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A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors offers an imaginative and surprisingly satisfying rebound for a franchise already starting to succumb to sequelitis.
All Critics (35) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (26) | Rotten (9) | DVD (2)
Debuting director Chuck Russell elicits poor performances from most of his thesps, making it difficult to differentiate between pic's comic relief and unintended howlers. Apr 28, 2008 | Full Review…
Debuting director Chuck Russell elicits poor performances from most of his thesps, making it difficult to differentiate between pic's comic relief and unintended howlers.
Variety Staff
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. Jan 26, 2006 | Full Review…
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.
The film's dream sequences are ingenious, and they feature some remarkable nightmare images and special effects. Aug 30, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/5
The film's dream sequences are ingenious, and they feature some remarkable nightmare images and special effects.
Janet Maslin
While it's better than its predecessor, it's still not quite up to its inspiration. Jan 1, 2000 | Full Review…
While it's better than its predecessor, it's still not quite up to its inspiration.
Richard Harrington
This is filmmaking by the numbers, without soul. Jan 1, 2000 | Rating: 1.5/4 | Full Review…
This is filmmaking by the numbers, without soul.
Roger Ebert
A Freddy sequel that's just relevant. Dream Warriors delivers with fine special effects and a pretty decent story. [Full review in Spanish] Feb 18, 2019 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
A Freddy sequel that's just relevant. Dream Warriors delivers with fine special effects and a pretty decent story. [Full review in Spanish]
Federico Furzan
Somehow A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors has always been just a bit more enjoyable than the typical horror sequel. Sep 13, 2013 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…
Somehow A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors has always been just a bit more enjoyable than the typical horror sequel.
Jeffrey M. Anderson
It's a shame this is about as good as it got for the series... Oct 13, 2011 | Full Review…
It's a shame this is about as good as it got for the series...
Felix Vasquez Jr.
...the mental-hospital setting [is] certainly a refreshing change from the suburban atmosphere that dominated the first two films. Oct 19, 2010 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…
...the mental-hospital setting [is] certainly a refreshing change from the suburban atmosphere that dominated the first two films.
David Nusair
The burn-faced night stalker simply doesn't make the impression here as he did in the former two installments Oct 9, 2008 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…
The burn-faced night stalker simply doesn't make the impression here as he did in the former two installments
Dustin Putman
Arguably the most imaginative of the horror franchise, with a fair number of truly resonant scenes. Apr 28, 2008 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…
Arguably the most imaginative of the horror franchise, with a fair number of truly resonant scenes.
Kim Newman
First-time director Russell sustains the legend's success with the help of a workable plot and some first-rate special effects. Apr 28, 2008 | Full Review…
First-time director Russell sustains the legend's success with the help of a workable plot and some first-rate special effects.
Film4 Staff
Great for its time and Freddy Kruger will always be a classic character!
Super Reviewer
Pretty lame, in all honesty. Was looking forward to this one as it brings Nancy's character back in, but it still wasn't that good. Maybe my expectations were too high, but pity help me, I still have three elm movies left in my box set!
Alright, that's it, this is the last Elm St. movie I ever want to see! Here I thought that after that horrendous second movie this one would be worse, but no, it was terrifying, and I went back to my nightmares with Freddy. The original scream queen Langenkamp, who played Nancy in the first movie, returns to help teenagers fight Freddy. Just like in the first one, the teens try to stay awake, and we are unaware of when they accidentally fall asleep only to be killed in some crazy way. I loved that they all tried to band together using their dream powers to fight him, it was very exciting. I really liked this movie, although it scared the socks off me.
This is probably my favorite entry in the series. "Dream Warriors" thankfully rebounds from the ridiculous "Freddy's Revenge", and actually advances the concepts presented in the original. The most notable creative progressions are the dream sequences. The imagery involved is disturbing, and instead of just random slashing, Freddy tortures the innocent using the victim's hopes and fears. Freddy was still meant to be scary in this movie, so his warped sense of humor works nicely. This is the sequel that was most imitated in the watered down movies to follow. It's a movie from the 80's so it is corny in parts, but it is a very good horror movie. Highest possible recommendation.
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