A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Name: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Genre: Action, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror
Released: February 27, 1987
Duration: 96 min
Rating: 49
Cast: Bradley Gregg, Craig Wasson, Heather Langenkamp, Ira Heiden, Jennifer Rubin

1987

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 85 Ratings

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8.4

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8.4	User Score Universal acclaim based on 85 Ratings

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A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

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Movie Details & Credits

New Line Cinema | Release Date: February 27, 1987 | R

Starring: Bradley Gregg, Craig Wasson, Heather Langenkamp, Ira Heiden, Jennifer Rubin, Ken Sagoes, Laurence Fishburne, Patricia Arquette, Robert Englund, Rodney Eastman

Summary: Survivors of undead serial killer Freddy Krueger - who stalks his victims in their dreams - learn to take control of their own dreams in order to fight back.

Director: Chuck Russell

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Fantasy, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 96 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Time Out London Staff (Not Credited)

A particularly nice touch is the ability of one of the teenagers to pull people into her dreams, allowing Langenkamp and the threatened kids to gang up against Freddie. The neat script also fills in a little more of the Freddie mythology, including a suitably tasteless account of his conception. A creepy score and Russell's sure grasp of the skewed logic of nightmares helps to sustain the ambiguity between the 'real' and 'dream' worlds, while Englund's Freddie now fits like a glove. Read full review

Kevin Thomas

The morbid tone of the original has given way to horror comedy set off by quite spectacular and imaginative fantasy sequences. Dream Warriors is no less grisly, but at least you can laugh at it. Read full review

John Allemang

Of Course A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is repulsive. That is its primary attraction. All right-thinking people will steer clear. But wrong-thinkers with a taste for the grotesque will be in heaven, or the nearest satanic equivalent. [27 Feb 1987]

Bill Cosford

The entire Nightmare on Elm Street oeuvre has been hailed by critics as a fascinating exercise in id projection and Freudian cant, which helps explain why criticism is in low regard. A better reason to see Dream Warriors, if indeed there is one, is that it's really pretty gross and neat. [06 Mar 1987, p.D2]

Richard Harrington

There are a few cheap thrills in Elm Street 3, but there are also plenty of effective effects, including mirrors-as-drowning-pools, Ray Harryhausen skeletal work and Freddy's body as a living frieze from hell. The film's major weakness can be summed up in two words: Craig Wasson. Wasson, who has the charisma of a bowl of wet chow mein, plays the sympathetic doctor who must try to outwit Freddy. Read full review

Staff (Not Credited)

As played by the classically trained Robert Englund, Freddy is a vital killer who brings a sense of creepy fun to his demented work — moviegoers actually like the guy. The nightmares themselves are another reason for the series' success. Seldom have films explored the nightmare world with such effect, style, and panache. Read full review

Gene Siskel

This is the third in a hyper-violent and rather stupid series of thrillers about an adult child killer--with knives for fingers--who is burnt to death but now has returned to haunt more teenagers in their sleep. The kids are all patients at a clinic where group therapy fails to stop their nightmares. What you get for your money are scenes with a severed head, the simultaneous injection of 10 hypodermic needles presumably filled with heroin and four long tongues that turn into arm and ankle straps for a sex scene. Whoopee! The film's only blessing? It just may be bad enough to kill off the series.

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User Reviews

mlrivello16

Sep 27, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Robert Englund is fantastic in his role as freddy per usual, and he should return again to the role. He is rumored to "have one more left".… Expand

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

Rcavey92212

Mar 17, 2020

This was the movie that really made me a fan of the franchise when I was 8. I remember going to see it with my cousins, father and uncle in Colorado and I was just blown away. I thought Freddy, Nancy, Kristen and the rest of the dream warriors were so cool. Especially Taryn played by theThis was the movie that really made me a fan of the franchise when I was 8. I remember going to see it with my cousins, father and uncle in Colorado and I was just blown away. I thought Freddy, Nancy, Kristen and the rest of the dream warriors were so cool. Especially Taryn played by the amazing Jennifer Rubin (Bad Dreams). In this chapter Krueger targets the last of the Elm st. Children who have gone crazy and been put into a mental institution. Even though it was only released three years after the first Nancy is supposed to be like ten years older and a grad school therapist. A young Laurence Fishburne (Matrix) also stars. This is the entry where Freddy really became a pop villain. He's still dark but he has just a bit more humor. The kills are fantastical and involved. The movie is filled with solid performances all around especially from Robert Englund delivering a perfect balance, Heather Lagenkamp and a young wonderful Patricia Arquette. The movie is confidently directed by Chuck Russell (Blob "88"). Its definitely one of the best entries innovative, creative, smart and most of all entertaining.

4.5/5

Budget: $4m
Domestic Box Office: $45m
Worldwide Box Office: $45m… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

robertoiglesias

Jan 13, 2018

God I love this film in this spectacular series. This one was creative and fun in it's own unique way.

14 of 14 users found this helpful140

I_love

Jan 3, 2019

At time was unintentionally funny, cheesy, and some bad affects, other than that a good sequel

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

WhiskeyStories

Sep 9, 2017

Dream Warriors had a pretty great concept. The return of Nancy was a neat idea, though her character was still lacking in my opinion. Some of the nightmare scenes were freaking grotesque and were at times on par with the original's and technically the film is pretty amazing for it's time.Dream Warriors had a pretty great concept. The return of Nancy was a neat idea, though her character was still lacking in my opinion. Some of the nightmare scenes were freaking grotesque and were at times on par with the original's and technically the film is pretty amazing for it's time. Some of the newly introduced characters are very likable and have interestingly distinctive traits(like Jennifer Rubin as Taryn's drug problems and sassyness, Ken Sagoes as Kincaid's attitude and humour and Ira Heiden as Will's nerdyness and quirkyness). The film's quality suffers a bit from its era, the style of the 80's is completely overcharging and takes away the tenseness(unlike in the original Nightmare on Elm Street, which had a sense of dread), which made me take it less seriously, but made it a bit more fun in a cheesy 80's movie kind of way - It has it's own sweet glamrock anthem for crying out loud.

My major gripes with the movie are that the ending is kinda dumb and a bit uninspired(except for the skeleton fight scene, that was great) and that Patricia Arquette and Heather Langenkamp(still) are not great leads. Lastly, a minor gripe, Freddy's morbid humour adds to his character as a pop-culture icon, but it takes away from his scariness.… Expand

2 of 8 users found this helpful26

Meth-dude

Sep 26, 2017

While this movie was definitely not as good as the previous two, it still managed to be pretty entertaining. The kills were more inventive and the story was interesting, but the movie was way more silly and the ending wasn't very good. Disappointing to say the least...

0 of 6 users found this helpful06

JonSnow2049

Aug 20, 2019

This is some kind of crazy mess. Not scary, not funny, not interesting. Picking up where NIGHTMARE 3 left off, we see the three surviving teenage Dream Warriors suddenly being plagued
in their dreams by the supposedly dead and buried Freddy (Robert Englund), who is now moving into newThis is some kind of crazy mess. Not scary, not funny, not interesting. Picking up where NIGHTMARE 3 left off, we see the three surviving teenage Dream Warriors suddenly being plagued
in their dreams by the supposedly dead and buried Freddy (Robert Englund), who is now moving into new territory and invading the dreams of mousy teen Alice (Lisa Wilcox). What the child-killer doesn't anticipate, however, is that Alice begins taking on the strongest characteristics of her friends
and soon becomes a complete Dream Warrior blessed with impressive athletic prowess, physical strength, and intelligence.… Expand

0 of 6 users found this helpful06

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