A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers:

Wes Craven (character)
William Kotzwinkle (story) ...

Release Date:

19 August 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead

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.

Plot Keywords:

Dream | Freddy Krueger | Nightmare | Tough Guy | Theatre Marquee

Awards:

2 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Tuesday Knight	...	Kristen Parker
Ken Sagoes	...	Roland Kincaid
Rodney Eastman	...	Joey Crusel
Lisa Wilcox	...	Alice Johnson
Andras Jones	...	Rick Johnson
Danny Hassel	...	Dan Jordan
Brooke Theiss	...	Debbie Stevens
Toy Newkirk	...	Sheila Kopecky
Robert Englund	...	Freddy Krueger
Nicholas Mele	...	Mr. Dennis Johnson
Brooke Bundy	...	Elaine Parker
Jacquelyn Masche	...	Mrs. Crusel
Hope Marie Carlton	...	Pin Up Girl
Richard Garrison	...	Doctor
John Beckman	...	Coach

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (original rating) (cut) | Germany:18 (re-rating) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1989) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1988) | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | France:-12 | Mexico:C | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2001, video) | UK:18 (original rating) | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

When Alice goes into the theater, there is a poster for Reefer Madness II: The True Story (1985), New Line Cinema's first success, as well as a poster for Hairspray (1988).

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Alice is fighting Freddy in the church Freddy says "I...am...eternal" But it is obvious that he says something else ( looks like "forever") because his lips movement doesn't match the word.

Quotes:

Debbie Stevens: How can you ride this health hazard? You know, it's no wonder that you have asthma.
Sheila Kopecky: No, you see, asthma is an inherited condition. Read a book now and then, you might know something.
Debbie Stevens: You know, speaking of books, isn't trig your favorite?
[Shelia nods yes and realizes what Debbie's asking]
Sheila Kopecky: "Dynasty" again?
[Debbie smiles]
Sheila Kopecky: Deb, do us a favor and get a VCR.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The House That Freddy Built (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Angel

"You Shouldn't Have Buried Me...I'm Not Dead."

Freddy is resurrected - by flaming dog urine, believe it or not - and in short order manages to kill the three remaining Elm Street children. He then turns his attention to a new group of teenaged bozos, but faces opposition from a girl (Lisa Wilcox) who turns out to be a formidable opponent.

It was with this entry in the series that things changed, not necessarily for the better: Freddy Krueger, and the actor playing him (Robert Englund) became the full-fledged star instead of a supporting player. He became a lot less scary after being given too many lines (including some groan-inducing one-liners) and too many scenes (including some well-lit ones).

Reasonably entertaining; not the least of the Elm Street movies but missing the element of fear needed to make it truly succeed. It really is a lot more amusing than frightening.

Saved from being just average by excellent special effects - including a creative death scene for one poor girl (Brooke Theiss) as well as Freddy's "death" scene.

The short-lived "Nightmare" TV series debuted somewhere around this time.

6/10