Touring the Dream Factory: The Dream-Film Connection in The Wizard of Oz and A Nightmare on Elm Street

This essay explores the complex interplay of dreams and film, using an analysis of The Wizard of Oz (1939) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) to illustrate how an interdisciplinary approach can provide fruitful insights into how dreams influence films, and films influence dreams. The essay suggests that reflecting on the dreams-film connection can deepen our understanding of the cultural dimensions of human development, particularly in the context of modem American culture. By using the methodological resources of psychology, sociology, history, film criticism, and theology, the essay argues more generally that the interdisciplinary analysis of films offers significant new possibilities for the development of dream studies.