A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

Genre

Horror

Director

Chuck Russell

Country

USA

Cast

Heather Langenkamp, Craig Wasson, Patricia Arquette, Robert Englund, Ken Sagoes, Rodney Eastman, Jennifer Rybin, Bradley Gregg, Ira Heiden, Laurence Fishburne, Penelope Sudrow, John Saxon, Priscilla Pointer, Clayton Landey, Brooke Bundy, Nan Martin, John Saxon

Storyline

Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), the first survivor of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), has now grown up and become a psychiatrist specializing in dream therapy, and will try to teach a group of survivors how to control their own dreams.

Opinion

After the disappointing to say the least "A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge", I wasn't expecting anything good from the franchise. Just another stupid slasher film. But I guess Freddy was so not happy about that film, and to avoid to make him even more mad, the filmmakers decided to make "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors", a film that not only is fun to watch, but it's also the sequel the original film deserves.

Once again, what make this entry so good is the story. It is quite original, gripping and the idea of setting it in a mental hospital is definitely a winner as it makes the film even more creepy. And even though it is more of a fantasy than a horror element, I really liked the way the new kids fight Freddy, which is using the special powers they have in their dreams. 

Another positive note is the characters. First of all, it's really nice to see Nancy again. She was the first to ever defeat Krueger as well as a very likable character, and she has an important role in the story. The new kids are interesting, they all get enough screen time and you can definitely feel sympathy for them. 

Chuck Russell's direction is another nice addition to the film. Sure, he's not Wes Craven but he does a quite good job and the atmosphere in the dream sequences is spot on. But truth to be told, the film could have been more scary. Actually, it isn't that frightening, there are just a few scares.

As for the acting, it isn't bad. Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund and John Saxon all reprises their roles and are as good as they were in the first film, and among the kids there's young Patricia Arquette who does a good job in her first important role.