A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

1989, Horror, 1h 30m

31 Reviews 100,000+ Ratings

What to know

critics consensus

A Nightmare on Elm Street feels exhausted by this cheesy fifth entry, bogged down by a convoluted mythology while showing none of the chilling technique that kicked off the franchise. Read critic reviews

You might also like

See More
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers
Child's Play 3
House on Haunted Hill
Children of the Corn
Friday the 13th Part VII -- The New Blood

Where to watch

Rent/buy Subscription Rent/buy

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child Photos

View All Photos (22)

Movie Info

The fifth installment of the popular franchise focuses on Alice (Lisa Wilcox), a survivor of the fourth, who believes Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) has been eliminated for good. She optimistically hopes to start a life with fellow survivor Dan (Danny Hassel). The nightmares begin soon enough, though, and Alice learns she is pregnant. When her friends start dying, Alice suspects that Freddy is using the fetus within her as a weapon. Can she fight the demon while protecting her unborn child?
  • Rating:
    R
  • Genre:
    Horror
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    Stephen Hopkins
  • Producer:
    Robert Shaye, Rupert Harvey
  • Release Date (Theaters):
     original
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Box Office (Gross USA):
    $22.2M
  • Runtime:
  • Distributor:
    Image Entertainment Inc., Media Home Entertainment, New Line Cinema
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround, Dolby SR
  • View the collection:
    A Nightmare on Elm Street

Cast & Crew

Robert Englund
Freddy Krueger
Lisa Wilcox
Alice Johnson
Danny Hassel
Daniel 'Dan' Jordan
Kelly Jo Minter
Yvonne
Erika Anderson
Greta Gibson
Whit Hertford
Jacob
Nicholas Mele
Mr. Johnson
Beatrice Boepple
Amanda Kreuger
Joe Seely
Mark Gray
Valorie Armstrong
Mrs. Jordan
Burr DeBenning
Mr. Jordan
Pat Surges
Racine Gibson
Clarence Felder
Mr. Gray
Stephen Hopkins
Director
Sara Risher
Executive Producer
Jon Turtle
Executive Producer
Robert Shaye
Producer
Rupert Harvey
Producer
Bruce Dickinson
Original Music
Peter Levy
Cinematographer
Brent A. Schoenfeld
Film Editing
Chuck Weiss
Film Editing
Annette Benson
Casting
C.J. Strawn
Production Design
Timothy Gray
Art Director
Kristine Peterson
First Assistant Director
Show all Cast & Crew

News & Interviews for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

What Happened to Cinema’s Virginal Final Girl?
Horror Movie Survivor Hall of Fame
18 Halloween Highlights on TV This Week
View All

Critic Reviews for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

All Critics (31) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (9) | Rotten (22)
Full Review… David Hughes Empire Magazine Full Review… Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Full Review… Variety Staff Variety Full Review… Caryn James New York Times Full Review… Richard Harrington Washington Post Full Review… Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Full Review… Federico Furzan Cinelipsis Full Review… Steve Newton Georgia Straight Full Review… Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Full Review… David Nusair Reel Film Reviews Full Review… Brian Orndorf BrianOrndorf.com Full Review… Dustin Putman TheFilmFile.com
View All Critic Reviews (31)

Audience Reviews for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

  • May 20, 2016
    Very poor fifth part as nothing is new, Scary or done well, The plot yet again just got too silly to take seriously, The acting was very bad, Even Robert Englund as Freddy was just poor and underused, The series Should of Finished After Part 4 and now it's just turned into a joke.
    Jamie C Super Reviewer
  • Jan 09, 2016
    Look if you've made it this far in the series then you probably won't mind it. But it is pretty bad.
    Super Reviewer
  • Sep 28, 2013
    Freddy's past is revealed, but it became sort of a black comedy which was a huge change in the tone. The acting was good and special effects were top notch but it suffered from a bad plot and script.
    Sylvester K Super Reviewer
  • Oct 30, 2012
    A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child takes the series to new lows, and lacks all of the charisma and cleverness that made the series so popular. In this ridiculous tale, Freddy Krueger is able to resurrect himself and return to his killing spree by using the dream state of an unborn child, who he corrupts with the souls of his victims. The plot is atrocious, and isn't helped any by the pathetic performances. The special effects are also pitiful, and don't carry any sense of menace or terror. Cartoonish and formulaic, A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child is an insult to fans and to the horror genre itself.
    Dann M Super Reviewer
See All Audience reviews

Movie & TV guides

View All