Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan revealed that his sci-fi classic Inception was originally conceived as a horror film, but the direction changed along the film’s development.
The director, who is currently enjoying the success of his box office hit biopic Oppenheimer, previously shared in an interview with Variety that he’d “love to make a horror film” and is looking for “a really exceptional idea.”
But while Nolan hasn’t produced a horror flick yet, he did reveal via The Telegraph (which Syfy recently shared) that he initially thought about going the horror genre route during the early development of the Leonardo DiCaprio-led sci-fi thriller.
“I was thinking along the lines of a horror movie at first, but it eventually became this project. I was looking for a device whereby the dreams would become important to the story, and the thought that someone could invade your dream space and steal an idea is immensely compelling to me. The concept that dreams feel real while we’re in them underlies the whole film,” said Nolan.
What is Inception about?
Inception centers on an exceptional thief named Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) who has the ability to infiltrate someone’s dreams, which can help him steal their secrets from their subconscious.
“A thief who enters people’s dreams and steals their secrets gets a shot at redemption when he is given the dangerous task of planting an idea in someone’s subconscious,” the synopsis reads.
Christopher Nolan has always included a dash of horror in his films
Although the award-winning director cannot consider himself a horror auteur yet, some of his features explore the fine line between horror and tragedy, whether by touching on the themes of memory loss and despair in Memento or chronicling a real-life haunting story in Oppenheimer.
On the other hand, Inception — while billed as a sci-fi thriller — saw the protagonist being haunted by his dead wife’s presence. And with the director already expressing his desire to make a horror film, fans can expect him to go all in once his plan comes to fruition.
In the meantime, you can stream Inception on Peacock alongside other Nolan classics including Memento, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Dunkirk.
