‘A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master’ Review: More ’80s and More Character Focus Improves the 4th Installment

For a series that left behind its source material in the midst of sequel fever, it’s fitting that Freddy gets a worthy adversary this time around. And while I found Part 3 lackluster and too comic for a horror film (I’m certainly the minority here for “Nightmare” fans), “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” rectifies a lot of the previous film’s issues. The film would call back Kristen from the previous entry (recast by Tuesday Knight in lieu of Patricia Arquette from Part 3) as well as two other hospital residents (Rodney Eastman and Ken Sagoes). However, whether due to the writing team—or for other reasons—“The Dream Master” becomes atmospheric and scary again, even if comic Freddy still remains. 

The main reason the film throws back to its more frightening roots lies in its reliance on its teenagers once again. Where Part 3 felt too chaperoned by adults and too trapped in its psychiatric hospital, “The Dream Master” once again features scared kids on their own who must figure things out. The aforementioned Kristen is one of them, as is her boyfriend, Rick (Andras Jones), his sister Alice (Lisa Wilcox), and two friends Sheila and Dan (Toy Newkirk and Danny Hassel, respectively). They’re alone because their parents are AWOL. Kristen’s mom is still controlling and disinterested, and Alice and Rick’s father is a drunk and their mother has passed away. 

More Atmosphere this Time

The film’s opening sequence is scary enough, also, featuring Kristen dreaming, bringing Joey and Kincaid back in (Eastman and Sagoes) before being bit by Kincaid’s dog. There’s a clear rift between Kincaid and Joey and the rest of Kristen’s friends (especially Rick) that has to do with their being viewed as creepy due to their history of psych issues—which we of course know to be Krueger issues. Suffice to say, Krueger does come back. The scene in which he does and claims his first victim is rather sinister, and Krueger (reprised by Robert Englund) leaves the jokes aside for now. The way that the Dream Warriors from Part 3 are marked for death has a “Final Destination” ring to it. And Krueger opting for more realistic kills at the film’s beginning lets it ring more hallow than the caricatures that answered for his murders in “Dream Warriors.” 

What also works is that Director Renny Harlin sets up some eerie set pieces and a town that has an equally creepy air to it. There’s the old Krueger house at 1428 Elm that is now abandoned, which works its way into the various children’s dreams. Rick and company visit it once as he tells the story of how Krueger came to be to his friend Dan. The red door and green shutters contrast with the dilapidated structure, and whole scene has the feel of all those “Halloween” films where would-be victims are drawn to the Myers house. 

Its About the Kids This Time

“The Dream Master” also defies stereotypes with its motley crew of teens who band together. Rick is into karate and rocks this Robert Smith-esque hairdo, while Dan is your standard jock. Sheila is a bookworm and her friend Debbie (Brooke Theiss) is the town beauty. Yet they all work together. And while they exist for little other reason than to be victims for Krueger, writers William Kotzwinkle and Brian Helgeland given them enough backstory to make them feel real and this town to feel lived in. 

That’s not to say “The Dream Master” is perfect or a return to form, as it’s not. It’s really the first film in the “Nightmare” franchise past the first one to be its own thing. It isn’t tethered to the happenings or characters from part one. And it doesn’t hinge completely on Krueger’s killing methods or jokes (though they are there). We care about these kids enough to want them to be okay, which is what makes the film work. That, and the fact that this film, released in 1988, is totally ‘80s helps. The opening track, “Nightmare” (performed by star Tuesday Knight) and “Anything, Anything” by Dramarama are quintessential ‘80s gems that give “Dream Warriors” by Dokken from the previous film a run for its money. This was the first “Nightmare” film to feel like the decade it belongs to, and that’s a credit. 

A Decent ‘Nightmare’ Addition

Englund’s treatment is hit or miss. As Freddy, he received top billing in this film, yet “Dream Master” is oddly not about him. He kills an abundance of kids here, so horror lovers will not be unsatisfied. Some of his kills are laughable (one on the beach with sunglasses is the worst offender), while another where he becomes invisible are oddly creative. And then some of the later special effects delve into body horror, the most profound the series has seen thus far. And amidst it all, the imperative of Alice to try and save as many of her friends as she can remains, and adds a necessity to the film missing from Part 3. What happens here matters, and the acting by most of the players lets us know their stories matter, too. They’re not mere cannon fodder, and the extra writing treatment given this film shows in spades. 

At the end of the day, “The Dream Master” is a more fitting entry than I remember. It makes up for a lot of the comedy and jilted feeling of “Dream Warriors,” and features kids we can care about. The kills by Krueger are creative and often vicious, the soundtrack is deep ‘80s, and the cinematography paints a dismal, disturbed town that feels like an eerie place. There’s more happening here than Krueger’s kills, and it shows. While the series would waft in and out of incredulity, here the filmmakers leave a good horror film in their wake, and the most character driven “Nightmare” to date. A solid film and good franchise addition overall.

Check streaming options for ways to watch “A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master.”