10 Horror Movie Nightmares WITHIN Nightmares

A24 have a knack for releasing imaginative, cerebral horror movies. Hereditary, A Ghost Story, Under The Skin and The VVitch use the prism of horror to reflect societal fears. They're also bloody scary and It Comes At Night is dripping with tension from the opening act.

The world has been infected with a fatal, highly contagious disease. Paul, his wife Sarah and their son Travis live in a house in the woods with a strict security regime. In the opening sequence, Paul and Travis, wrapped in protective clothing and gas masks, euthanise Sarah's father, Bud. They even burn the body to ensure no one else becomes infected by his oozing sores. This film is strictly show, don't tell and it's immensely effective.

Travis' fears are easy to imagine: to die from disease before he has even had a chance to outgrow adolescence is reflected in his increasingly graphic nightmares. This is where the false awakening makes an appearance:

Travis wanders the woods at night, searching for his lost dog. As the barking gets louder, he wakes with a start, just a nightmare. He sits upright and begins to vomit blood, his arms covered in welts from the disease. To make matters worse, his dead grandfather, his mouth dripping with blood, stares at him from the darkness, until he suddenly wakes for a second time.

The metaphor is obvious but powerful - Travis is surrounded by death and disease, the fear of which drives the family to some horrific levels of desperation. A great film for those who appreciate a slow-burn horror.