Night terrors. Insomnia. Tinnitus. These are just a few reasons why you might be one of the estimated 60% of people who sleep with the television on. The pros and cons of this practice are many (and enough to keep you awake at night).

But let’s just ignore all the experts for now. The point here is to provide a guide for quality entertainment for your sleeping self. An ideal candidate for a “sleep movie” is one where the film can be enjoyed from any starting point, in case you decide you don’t want to go back to sleep (nightmares). It is also ideal if the movie soundtrack’s volume is compressed so that both dialogue and any stray explosions stay in the same range. It is for this reason that there will be no Christopher Nolan films listed here.

Still awake after that introduction? Here we go:

Labyrinth

Pros: Honestly, I’m usually asleep before Jennifer Connelly makes it home in the rain… David Bowie crooning “Underground” is very soothing.

Cons: At some point, Sir Didymus begins making a good bit of noise… he’s kind of the Scrappy-Doo of the film.

This is not only a pleasing film to sleep to, but a comfort as well, in the event that you aren’t out cold by the end of the opening credits. The stakes are high, a child is in danger, but the antagonists are mostly Muppets. You can rest easy knowing that everything will work out by the end and enjoy the dreamlike adventure on the way.

The Dark Crystal

Pros: More Muppets

Cons: Skeksis

Another dreamlike fantasy world where the heroes are true of heart and the bad guys are pure evil. Despite the absence of any human characters (they are all Muppets), the peril somehow feels completely real. The movie begins with the simultaneous death of two characters of seemingly different worlds. Right off the bat, death exists in this story, so who knows what might happen next?

Luckily, the tale unfolds as an epic adventure where we get to explore a fully realized alien world. If you can relax into the menacing characterization of the Skeksis, their abrasive mannerisms can almost become soothing background noise during your off-world REM state odyssey.

Blade Runner

Pros: Takes place mostly in the dark, often softly spoken or muttered dialogue, Vangelis

Cons: It’s a story that takes in a dystopian technological hell-scape

Blade Runner is a futuristic nightmare of a noir film that actually takes place in the past (2019), where human replicants (sentient synthetic robots) can no longer be distinguished from real humans and are beginning to break free of servitude to their creators. Harrison Ford plays Deckard, essentially a specially trained replicant hunter, forced out of retirement to track down a group of rebellious humanoids.

Sounds like a delightful bedtime story, right? As any seasoned movie sleeper will attest, the noir genre is especially suited for naptime. The plot slowly reveals itself, deliberate and shadowy, with Vangelis’ synth-washed soundtrack adding a mesmerizing sense of drama to the film’s atmosphere. The characters tend to speak softly so as not to be overheard. In the end, Deckard has come full circle, although his awakening comes with its own price. But you should be sawing logs well before the final act.

True Stories

Pros: Great music and a low-key, gentle approach to the characters is perfect for some “wild, wild” sleep

Cons: None really, unless you don’t like Talking Heads or John Goodman

David Byrne’s earnest deadpan might have been a precursor to another renowned sleep shepherd, Joe Pera. Byrne gently breaks down Texas history, from the dinosaurs to the horrors of the the conflicts between Native Americans and early settlers, on to the arrival of semiconductor giant, Texas Instruments.

The soundtrack is primarily from Byrne’s band, Talking Heads. The film follows him as he explores the fictional town of Virgil, Texas, as the population prepares for a “Celebration of Specialness” event, which is essentially a talent show. Absurdity ensues.

Coming to America

Pros: Sexual Chocolate

Cons: Could use more James Earl Jones

Another pure comfort entry here. If you like the movie, you will likely enjoy the comfort of sleeping while it’s on. From an aesthetic perspective, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, and John Amos all have pleasing voices, so it’s a pleasure to listen to them deliver lines while your eyes are closed.

And if you get woken up by the raucousness of the barbershop scenes or Sexual Chocolate’s performance, you can enjoy some laughs until you fall asleep again.

The Abyss

Pros: Dark, underwater, generally quiet

Cons: Lt. Coffey is kind of a buzzkill

James Cameron has made some pretty good sleep movies. Titanic, Avatar, and Aliens (yes, Aliens) are all pretty solid for sleeping. You could pretty much start one of his movies at any point and probably understand what is going on. At least enough to continue watching.

The Abyss offers the potential insomniac a soothing adventure where a group of engineers and scientists butt heads with Navy SEALs on a mission to disarm a compromised nuclear warhead. It really doesn’t get more ’80s than this. Along the way they discover a new intelligent life form and fight for control of the situation, but really in the most chill way possible.

Beetlejuice

Pros: Tim Burton’s darkly comedic view of the afterlife is a surreal, dreamlike adventure

Cons: Betelgeuse… he’s hilarious, but if you don’t have your volume set correctly, his antics might wake you up.

Then again, if Betelgeuse wakes you up, at least you can entertain yourself by watching the movie until you fall asleep again. This is a film that might be more in the “pure comfort” category, meaning that if you grew up enjoying Beetlejuice, it is probably soothing to have on in the background, despite Danny Elfman’s frantic soundtrack, Michael Keaton’s over-the-top performance, and a truly dysfunctional family. In fact, if you fall in the “happy to sleep to Beetlejuice” camp, you might be a certified The Simpsons sleeper as well.

Dangerous Liaisons

Pros: Subtle, often whispered dialogue, sensual classical music

Cons: Not exactly a “feel-good movie.” These are horrible people delighting in the exploitation of others… but you should be asleep anyway.

The movie is a feast for the senses, and the performances from John Malkovich and Glenn Close (not to mention a cavalcade of the era’s new talent including Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, and Keanu Reeves) are inspired.

They inhabit the pre-revolutionary world of French nobility, mirrored doors that hide secret bed chambers, brightly colored gilded parlors, and wigs galore. Every line of dialogue is spoken with a directness and calmness that hides its sinister intent. This is the way true villains speak, and it can be a lullaby if you just let your guard down.

The Princess Bride

Pros: It’s a film version of a bedtime story

Cons: Intermittent bursts of swordplay

The Princess Bride is a real charmer of a movie. Many of us may have rolled our eyes when hearing the title and dreaded the sickening fairytale sweetness that we anticipated. But just like Fred Savage, you are quickly engrossed by the wry humor and defiance of expectations that the story explores throughout the movie.

Plus, all the main actors have excellent, soothing voices that provide the perfect background noise to drift off to sleep.

Purple Rain

Pros: Prince and the Revolution performing some of the most killer rock music of the decade

Cons: (See pros) You might get so engaged by the music that you don’t want to sleep. Also, The Kid’s home life

Purple Rain is a great sleeper hit, but you must like the eponymous album for this to work. Prince’s dramatized version of the Minneapolis music scene is seductive and tragic, offering a story that is ultimately about love, redemption, and sharing.

Every time Prince hits the stage, the screen is electrified. He’s looking for something that seems just out of reach, but maybe he’s had it the entire time? Uh, anyway, it’s a great movie to fall asleep to.