the Catsecretary he just saw and incorporated into his dream and who wants him to jump off the endless roller coaster ride decides to use a large nosed stunt man to actually do the jumping out of the obviously not the window in the building used for external shots earlier in the episode. I'm just being sneaky about this episode I really like. Never being a really "Can't get a good nights sleep" type, I can imagine somewhat after viewing this episode what lack of sleep mentally generates.

Afraid to Dream

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 20 January 2014]

Edward Hall (Richard Conte) visits the psychiatrist Dr. Eliot Rathmann (John Larch) that was recommended by his doctor and he explains that he is extremely tired since he has not slept for many days. Edward believes that if he sleeps, he will die and explains that he is dreaming in "chapters" with the evil Maya, the Cat Woman (Suzanne Lloyd) that will kill him in his next nightmare.

"Perchance to Dream" is a surrealistic episode of a man afraid to sleep and with a woman – Maya - that recalls Freddy Krueger, killing the man in his dreams (or nightmares). This is the weakest episode of "The Twilight Zone" so far. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Além da Imaginação - Perchance to Dream" ("Beyond Imagination - Perchance to Dream")

Quintessential Twilight Zone

[insightflow · 14 February 2006]

I am surprised to not see a comment on this episode, hence mine. The episode deals with the elusive boundary between sleep and being awake, aiming to once again stir our perceptions and notions of reality. (Mind you, I shouldn't say "once again", since this is only episode nine.) A man finds himself at the psychiatrist's office with a reoccurring dream of a woman named Maya chasing him. She pushes on the limits of his fragile heart, and, should he fall asleep one last time, he will not survive the roller coaster. He's forced himself to stay awake for 90 hours before visiting the doctor...I won't give away the ending for you.

Twisted and Brilliant

[tonynworah · 9/10 · 10 March 2010]

This is the only twilight episode that I have watched and that was when I when around 10, in Nigeria, twenty eight years ago. Even then I did not know I was watching the famed TV series until I discussed some of the film images with another film buff years later in the University (His name is Peter Nnochiri) and he told me that the name of the film was Twilight Zone.

One would ask how come I was discussing the film over a decade later with a friend. A film that I did not know its name.

Simple. The film scared the s..t out of me! There were no creatures or monsters or anything just like that but some images in the film have always stuck in my mind.

Briefly recapped a young man has been having recurring dreams of a fun fair and one beautiful sexy lady called Maya deliciously and evilly played by whom I later knew to be called Suzanne Lloyd. He then reveals these dreams to his psychiatrist because he is scared that the dreams or maybe the woman will kill him.

The outstanding character there was the dream lady, Maya. Her maniacal laughter as she and the dreamer cavort on a roller coaster was chilling and one of the few images that have always stuck in my mind. That and the brilliant twist in the final scenes.

Its a pity she didn't evolve into a more prominent actress. Her character makes Sharon Stone'Catherine Tramell of Basic Instinct almost look like Mary Poppins. It is more remarkable that Maya, unlike Tramell, did not throw off her clothes or wield any ice pick or knife. It was just her seductive and yet evil aura that made her a powerful presence. You are both attracted to and repelled by her essence.

I wonder that Hollywood has not yet decided to make a full movie out of it by enlarging the story. After all, Basic Instinct bears striking similarities with The Carpathian Eagle, an episode of Hammer House of Horrorseries, which is the British version of Twilight Zone.

This a fantastic film and definitely a worth see again. Can anybody send me this film or tell me how to get it?

Waking Nightmare

[AaronCapenBanner · 10/10 · 25 October 2014]

Richard Conte stars as tired and sleepless Edward Hall, who visits a psychiatrist(played by John Larch) out of desperation, and tells him his sad tale of childhood sickness, close calls with death, and recent insomnia, where he is both attracted to but terrified of an alluring figure of death in a carnival cat-lady(played memorably by Suzanne Lloyd) who beckons him to join her on just one more ride, which Hall is certain will lead to his death, since he has a bad heart, and another shock may kill him... Seriously underrated episode creates a most effective mood of menace and dread, with an appropriately weary performance by Conte and a fine score, all leading to an effective twist ending.

A very atmospheric episode.

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 31 March 2020]

Richard Conte stars as Edward Hall, an accursed man who visits a psychiatrist (John Larch), determined to relate his story to *somebody*, even though he knows it can't really help him. A man with a heart condition, he's been afraid to fall asleep for days now, fearing that his recurring nightmares will cause his heart to fail during his sleep.

'Perchance to Dream' was the first non-Rod Serling script to be filmed for the series, as it was written by Charles Beaumont, another man whose name is synonymous with TZ. It's a good if not great episode, that definitely creates some eerie dream imagery, complete with Dutch angles and deliberately off-kilter photography. As usual, the final twist helps to sell the story. And this is a compelling scenario for our protagonist, and the haunted performance by Conte is top-notch. He receives able support from top character actor Larch and the strikingly attractive Suzanne Lloyd as a "cat lady" working at a carnival in Halls' dream world. Beaumont had a true flair for the macabre, standing in contrast to Serling's typical style; this hews closer to outright horror than past episodes. But Beaumont, like Serling, did have a talent for intelligent and riveting dialogue.

