Starring: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Craig Wasson, Ken Sagoes, Rodney Eastman, Jennifer Rubin, Laurence Fishburne, John Saxon.
Director: Chuck Russell.
On average, the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels are actually pretty good. Part three is probably one of the best horror sequels in the genre's history: strong effects, energetic direction and a fun cast of characters. The late Eighties had a lot of really fun horror flicks, really, and Dream Warriors really goes all out with that sense of energy and camp. Plus, great score by Angelo Badalamenti, who did great work with David Lynch.
Y'know, this might be the first time I've ever watched this on DVD and I'm fairly certain that the song Kristin plays while making her little arts and crafts house is different than the VHS version. In fact, I know it is. I've seen the VHS so many times that I know every inch of this film and they are definitely not the same song. It's interesting. I wonder if they use this "Into the fire" song when they call things back later, too...
There's very little bullshit in Dream Warriors: Kristin(a pre-fame Patricia Arquette) is having bad dreams. Has bad dream. Freddy shows up and chases Kristin around the house. No exposition, no "previously on" or whatever...we just jump right into "Freddy wants to kill people" territory. It's a smart strategy for a horror sequel to have: exposition can come later.
Laurence Fishburne! Thinner and far, well, rad. Doctor Gordon tells Laurence(playing Max The Intern here)says that Doctor Simms believes that the kids hanging out at West'n Hills Hospital are there because of sex, drugs and rock n' roll. Max weighs in: "Shit, that's what keeps people alive!" Then he goes into action mode while trying to subdue a whacked out Kristin. Character introductions are handled very well in this film really: almost a precursor to the "walk and talk" method that Aaron Sorkin uses. We meet Max(admittedly a minor character), then Gordon, who brings us to Dr.Simms and some of the kids, then we get Kristin freaking out and re-introduce Nancy. Nancy then goes back to Max, who introduces the rest of the characters.
"Ain't that right, cool breeze?" I need to call more people "Cool Breeze."
It's really such a simple film. Kristin is haunted by Freddy. Kristin ends up in hospital with other kids haunted by Freddy. Nancy has experience dealing with Freddy. Nancy comes to hospital, teaches kids how to fight Freddy. They fight Freddy. The End. It's kind of marvelous. But first, we need to get on with all the murdering.
After a little bit of exposition on some of the kids, Kristin reveals the big turning point of the series: she can pull other people into her dreams. Of course, she does this while being eaten by a Freddy worm that is really kind of phallic and looks amazing. It's such a fantastic image and a great effect.
"Straight Talk only in this room." Another motto I need to quote more frequently. Also I need to start saying "In the name of Lorac, Prince Of Elves, Demon be gone" during Dungeons and Dragons games.
Phillip was always my favorite of the kids (other than Kincaid, who is super rad) when I was growing up. Considering that the character is barely present whatsoever in the film, that's kind of surprising really. I think it was Phillip speaking up in the first meeting, pointing out the biggest logical fallacy(in fact, THE logical fallacy) of the series that made me like him the most. He's literally killed off two scenes later, but it is one of the coolest death scenes in the series. It's a genuinely creepy one: Phillip makes puppets, so Freddy turns him into a blood puppet and leads him to his death. Luckily for Freddy, the night nurse kind of sucks at her job.
Craig Wasson gives a pretty good performance as Dr.Gordon: he's a man of science who is faced with some unusual stuff and, unlike his counterpart Dr.Simms, actually adapts. Along the way, though, he is a rather conflicted and frustrated individual. Despite his rational mindset, he's a compassionate man...it's rare to see a scientist who is also an everyman in horror films without them being a hippy or seemingly negligent or what have you.
One flaw in this film: random scene with sleazy orderly trying to get Taryn to do drugs with him. The scene doesn't even have a payoff, and Taryn's history of drug abuse was already established in one of the earlier group scenes.
However, Dick Cavett turning into Freddy and attacking Zsa Zsa Gabor is a great bit, followed by Jennifer's excellent death and one of Freddy's best one-liners: "Welcome to prime time, bitch." I never understood how any rational human beings could label Jennifer's death a suicide, though: how did she get up there to smash her head into a TV? I mean, really. At least Gordon acknowledges that it makes no sense.
