Writer: Brian Helgeland, Jim Wheat, Ken Wheat (Screenplay) William Kotzwinkle, Brian Helgeland (Story) Wes Craven (Characters)
Starring: Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox, Andras Jones, Rodney Eastman, Tuesday Knight, Ken Sagoes, Brooke Bundy
Plot: Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may know the way to defeat him for good.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Typical Franchise Sequel
Story: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master starts with Kristen (Parker) returning to here nightmare looking for Freddy Krueger (Englund). Kristen uses her powers to call the people into her dreams by calling for Joey (Eastman) and Kincaid (Sagoes) her old friends who thought off Freddy last time around. Kristen has returned to school as if nothing has happened with her new boyfriend Rick (Jones) and his sister Alice (Wilcox) are trying to get on with everyday life again.
Kristen’s worst fears become a reality when Freddy does in fact come back from the bed and takes out here two dream warriors Joey and Kincaid, sending a message to Kristen. Kristen has become the last remaining victim in the revenge of Freddy but now he is free he can start targeting a new set of victims including the Johnson siblings. Alice starts to pick up the traits of all the latest victims which she has to use to help finish off Freddy, before he takes all her friends from her.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master continues the storyline idea where the previous leading lady is only returning to introduce the next lady who needs to fight Freddy. I was disappointed that we saw the demise of the idea of the dream warriors taking on Freddy because I thought that idea was clever, this time we get another twist on that idea where the summoning into dreams only helps fuel Freddy rather than fights him. I am also disappoint that we have no real reasoning for any of the three kids to be released from the hospital acting like nothing ever happened. I do also feel this is the one where Freddy finally started using the one liners we are all used to him saying when it comes to each kill. When you look at this story as a sequel it would be fair to say it is what you would expect not as good but not fully terrible. (6/10)
Actor Review
Robert Englund: Freddy Krueger is our serial killer long thought dead but he returns to haunt Kristen and a new group of teenager’s dreams. This time he starts to crack on the wise cracking jokes before killing his victims. Robert brings the one liners we all know Freddy for in with this film but always looks like a scary threat on screen. (7/10)
Tuesday Knight: Kristen Parker is returning to her normal life but never convinced Freddy is gone, she was right when Freddy starts taking out her dream warrior friends she has to save herself, her friends, only to fail because she is the person that brings Freddy into their lives giving Freddy a chance to increase his body count from beyond the grave. Tuesday steps into the role left by Patricia Arquette and you can see she is the back up because she doesn’t reach the same level of intensity need for the horror. (5/10)
Lisa Wilcox: Alice Johnson is Kristen’s best friend and also the sister of her boyfriend. She has moments where she blanks out of reality which will make her a good addition when it comes to fighting Freddy. Alice seems to gain the traits of her friends who get picked off by Freddy as he uses her to collect his latest victims. Lisa does a solid job taking over the leading lady role. (6/10)
Support Cast: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master brings back a couple of old characters only to kill them off early, we also get a group of wait for it generic teenagers who become the latest victims in Freddy’s rampage.
Director Review: Renny Harlin – Renny brings his own approach to the franchise which does slip on the last outing but isn’t as bad as the second one. It tries to build on the Freddy legacy more without giving away the biggest twist yet. (7/10)
Horror: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master loses a lot of its scare value on this outing because you feel every dream will bring a death and each one if foreshadowed. (4/10)
Thriller: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master hints heavily at a bring secret but doesn’t give it away, all while you are wondering what order the characters will be getting killed off. (7/10)
Settings: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master seems to keep the friends all in the same school and town but that seems to be the only iconic series locations we see. (5/10)
Special Effects: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master still has great special effects with the kills and the appearance of Freddy. (9/10)
Suggestion: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is one to watch if you are a fan of the franchise, it will fit in nicely but as a one off horror it isn’t good enough. (Franchise Fans Watch)
Best Part: The kills are very much over the top and creative.
Worst Part: Losing the dream warriors idea already.
Kill Of The Film: Debbie.
Favourite Quote: Freddy ‘How’s this for a wet dream?’
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: 4th in franchise.
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $50 Million
Budget: $7 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 33 Minutes
Tagline: The Name’s Krueger…FREDDY KRUEGER
Trivia: Highest grossing slasher film of the 1980s.
Overall: A solid sequel that won’t go down as a classic but the member of the franchise you will not moan about.
Rating