Chris makes his way to Hell in What Dreams May Come
From What Dreams May Come
In the above shot from Dreams, Chris, along with Albert and a guide, are overwhelmed by lost souls on the way to Hell. It strongly parallels "The Raft of the Medusa," (shown below) by Theodore Gericault, a French Romantic artist. Both depict a small ship/raft overwhelmed by the dead and the dying. They are starkly desaturated, highlighting the feelings of despair. The most prominent color in both images is red, perhaps alluding to blood and passion. Both showcase an element of horror, a characteristic of Romantic Gothic art.
"The Raft of the Medusa" by Theodore Gericault
The film depicts Hell with images that mirror elements of technology and man-made civilization. While Heaven is shown with natural landscapes of stunning beauty, Hell is dominated by man-made architecture.
Hell, as depicted in What Dreams May Come
The above shot shows the three travellers nearing the gates of Hell, surrounded by huge wreckages of rusted ships. Ships represent the dominance of nature by man. In what would be an otherwise uninhabitable stretch of ocean, men have learned to conquer and survive through the use of wood, steel, and technology. In Dreams the idea is turned on its head. Hell is the wreckage of our technology and the rejection of our hubris. Technology is what destroys while Nature heals. Significantly, both Chris and his children are killed by automobile accidents. Human achievements in science and technology litter Hell, while natural landscapes and plants dominate Heaven. This is a clear reference to the Romantic ideals of rejecting science and embracing nature.