A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Renny Harlin

Writers:

Wes Craven (character)
William Kotzwinkle (story) ...

Release Date:

19 August 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

You shouldn't have buried me, I'm not dead

Plot:

Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may know the way to defeat him for good.

Plot Keywords:

Dream | Freddy Krueger | Nightmare | Abusive Father | Movie Theater

Awards:

2 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Tuesday Knight	...	Kristen Parker
Ken Sagoes	...	Roland Kincaid
Rodney Eastman	...	Joey Crusel
Lisa Wilcox	...	Alice Johnson
Andras Jones	...	Rick Johnson
Danny Hassel	...	Dan Jordan
Brooke Theiss	...	Debbie Stevens
Toy Newkirk	...	Sheila Kopecky
Robert Englund	...	Freddy Krueger
Nicholas Mele	...	Mr. Dennis Johnson
Brooke Bundy	...	Elaine Parker
Jacquelyn Masche	...	Mrs. Crusel
Hope Marie Carlton	...	Pin Up Girl
Richard Garrison	...	Doctor
John Beckman	...	Coach

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | West Germany:16 (original rating) (cut) | Germany:18 (re-rating) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (heavily cut) (1989) | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1988) | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Canada:18A | France:-12 | Mexico:C | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (re-rating) (2001, video) | UK:18 (original rating) | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Heron Communications

Trivia:

When Alice goes into the theater, there is a poster for Reefer Madness II: The True Story (1985), New Line Cinema's first success, as well as a poster for Hairspray (1988).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Dan enters the diner looking for Rick, the needle of the record player in the jukebox is on the paper label in the center, not in the grooves, yet the music is still playing.

Quotes:

Chorus Children: Now I lay me down to sleep. The Master of Dreams my soul will keep. In the reflection by my side...
Alice Johnson: Evil will see itself, and it shall die!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Luonteita: Renny Harlin (1990) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Anything, Anything

One of the best - highly imaginative!

"Nightmare on Elm Street 4" is one of the best entries in the series. Okay, the first is considered a classic, maybe because it had a feeling of poetic surrealism that is indeed lost here. But, come on, it is the FOURTH Freddy film, did you REALLY expect it to be scary? Freddy delivers indeed too many puns, however some of them actually hit the mark. After all, the quality of a slasher film doesn't depend exclusively on how "serious" and "vicious" the killer is - he was more serious in "Part 2", which was an embarrassment, he was less serious in "Part 3", which was an imaginative, entertaining film. As for "Part 4", it has way-above-average acting, a polished look (just compare it to some early "Friday The 13th" cheapies) and some gruesome, stunning visual effects. Above all, the movie exploits more possibilities about the links between reality and dreams than the "classic" original did. It is worth seeing.