The kids go all "Inception" and reveal their own remarkably limited dream powers: instead of being able to, say, do whatever they want because it's a dream, they can do magic tricks and have mohawks. But, hey, I guess that works, too. Joey, the mute, uses his dream powers of getting chicks and witnesses one of the series' very rare uses of nudity. It turns on him, though, since the naked chick turns out to be Freddy. Should have picked a better dream power, Joey.
Ghost Nun tells Gordon the backstory of Freddy and suggests burial and consecration will defeat him for good. It's a good enough justification for everything. Like I said earlier, it's a very simple film. The ending shouldn't be needlessly complicated under those circumstances and, hey, it fits the general feel of the series (even though the previous two films have avoided any sort of religious elements...but I guess if you're talking a ghost that kills people in dreams...well, might as well bring god into things). It also brings John Saxon back into things, which is always awesome. Gordon and drunken ex-cop Saxon go into an auto salvage yard to find Freddy's bones while Nancy leads the remaining kids into the dream to do battle with Freddy...which leads everyone into their separate climaxes.
Yep, they use the "into the fire" song for the call back, too...how weird is it that the one song is different between the DVD and VHS versions when absolutely everything else is identical. While the plan of gathering together to present a united front is a good one in theory, it didn't work that well for them last time, did it? I mean, it basically had the same effect: he used the room itself against them and divided them.
I know I often tear off my dates head yelling "Where's the fucking bourbon?!" Freddy and I have something in common. I like the Taryn and Freddy combat, too...in general, Dream Warriors works by going where the original film only barely considered going: instead of bringing Freddy to real world terms to be defeated, the characters take dream world terms to him instead. It expands the franchise mythology in a stronger way than Part 2 did, at any rate. Taryn doesn't fare well, and Freddy uses another favorite one liner: "What a rush."
The Wizard Master is that cool kind of lame...or lame kind of cool...whatever you wanna call it. It's cool in that way old silly infomercials or Ed Wood movies are. It's utterly ridiculous(probably the most ridiculous thing in the whole franchise outside of Freddy's Dead), but that makes it sort of rad. Coupled with Kincaid's dream outfit(complete with matching neon red tank-top and high-tops), it's the perfect storm of late eighties nonsense. For whatever reason, Nancy, Kristin and Kincaid just assume Taryn and Will didn't get anywhere. They're right but, it's kind of dickish to make that assumption. There's no mention of "hey, maybe we should locate our other team mates" or anything, just "Welp, we three are together. Guess it's time for the final battle." No love for Taryn and Will, I guess.
The group battle with Freddy is also pretty well done: Nancy catches Joey, Kristen runs interference with a drop kick, Kincaid backs up both both ladies...some good physical combat by Freddy, and the very cool visual effect of the souls in Freddy's chest (another nice addition to the mythology: Part Three does a pretty good job of expanding the rules)...other than being a strong reference to the old Harryhausen days, I'm not sure Freddy needed to be able to control his own bones. If he could do that, why the dreams at all? Why not run around using skeleton power to kill everyone? It's fairly successful against Saxon, which also makes me wonder why he didn't take skeletal form to kill the actual parents who set him on fire. If he can do both, why stick to one? But, whatever, it's a good scene. So is the mirror one, too. Nancy is kind of gullible to assume a sonic scream would defeat Freddy and the sudden appearance of her Father in the dream is NOT a trap...but, again, it works.
I don't think the movie or the greater canon would have worked without the death of Nancy. It seems so necessary and gives it all more weight. Not enough martyrs in the neverending battle against Freddy.
Oh, and Dokken. Greatest horror movie theme song ever. In the music video, even Freddy is no match for Metal.
Final Thoughts: As I rock out to Dokken's "Dream Warriors" I'll see what I can to sum up. This film walks a really great line between outright silly and actually having a sense of weight. Most of the elements work really well: it's a good script built around a simple and straightforward story, characters who can be archetypes without being caricatures and a cast capable of bringing them to life. If you watch them in order, you can see Englund developing the character more and more throughout the series(no matter what your take on that development is, you can't deny that such a development exists). Aside from all that, though, is the thing that Dream Warriors does best: it ups the ante in the realm of the fantastic and imaginative. The effects work and creative death scenes really bring the story into a far more visual and direct place, which definitely keeps the series moving in a positive direction. If nothing else, each sequel of Nightmare really does remain its own animal, and that is probably why it's so special to so many people.
Final Rating: Three Stars.
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