Rating -

Horror (US); 1988; Rated R; 92 Minutes

Cast Includes
Robert Englund
Rodney Eastman
Danny Hassel
Andras Jones
Tuesday Knight
Toy Newkirk
Ken Sagoes
Brooke Theiss
Lisa Wilcox
Brooke Bundy

Directed by Renny Harlin.

Review Uploaded
11/16/98

You know, cultists consider Freddy Krueger to be an actual demon. They believe that the movie screen film titled "A Nightmare On Elm Street" is a reflection of his persona, and when it was first released back in 1984, they greeted it with universal praise.

I was one of the few who really enjoyed the first "Nightmare" film. It was the exact reflection of the thing that most people fear: a person who chases them in their dreams. Then came two sequels: "Freddy's Revenge" and "Dream Warriors," which still had the spark of the first film, but not in one way compared to the pain and suffering audiences felt with the first film.

But now comes "The Dream Master," the fourth chapter of the series, where Fred Krueger demonstrates to the fullest that he was not made for sequels.

Nightmares, as once stated by Roger Ebert, come in two forms: the type that people have, and the type that people make into movies. For the basis of part one of this series, nothing can come closer to the real thing. When you get to the point of part four, however, you see a nightmare so erratic and unconvincing that watching a Bob Ross painting show is more exciting. I can't help but rate "The Dream Master" a terrible, terrible film. It is so disconnected and crummy, you find yourself laughing in ridiculousness instead of feeling fright. This is a film that should be on Comedy Central.

Picking up a year after three of the surviving teenagers laid Freddy to rest, Freddy is mysteriously revived in an Elm Street child's dream by flaming dog urine, and he finally gets his revenge by killing the rest of the Elm Street children. The young girl who survived part 3, however, gives her power to bring people into her dream to her best friend. This girl, being afraid of Freddy, accidentally brings in her other friends, who are brutally killed in their dreams. When each one dies, she inherits their special abilities (like strength, karate, etc.) until she has enough force to oppose Freddy in his dreamland. Calling herself the 'Dream Master,' she eventually sends Freddy back to the infernal world of hell.

There you have it—the simple, thin plot. No excitement, no entertainment, and no sense of direction. They would have done better just by pausing the movie and making us watch the paused figure for two hours.

Only one thing keeps this film from plummeting into the zero star pit, and that is the fact that this "Dream Master" has an intriguing mirror in her bedroom, filled with pictures of her best friends. When one dies, she takes his or her picture off, each time, seeing more of herself (metaphorically speaking), and when they are all gone, she sees the whole picture, and she's powerful enough to end Krueger's rage.

Stupid, lousy, boring--however you would like to phrase it--I really can't see anyone liking this movie. Freddy has reached the point where when you turn on the set, you are not scared, but bored.

If your the type of person who loves even the worst of horror movies, I think you will also agree that this one is worthless.

Watch it at your own risk.....