A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors Review

MPAA Rating: R
Released: 1987

After the disappointing critical reviews of the previous sequel, Wes Craven returned to spearhead the storyline for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, the third entry in the Krueger saga. Also returning to the stage was the heroine of the original film, Nancy Thompson (played by Heather Langenkamp). Their return to the series was a smashing success, for Dream Warriors quickly became one of the fans' favorites of the entire saga. Let the rematch between Nancy Thompson and Freddy Krueger begin…

Wes Craven is one of horror's best writers and directors, for he has an uncanny knack for taking what we've come to expect from a horror film and infusing that with creative or controversial ideas, thereby defying expectations and raising the horror bar a little higher. He did this to the horror genre in 1984 with A Nightmare on Elm Street, and he did it again with his own baby in the third entry, Dream Warriors.

Kristen Parker (a young Patricia Arquette) is suffering from horrifying dreams of a house occupied by a sadistic man that wields a razor-bladed glove. Receiving no support from her parents, the dreams get more powerful until eventually the ominous dream man known as Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) succeeds in nearly killing her. Her parents refuse to believe her story about the dream stalker and send her to a mental institution, certain that her wounds were self-inflicted.

We come to find that there are other teenagers in the hospital that are experiencing the same dreams, but luckily these tormented kids are about to receive some assistance from someone who has successfully fought Freddy in the past: Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp).

An Elm Street child herself, after her battles with Freddy in the past Nancy studied to become a psychotherapist that specializes in dream therapy, and she uses this knowledge (as well as her familiarity with the dream stalker) to try and help the teens when she joins the hospital staff. But Freddy Krueger is a menacing enemy that knows everyone must sleep eventually. Can Nancy save the last of the surviving Elm Street children, or will Krueger exact his revenge against the offspring of those who once burned him to death?

Craven's hand can definitely be seen throughout this film, for not only does it possess the same horrifying premise of an unbeatable demon that can kill you while you sleep, it introduces new elements into the mix. After her initial battle with Freddy Krueger, Nancy learned that if you attempt to control your dreams you can attempt to beat Freddy at his own game. This film finds the victims attempting to manipulate their own dreams such that they can defend themselves against Freddy, but they find out that even if they can control their dreams they may still not possess enough strength to face the dream slayer.

This addition to the Krueger mythos draws your attention to the film, because suddenly the teenagers aren't sheep being led to slaughter. The odds are heavily against them, but with enough will and strength they may be able to take the fight back to him and survive.

The acting in this movie is also top notch by horror standards. Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund are just as dependable and absorbing as they were in the original, and we get to see some of today's biggest stars when they were just starting out, such as Patricia Arquette and Lawrence Fishburne. You're not going to be disappointed with the performances.

Unfortunately all isn't perfectly rosy for this film. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Child was the start of Freddy's continual stream of one-liners. In addition Freddy was given much more of the spotlight rather than continuing to be an elusive evil. While some fans don't mind either of these transitions, they disappointed me because the series became far less dark and horrifying. Instead the series started becoming a parody with the occasional scare moment thrown in for good measure.

That being said, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Child was only the start of Freddy's backslide. Unlike the subsequent films, it remains respectful to the original premise and Krueger is still the thing that nightmares are made of. This is an essential viewing experience for any horror fan.

Movie rating: 8 stars

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