A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

Summary

“Welcome to Wonderland, Alice.”

Last year, Warner Bros. pleased one of the most devoted group of horror fans when it released Wes Craven’s seminal horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street onto the 4K format. Long considered one of the best and most frightening horror films ever made, it made great sense that Craven’s film would be given a 4K release on its 40th anniversary. One year later, Warner has chosen to give the entire film series a 4K upgrade, so I plan to review one film a week in the series until I have finished the whole series off. This is going to be fun for me, because I have not seen every entry in the series since I was a kid (and I am not sure which entries I have seen, and which I have not.)

One year after 1987’s very well regarded A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, New Line Cinema enlisted Finnish director Renny Harlin for The Dream Master. Renny Harlin had just made 1987’s film Prison for Empire Pictures and was brought onto the film in February. This film had a somewhat troubled production, because of time constraints and writers strikes that occurred as the project was beginning. Despite the lack of star power (none of the bigger stars from the prior film returned, but a couple of the kids are back) and despite the issues with the script, the film was still the most financially successful Elm Street picture (until Freddy vs. Jason and the 2010 reboot.) It is generally pretty well regarded by fans of the series.

As the film begins, Kristen (Tuesday Knight) has a dream that she is in Freddy’s boiler room. She summons her friends Joey and Kincaid (returning stars Rodney Eastman and Ken Sagoes,) but they assure her that Freddy was destroyed for good. At their high school, Kristen is dating martial-arts practitioner Rick Johnson (Andras Jones.) Rick has a shy sister named Alice (Lisa Wilcox.) Their friend group also includes a very bright girl with asthma named Sheila, and an athletic girl named Debbie (Brooke Theiss) who hates insects. Freddy begins to appear to the children in their dreams, and as they are killed one by one, Alice finds herself in a position where she must try to save the souls of her friends from Freddy’s grasp.

The Dream Master suffers from a weaker script than the prior picture and from a less compelling central protagonist. While those issues work against the picture, Dream Master benefits from compelling and stylish direction by Renny Harlin, a great soundtrack that leans fully into MTV’s rock of the time, and some truly amazing practical effects work. The practical effects are even better than the impressive work seen in Dream Warriors. Renny Harlin worked with cinematographer Steven Fierberg to drape the film in loud colors – greens, pinks, reds, and blues. This is a classic case of style over substance, but for a fourth entry in the series, I found myself enjoying the picture despite its numerous issues.

The acting in this entry is weaker than the prior picture, but still better than in Freddy’s Revenge. It is a bit odd to see Tuesday Knight take over the role of Kristen which had been played a year earlier by Patricia Arquette. Tuesday Knight is definitely not a dead ringer for Patricia, and that probably impacts the viewing experience. I did find it interesting in some moments that she favored Laura Palmer from Twin Peaks in a few scenes (predating that series by a couple years.) Andras Jones is an enjoyable addition as Rick. Lisa Wilcox does fine in the role of Alice Wilcox who takes the mantle of protagonist in the final half of the picture, but her character is not as compelling as one might hope. Her acting is not the issue. Her character is both confusing for the audience and hard to relate with. When you see the picture, this statement will make more sense. Brooke Theiss memorably plays Debbie, whose nightmare sequence is one of the most memorable in the series. Robert Englund is given a lot of room to have fun and say one-liners, including a memorable sequence where he eats some “soul food.”

The movie has a lot of great music with songs by Dramarama, Divinyls, Billy Idol, Blondie, and even a Fat Boys song for the end credits called “Are You Ready for Freddy?” That Dramarama song has been stuck in my head since I watched the movie. This film is definitely a product of its time and for me that adds to its allure.

Overall – The Dream Master is not as good as Dream Warriors, but it still has a lot of nostalgic charm. I enjoyed watching the movie despite its numerous flaws. For many, this served as the last solid entry in the series until Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

Video

Warner’s new 4K HEVC/H.265 transfer from Warner Bros., is a big improvement over the 2011 Blu-ray release. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is not as good of a film as its predecessor, but it is easily one of the best looking Nightmare films. Renny Harlin worked with cinematographer Steven Fierberg to give the film a very stylish and colorful look. The picture feels like an MTV music video at times, and that is part of the film’s charm. The HDR brings out the very best in the color palette and fine detail is very good. This is one of the most impressive  visual upgrades in the set.

Audio

Warner Bros. have provided a brand new Atmos track for this release alongside a DTS-HD MA 2.0 mono track. This Atmos track is one of the best in the set. The Atmos track respects the original sound design while adding immersion when possible. The music in the picture features Dramarama, Divinyls, Billy Idol, Blondie and more, and it all comes through well. Clarity is very good. Purists will be excited to have the Mono track to listen to as well. 

Supplements:

The 4K carries over the supplements from the 2011 Blu-ray, minus the trailer

• The Finnish Line
• Krueger, Freddy Krueger
• Hopeless Chest
• Let’s Makeup

Overall Scores: 

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 2.5/5

Overall – 4/5

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master was the most financially successful film in the Elm Street series until Freddy vs. Jason. The picture can not match the heights of Dream Warriors from a year before largely because a writer’s strike hurt the scripting process for the film. The picture is also hurt by the conspicuous absence of star Patricia Arquette. What the film does have is stylish direction by Renny Harlin, amazing practical effects, and a soundtrack that would have made 1988 MTV proud. For those reasons, the film has had its share of fans since its release. Fans of the picture will be stunned by the exceptional work that Warner put into this 4K release. Warner Bros. has given the film a beautiful 4K UHD upgrade with a great looking 4K transfer and an extremely competent Dolby Atmos upgrade. This release is currently only available in Warner’s comprehensive Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Collection, which comes highly recommended for fans of the series.