Movie Review: Nightmare on Elm Street 4

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

Nothing to write home about. Well, it is better than the movie number 3 reviewed earlier.

The reason this movie works for me is simply the better setting/premise for the story - a high school atmosphere, safe and friendly - and then Freddy is back and the giggling kids are dying.

LOL.

So the high school premise definitely is better than the unbelievable mental hospital setting in previous movie.

Also - then there is a better play among the characters - unlike in previous movie - sort of understandable interaction/ rapport.

Here, the girl from previous movie Kristen gets used by Freddy Krueger to bring in other kids into her dream and thus feed Freddy's bloodlust.

So her 2 surviving friends from previous movie are sucked in. A pet dog gets sucked into the dream and the dog digs up the grave where the yummy bones of Freddy Krueger lay in restlessness.


Well, it was kinda funny - the scene where the dog pisses on Freddy Krueger's grave and Freddy comes alive through that.

It would have been funnier if the dog was a bitch. LOL. Imagine that. Well the dog was named Jason and I wonder if it is in any reference to the other big franchise of the time - Friday the 13th.


A good funny line that worked for me was when Kristen is back in Freddy's wonderhouse and she sees a diner ----

the waitress asks her "Come on, what will it be - I don't want to stay here forever."

LMAO


But most of the supposedly fun bits are too tedious. Also, too many good characters seem to die very lame or rather in easy/uncreative ways.

The best part of this movie is that it emphasises its main premise - the subtle distinction between reality and dreams.

It is normal for kids to be fascinated with dreams and it is normal for them to be wishful thinking at many ages.

So this is the film series' trump card you know.

To present the blending horizon of dreams and reality - a real waking horror when you consider its implications.

So enjoyable movie - but nothing exceptional.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street_4:_The_Dream_Master

* * * *