Directed with style by Robert Florey ("Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Man Called Back").

Seven out of 10.

Perchance to Dream

[Scarecrow-88 · 8/10 · 18 June 2018]

Richard Conte stars as Edward Hall, a terrified, purposely sleep-deprived headcase who, at an early age, enforced an imagination that overrided his ability to function day-to-day without fantasy (and his dreams) distorting reality. A car wreck could stem from Hall's imagination creating someone in the back seat or a carnival in his dreams could emerge with someone in them (as a psychiatrist's secretary) so real it urges him to contemplate suicide. John Larch is Dr. Elliot Rathmann, a psychiatrist willing to listen and try to encourage him to share what is so terrible Hall feels the need to stay away for days without sleeping just to avoid certain death (a heart condition affecting Hall could kill him at any time if the wrong shock were to startle him). "Perchance to Dream" will perhaps be best remembered for its evocation of Hall's dreamlike trip to a carnival, the barkers calling up him to visit their particular booths and rides, and a "cat dancer" (the sensual Suzanne Lloyd) attempting to seduce him. A roller coaster could be Hall's "final ride". Larch shows the aware concern for a potential client in dire need of advice regarding how to control the impulses that drive him to haggardly (his face wrought with exhaustion, a forehead sweaty, eyes distraught) fight against sleep and rest. Hall collapsing on the couch and a slight camera cue hints at the conclusion which involves a tragic recognition that "dying in your sleep" isn't always as peaceful as so believed. The dream within a dream plot device in horror/thriller anthologies, television, and film after this would feel a lot fresher if it wasn't so overused, but I think it works well enough just the same. Conte's torment is quite palpable. Lloyd is certainly effective in her part, particularly in her sequin dress and cat makeup within the dream.

Too normal and the ending doesn't make sense

[FairlyAnonymous · 6/10 · 11 November 2018]

There is nothing really supernatural in this episode. It's just about a man who has a heart condition and thinks he will die due to his nightmares.

Sorry, but that isn't very interesting.

The ending itself doesn't make a lot of sense either. Essentially, the man sees the woman from his dreams in real-life (though it is obviously a secretary and not Maya) so he jumps out a window to commit suicide (going DIRECTLY AGAINST what he said he wants to do, where he said he wants to stay alive) which ends up being inside a dream and kills him in real-life. This ending doesn't make sense because willingly kills himself. Why?

It is never explained and it goes against his character motivation of trying to stay alive. If you saw someone in real-life that you saw in a dream would your first reaction be to kill yourself? Most likely not.

Nightmares of the Cat Girl

[injury-65447 · 10/10 · 4 July 2020]

This episode is sensational! It's criminally underrated for some reason.

I always love the romantic setting of a psychiatrist's office. The freaky dream carnival is the twisted cherry on top.

It has such fantastic imagery and manages to create an extremely unsettling mood in a short time. The carnival sequences are truly eerie.

We all know the twisted logic of our own nightmares. We can relate to the struggles of this poor man.

A Nightmare Come True

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 10 June 2021]

"Perchance to Dream" (episode 9) was first aired on television November 27, 1959.

Anyway - As the story goes - Edward Hall is a man who's terrified of falling asleep for fear he might die. His pursuer? A mysterious vixen he meets in his dreams.

*Note* - This episode's script was the first not written by Rod Serling.

Running away from death

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 12 April 2017]

Stressed-out amnesiac Edward Hall (ably played with bracing intensity by Richard Conte) seeks assistance from easygoing psychiatrist Dr. Eliot Rathmann (a likable laid-back performance by John Larch) to prevent him from falling asleep due to the fact that he's afraid evil cat woman Maya (bewitching brunette Suzanne Lloyd) will kill him in his next nightmare.

Director Richard Florey adroitly crafts both a tremendous amount of suspense and a deliriously creepy atmosphere, with especially inspired use of a spooky amusement park. Charles Beaumont's compelling script makes valid points about the overwhelming power of the imagination and the impossibility of fleeing from one's predestined fate. The inventive cinematography by George T. Clemens offers a striking wealth of dreamy visuals while Van Cleave's shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. A pleasingly eerie tale.

a dream is a wish your heart makes

[Calicodreamin · 6/10 · 26 May 2021]

Solid twist at the end of this episode but for the most part the storyline was anticlimactic and lacked intrigue. Decent acting.

Weak.

[bombersflyup · 2/10 · 5 August 2019]

In a Perchance to Dream, a man dies while he's asleep because of the stress on his heart caused by dreaming. It's not very interesting and makes little sense. Why's the secretary the girl in his dream if he's never been there before and why's he doing what he said he wouldn't do.