A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Starring: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Laurence Fishburne
Directed by: Chuck Russell
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
1987

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A group of teenagers are in a psychiatric hospital because of terrible dreams about Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). The doctors believe they are ill, not that they are actually being attacked. As they begin to be murdered one by one, only a former survivor (Heather Langenkamp) of Freddy's wrath can save them.

Review:

Tim: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors actually does improve on the lackluster first sequel. There was a fairly large drop off in quality from the original to the second film. While this movie isn't great, it is at least better than the previous movie.

I go back and forth on the whole "Dream Warriors" concept. On one hand, I like the idea of victims realizing they have some power over their dreams. It is also pretty fun to see the tables turned on a horror icon like Freddy Krueger. While I was watching, I found myself at least partially interested. However, when I think back to the movie now, the whole thing seems kind of silly. I also really liked that the film brought back Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson. This really connects the film to the original- which improves our feelings about it. The movie moves along at a decent pace, probably due to the script by Wes Craven and the great Frank Darabont. I sometimes wonder if this is actually a decent movie, or if it just looks decent because the previous film sucked.

While the film is decent, I should mention that there is a lot wrong with the movie as well. In many ways, this is just a cheap, forgettable horror sequel. It is also somewhat controversial because it moved Freddy Krueger towards a joking, almost silly villain. There are still some impressive deaths, but this film may have sacrificed the future of the franchise to make this film at least somewhat decent.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors did enough right to ensure this franchise would continue. When I think about this movie, I marvel that it wasn't absolutely terrible. Sometimes, when expectations are low enough, a movie can surprise you.



Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, Scream trilogy, Halloween, Friday the 13th