A Nightmare on Elmstreet 4: The Dream Master (1988)
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A group of friends must navigate a terrifying dreamscape to stop the resurrection of the nightmare-inducing Freddy Krueger.
The story
A year after surviving Freddy Krueger's killing spree, Kristen Parker, Roland Kincaid, and Joey Crusel have returned to their normal lives. However, when Kristen dreams of Freddy's old boiler room, she summons her friends into the dream, fearing his return. While Kincaid and Joey insist Freddy is gone, they are soon targeted in their sleep. Kristen, realizing Freddy is back to finish them off, is forced to summon her friend Alice into the dream. Before dying, Kristen transfers her dream power to Alice, who must then face Freddy alone using the collective abilities of her fallen friends.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
A year after surviving Freddy Krueger's killing spree, Kristen Parker, Roland Kincaid, and Joey Crusel return to normal life. When Kristen dreams of Freddy's boiler room, she summons her friends, but they are quickly killed by the resurrected Krueger. Kristen is forced to summon Alice Johnson into the dream, where she dies and transfers her dream powers to Alice. Alice begins to acquire the abilities and personalities of her dead friends as she faces Freddy. She targets various friends, including Sheila, who is killed, and Debbie, who is transformed into a cockroach. Alice eventually uses a nursery rhyme called 'The Dream Master' to force Freddy to face his own reflection, causing his souls to revolt and tearing him apart. Months later, Alice and her crush Dan Jordan go on a date, where Alice briefly sees Freddy's reflection in a fountain but chooses to ignore it.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 93
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Renny Harlin
- Writers
- Brian Helgeland · screenplay; Scott Pierce · screenplay; William Kotzwinkle · story; Brian Helgeland · story
- Cast and characters
- Robert Englund · Freddy Krueger and nurse (with different make-up); Lisa Wilcox · Alice Johnson; Danny Hassel · Dan Jordan; Tuesday Knight · Kristen Parker; Brooke Theiss · Debbie Stevens; Ken Sagoes · Roland Kincaid; Rodney Eastman · Joey Crusel; Andras Jones · Rick Johnson
- Genres
- fantasy; slasher
- Themes
- fear of sleep; friendship; sacrifice; revenge
- Tone and mood
- scary; tense; imaginative
- Premise and plot tags
- slasher; dream world; supernatural; teen horror
- Source material / true-story basis
- Works by Wes Craven
- Franchise connections
- A Nightmare on Elm Street
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 56% · review count: 34; Metacritic · score: 56 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Best Director · Saturn Awards · 1990 · nomination; Best Horror Film · Saturn Awards · 1990 · nomination; Best Supporting Actor · Saturn Awards · 1990 · nomination; International Fantasy Film Award for Best Film · Fantasporto Awards · 1989 · nomination; Worst Original Song · Razzie Award · 1990 · nomination; Best Special Effects · Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival · winner; Best Film · Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival · nomination; Teenage Choice for Best Horror Motion Picture · Young Artist Awards · winner; Best Young Actor in a Horror or Mystery Motion Picture · Young Artist Awards · nomination; Best Young Actor in a Horror or Mystery Motion Picture · Young Artist Awards · nomination; Best Young Actress in a Horror or Mystery Motion Picture · Young Artist Awards · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film is often popularly referred to as 'the MTV Nightmare' of the franchise.; The car junkyard set is the only set used in more than one film (3 & 4).; The film was the first in the Nightmare on Elm Street series to receive a summer release.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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