More Watchable Than Freddy’s Revenge
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is often viewed as the last good one before the franchise went downhill. Many fans label it as their favorite sequel. I’ve always been split down the middle with this one. To me, it’s simply alright.
Here’s why. Dream Warriors possesses traits that made the first film a masterpiece as well as traits that make other entries borderline ridiculous. At times, it feels more like an 80s fantasy film instead of a horror movie. It’s also the beginning of the end for Freddy as a sinister, sadistic antagonist (except for Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, but that’s a film that lies in a special category of its own).
The first draft of this script was actually much darker, had different plot elements, and expanded the mythology in a different direction. If it had been made, the franchise wouldn’t have become a joke so soon. But the budget was too high, so Hollywood executives ordered script rewrites. I’ll write a separate article on that version at a later date.
For now, let’s examine this version of Dream Warriors.
The Premise and Characters
Dream Warriors has a good story. Freddy sets his sights on the last of the Elm Street children, who have become patients at the local psychiatric hospital due to their nightmares. Nancy, who is now a psychiatrist, teams up with the teenagers to fight Freddy and rescue one of their friends from his grasp. It takes the audience into interesting places psychologically and expands the dream world.
We are introduced to several dynamic characters too. None of them are stereotypical slasher victims. There’s Jennifer, the neurotic, chain smoker aspiring to be an actress. Joey is a shy, mute kid. Kincaid is a tough guy that has anger management problems. Phillip is a sleepwalker that enjoys making puppets in his free time. Taryn is a former drug addict. Will is a huge nerd and wheelchair user.
Most of them possess special powers in the dream world. It’s a cool trait to give them, but its mostly portrayed in corny ways. And despite having powers, none of them ever appear to be a serious threat to Krueger.
Donald
In Dream Warriors, Donald is a ruined, alcoholic. He should’ve remained the hardboiled man he was in the first film or become a Captain Ahab figure. Following the death of Marge and Nancy’s struggles, it makes more sense for him to become obsessed with destroying Krueger by any means necessary.
Neil
Neil is one of the psychiatrists at Westin Hills. There’s nothing wrong with him as a character concept. It’s the actor who portrays him. I like Craig Wasson in other films, specifically Schizoid and Body Double. But this role should’ve gone to a more charismatic actor, someone that brings star power.
Wasson is too much of an everyman. Some of his scenes are just boring too. Lawrence Fishburne, who plays Max, would’ve made a much better Neil and brought personality and swagger to the role.
Amanda Krueger
I’m not a fan of her inclusion in Dream Warriors. She’s a ghost and Neil keeps seeing her and following her around. She ultimately ends up revealing to him how to defeat Krueger. She’s not scary and the helpful spirit angle comes off as corny and a bit cliche in my opinion. At least she gives us more information about Freddy’s backstory.
Freddy Krueger in Transition
Outside of the opening scene and the second time he attacks Kristin, Freddy isn’t scary at all in Dream Warriors. This is the beginning of his transition into the wise-cracking, cartoon character. For example, he ties Joey up with four tongues and then grins at him and says “What’s wrong, Joey? Feeling tongue tied?” His skeleton even does a victory dance after killing Donald and knocking out Neil in the junkyard. That’s just fucking stupid.
The Opening Scene of Dream Warriors
This is my favorite part of Dream Warriors. Kristin has a dream where she wanders into the Elm Street house. It’s dark, moldy, and abandoned. A little girl on a tricycle leads her to the boiler room and tells her “This is where he takes us.” Suddenly, the boiler comes on. It’s filled with skulls and bones and we hear the moans of dying children.
Kristin picks up the girl and runs. Freddy chases them into a room filled with his victims hanging from the ceiling. The little girl tells Kristin “Put me down you’re hurting me.” She glances down and sees the girl has become a skeleton. It’s a gothic, macabre scene and sets the bar high for the rest of the film. It’s too bad Dream Warriors didn’t maintain this tone and intensity throughout the rest of the story.
Other Nightmares and Kills in Dream Warriors
The nightmare sequences in this film vary. Some are gothic, others are filthy, but they all contain large-scale settings and set pieces in comparison to the previous two films. One of my favorites is when Freddy goes after Kristin the second time. He leads her back into the Elm Street house and turns into a snake that tries to swallow her whole.
Another excellent nightmare involves Freddy tearing Phillip’s veins out of his arms and legs and manipulating him like a puppet. There’s also a segment where Freddy rips open his shirt to reveal his stomach and chest is littered with the faces of his victims. The make-up and practical effects for this scene are impressive.
Kristin Parker: The Final Girl of Dream Warriors
Like Lisa in Freddy’s Revenge, Kristin is soft-spoken. She’s a bit of a tough girl and she has an interesting gift. Kristin can actually bring people into her dreams. It’s a very useful skill that she puts to good use more than once. In one instance, she brings Nancy into one of her nightmares to prevent her from being devoured by Freddy.
It’s never directly stated, but it seems like Kristin looks up to Nancy as a role model. This is most likely because Kristin’s homelife isn’t the best. She has a rocky relationship with her mother and her father is no longer around. Nancy is the first adult to come around and take her nightmares and concerns seriously.
I think The Dream Master would’ve had a better story and been more serious if Nancy was involved and the relationship between these two had continued to develop. Nancy could’ve served as a surrogate mother figure and the big sister Kristin always wanted.
