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

Directed by Renny Harlin. Starring Lisa Wilcox, Andras Jones, Tuesday Knight, Danny Hassel, Robert Englund, Brook Theiss, Rodney Eastman, Toy Newkirk, Nicholas Mele, Ken Sagoes. [R]

So much for those Dream Warriors—the victors of the third Elm Street picture are dispatched one by one, leaving a new girl (Wilcox) to embrace the fighting spirit. She also acquires powers that are similar to those of claw-gloved boogeyman Freddy Krueger: namely, she can draw people into her dreams. An illogical, mediocre franchise entry that does little to distinguish its plotline from the pack (and drifts even further from Wes Craven’s original vision); lots of special effects, a few instances of creative (and gross) makeup effects, but no real scares, and a dismaying sense of tedium. Drenched in style, presumably to cover-up all the script problems. Even by typically ludicrous movie monster resurrection standards, this one contains a doozy—a doggy lifts its leg, pees a spurt of flames, and Freddy wakes up! Described by Englund and others as being the “MTV Nightmare” outing due to its kinetic energy and heavy emphasis on rock music on the soundtrack (artists include Blondie, Billy Idol, Dramarama, and Divinyls; plus, co-star Knight sings “Nightmare” over the opening credits). Movie buffs should enjoy a few in-jokes, such as the name of the diner where Wilcox works.

46/100