10 Most Messed Up Junji Ito Moments
4. Sleep Well - The Long Dream
As well as indulging in some of the strangest body horror ever created, Ito is no stranger when it comes to dabbling in some incredibly abstract concepts. One of his best examples of this side of his work can be found in The Long Dream (included in Shiver).
Set in a psychiatric hospital, this chilling nightmare centres around a patient who has horrific dreams which go on for an extended amount of time even though only one night has past. Starting as just a couple of days, it's not long before his dreams span for years, decades, and even centuries.
Like a twisted, Lovecraftian version of Inception, the patient believes he has lived for the length of his dreams, and begins to physically change into a bulbous and hollow version of himself.
As time goes on, the dreams continue to increase until the man dreams for an eternity, with his body becoming nothing more than a pile of crystals the next morning.
However, the end of this tale is even more twisted. It's revealed the doctor has administered these crystals to a patient who fears death so they can live forever in their dreams despite knowing what horrific fate awaits them.