DREAMLAND

There are some movies that let you know very early on what kind of ride you're in for.  Whether it's a whole lot of explosions or a whole lot of dead bodies or a whole lot of laughs, sometimes you just know what you're in for before the whole thing really gets firing up.  DREAMLAND is one such movie.  And what DREAMLAND is letting us in for is the ride of a lifetime -- across the desert.  With a young couple whose primary hobby seems to be squabbling.  After a quick stop at the Little Green Aleinn (sic) for a Beam Me Up Burger and Groom Lake Shake, they get back on the road, and sure enough, all hell breaks loose.

Suffice it to say that when Hitler starts screaming at you in German before he steals your car, it's pretty safe to say all hell has broken loose.  And that's just the least of it.

DREAMLAND has a talent for freaky scenes.  One noteworthy sequence features only the ground you can see under a flashlight circle.  The circle of light moves, and that's all we can see--what's in that flashlight's radius.  Every time Megan, our female lead, wakes up from a dream in this movie (she spends a surprisingly large amount of time asleep), she wakes up gasping with her eyes wide as saucers.

If you're one of the no doubt large number of people who misses Spooky Mulder and his various adventures, then this is a great way to bridge the gap, o former X-Phile.

The ending will not disappoint in terms of sheer freaky--in fact, it will almost go too far and circle back around to comic.

The special features are limited to only a few audio options.

All in all, if you're looking for something totally out of left field, not too scary but plenty creepy, then DREAMLAND is going to make your night.

RATING: *** (out of four)

Written by Guest Columnist Steve, The Video Store Guy