A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

Posted by Horror Grinder on February 1, 2008

Review by The Wolf

It should have been the end. Freddy Krueger was dead and buried in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, released in 1987. That was creator Wes Craven’s plan when he decided to produce and write the very successful sequel. Craven and New Line Cinema had issues with Dream Warriors’ ending (Craven wanted a conclusive ending but New Line won out with their more open-ended one) but the two parties were on good terms with their agreement.

That is until the box office numbers came in…

$40 million.

Dream Warriors became the highest grossing Nightmare film at the time, giving New Line the indication that the people loved Freddy. And when horror franchises make more and more money with each installment, a sequel is inevitable. Remember…horror villains don’t die if they’re making you moolah.

New Line rushed the next film into production to be released in 1988, titled The Dream Master. Their plan was to end Freddy’s revenge on the Elm Street children once and for all, giving Freddy a means to haunt any child and kill them, no matter if they were part of his history or not. Craven was upset that Dream Warriors was seen as a sort of afterthought for the finale of the Krueger story, wanting no part of the franchise until 1994 with New Nightmare. Patricia Arquette, who was supposed to return as Kristen Parker (one of the survivors of Dream Warriors), became a rising star and declined a return to the franchise (although Ken Sagoes as Kinkaid and Rodney Eastman as Joey would return). Directed by Renny Harlin, The Dream Master was released in the spring of 1988 to a ton of success. The Dream Master made almost $50 million at the box office in the United States alone, making it the most successful Nightmare film (or second if you count Freddy Vs. Jason). Freddy Krueger was officially a pop culture icon and the star of the horror genre, for better and for worse. (more…)

Stabbed first by Fatally Yours