Humans dream three to six times a night but don’t remember 95% of their dreams. There are few rare occasions when people specifically remember a dream and end up putting it in writing. Here are some famous books and movies that were actually based on real dreams.
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
In 1816, Mary and her fiancé went to Lord Byron’s home in Switzerland. This is what she dreamt on one of the stormy nights, “I saw the pale student of unhallowed arts kneeling beside the thing he had put together. I saw the hideous phantasm of a man stretched out, and then, on the working of some powerful engine, show signs of life, and stir with an uneasy, half-vital motion”. This frightening dream inspired her to pen down a classic, Frankenstein.
Terminator, James Cameron
While working on Piranha II: The Spawning, Cameron was staying at a hotel in Rome. On one of the nights, while he was suffering from horrible flu, he had nightmares. He clearly dreamt of a chrome torso emerging from an explosion and pulling itself with kitchen knives across the floor right at him. This gave him a creative idea of building a city in the future with a couple of creatures out of sync in regard to place and time.
Misery, Stephen King
King quoted, “Like the ideas for some of my other novels, that came to me in a dream”. The novel is about a famous author who is rescued by his number one fan from a fatal car accident. King got the idea for this famous novel when he was flying on a Concord and he fell asleep!
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote this classic novel in the 1800s about a man with a split personality disorder - the good Dr. Jekyll, and the terrible Mr. Hyde.While suffering from terrible tuberculosis, one night he was woken up by his wife while he was crying in horror. Apparently, he was having a nightmare basis which he wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde which sold over 40,000 copies in just six months.
Inception, Christopher Nolan
As per Nolan, Inception was one of his elusive dreams. Since a kid, he was fascinated by the idea that he would wake up and enter a lighter sleep where he would know that he is dreaming and can examine the details in his dreams, such as location. In this 2010 thriller, Leonardo DiCaprio steals people’s secrets while they are sleeping. A movie about a dream inspired byanactual dream.
