 'Dream Warriors' was a complete success, and would remain the overall fan favourite for decades to come (apart, of course, from the original). However, if it ever had any competition for style, it would probably be 'The Dream Master'. The best way I've heard it put was from Robert Englund himself - it's "The MTV Nightmare". While its predecessor certainly laid the groundwork, 'The Dream Master' was the film responsible for plastering his face all over merchandise, surprisingly suitable for all ages.
Being released in August of 1988, I had just turned 6, and I can still remember the hype surrounding Freddy Krueger. Back then, my generation was just allowed to get into R-rated horror at an early age. It didn't include me, but it didn't need to in order for me to know exactly who Freddy Krueger was, or just about anyone else associated with slasher films of the time. Watching horror flicks in our childhood was just a cool thing to do, and I might even suggest younger people ate this stuff up more than the adults it was actually made for. But, with that said, this is also pretty much where Freddy totally peaked. Just about everything that followed (save 'New Nightmare') would receive heavier criticism from both fans and critics alike. The true beginning of the end would start with a late-night TV show called 'Freddy's Nightmares'; an attempt to use Freddy's popularity in order to cash in on the TV-viewing audience. It was essentially a 'Tales from the Crypt'-style show with Freddy (still played by Englund) in place of the Crypt Keeper and had little to nothing to do with 'Elm Street' except for its first episode and maybe a few others scattered across the series. But it just goes to show you how 'Elm Street' had become a sort of horror juggernaut. Things kick off here with the return of a re-cast Kristen Parker (Tuesday Knight) from the previous film, who starts experiencing nightmares again. Before she knows it, she and the remaining "Dream Warriors" end up facing off against Freddy once again. When they begin to struggle against the dream demon, Kristin is able to use her dream power from the last film to pull newcomer, Alice (Lisa Wilcox) into her dream to help. Here, Alice comes to realize that her dream power is the ability to absorb and use her friends' powers. It's not long before Alice rises to the occasion and brings the fight to Freddy, herself, establishing a heroine very much worthy of following in Nancy Thompson's determined footsteps. Speaking on a personal level, I tend to regard this as one of the more fascinating titles of the series. There's a lot I don't like about it, but what I do like about it outweighs any real criticisms I have for it. While there's something in here I won't spoil that almost suggests 'Dream Warriors' was pointless, the dialogue is largely cheesy and the acting is a bit cringe-worthy, I have to give the film credit for some original dream sequences, kills within these dream sequences, Freddy's super-fun one-liners, and just the pure imagination director Renny Harlin puts into things here. It's just as fun of a ride for me as 'Dream Warriors' was, but 'Dream Warriors' is still, altogether, the better Freddy flick just by being scarier. Having said that, I can say that my appreciation for this movie comes from more of the style than the substance, and that doesn't exactly sound like a positive thing. But when you're talking about something like 'A Nightmare on Elm Street', and are seeking the fun side of it, this is a great place to go! Of the 'Elm Street' movies, this is the first in the series I'd consider one of my guilty pleasures. Heck, I even dig the song 'Running from this Nightmare' by Tuesday Knight. It's no 'Dream Warriors' (apologies for not posting the video in the previous review), but each of these songs is a solid setup for their associated movie, letting you know what it is you're in for; 'Dream Warriors' is a bit more metal, 'Dream Master', a bit more pop. If you're someone looking to get into these films and what they're all about while at their best I would probably recommend the original, 'Dream Warriors' and 'The Dream Master' as a very solid back-to-back-to-back viewing. While there are other titles in the series to see, it feels like those are the three that best capture the spirit of the series while having a solid, overarching story that carries through them. While this is one Freddy title that is often criticized, I sincerely feel like it gets a much worse rap than it deserves. It may be a bit of a guilty pleasure as it's so cringe at some points, but hell, that's half the fun of this series! 4/5
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