The Nightmares are Pitch's minions and the secondary antagonists in the 2012 computer-animated DreamWorks film, Rise of the Guardians. The nightmares were originally harmless and happy dreams constructed for children by the Sandman, but have been corrupted by Pitch, who found a way to turn dream sand into nightmare sand. They now take the form of sinister horses that have the power to sense or "smell" nearby fear. Despite their transformation, the nightmares seem to retain some of the same comedic and light-hearted habits they had as dreams.