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

A psychiatrist familiar with knife-wielding dream demon Freddy Krueger helps teens at a mental hospital battle the killer who is invading their dreams.

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers:

Wes Craven (story), Bruce Wagner (story)

Stars:

Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Craig Wasson

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Heather Langenkamp	...	Nancy Thompson
Craig Wasson	...	Neil Gordon
Patricia Arquette	...	Kristen Parker
Robert Englund	...	Freddy Krueger
Ken Sagoes	...	Kincaid
Rodney Eastman	...	Joey
Jennifer Rubin	...	Taryn
Bradley Gregg	...	Phillip
Ira Heiden	...	Will
Laurence Fishburne	...	Max (as Larry Fishburne)
Penelope Sudrow	...	Jennifer
John Saxon	...	Lt. Thompson
Priscilla Pointer	...	Dr. Elizabeth Simms
Clayton Landey	...	Lorenzo
Brooke Bundy	...	Elaine Parker

Storyline

Picking up where the original Nightmare left off, Nancy has grown up and become a psychiatrist specializing in dream therapy. She meets a group of children at a local hospital facing Freddy Krueger, the same demon she once encountered in her sleep. One of them is Kristen, who has the power to draw other people into her dreams. Working with a male doctor assigned to the case, Nancy helps the kids realize their special abilities within the nightmare world. When Freddy captures one of her charges, she leads a rescue attempt into Krueger's domain, in hopes of putting his spirit to rest once and for all.

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | nightmare | dungeons and dragons | springwood ohio | mother daughter relationship | 

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Taglines:

If You Think You're Ready For Freddy, Think Again!

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Chuck Russell stated in a interview that the mirror sequence was very difficult to do. He stated that it was before CGI, so that they "had to get really inventive". They were literally manipulating Mylar in front of the camera to get the shot done.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 19 mins) In the junkyard, they park the truck and turn off the lights. A short while later, the lights are back on again when Thompson is trying to get back into the truck.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Elaine Parker: Are you crazy? You'll wake up the whole neighborhood.
Kristen Parker: Hi, Mom.
Elaine Parker: Don't "hi Mom" me. What are you still doing up? It's past 1:00.

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Crazy Credits

A text before the opening credits starts reads as follows: "Sleep. Those little slices of Death. How I loathe them" -Edgar Allan Poe-

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Alternate Versions

On the first VHS release, the music video for the film's title song "Dream Warriors" by Dokken appears after the closing credits.

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Connections

Featured in The Cinema Snob: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (2017)

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Soundtracks

Quiet Cool
(uncredited)
Performed by Jay Ferguson

User Reviews

One of the better 'ELM STREET' films in the series!

I've been a fan of Chuck Russell's films ever since his 1994 classic THE MASK. Each one of his movies have a strong amount of slickness and energy, especially A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS. It's one of the better 'ELM STREET' films in the series and was one of the cinematic highlights of 1987. Like THE LOST BOYS, which was also released in 1987, it has style, imagination, a good premise, and gore. It does have a few faults though. Some of the special effects are dated and look quite cheesy and the flick seems to rely more on blood than genuine scares at times. Also, while by no means terrible, Heather Langenkamp's performance is not quite up to par with her performance in the first 'ELM STREET' and NEW NIGHTMARE. Occasionally it feels like she's phoning it in. These faults don't hurt the movie too much. It's still a enjoyable horror picture that holds up relatively well today. It may not be as good as the first A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, but it's much better than most third installments are. I give it 7/10.

Details

Official Sites:

New Line Cinema

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 February 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,880,555, 1 March 1987

Gross USA:

$44,793,222

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$44,793,222

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Line Cinema, Heron Communications, Smart Egg Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min 88 min (cut) 90 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono Dolby (DVD re-release)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1