Review of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) by Mark T — 11 Aug 2011

This is my third or fourth favorite sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street. It battles with Dream Warriors for supremacy over the third spot. If you do not like Robert Englund as Freddy and his one-liners and personality, I highly recommend you skip this one.

I watched the films in order, so Freddy went from being a sinister person who was there to creep people out to whatever he was in the second one to a somewhat "Freddy-Lite" (as I would later find out) in the third.

I found myself, in the third, wanting more of Freddy and his cruel humor. I was not disappointed by the fourth installment. This film, in my opinion, presents the best Freddy. He is just the right mix of horror and humor for me.

Some people want a more sinister villain, but I say they should watch Friday the 13th or Halloween. I watch A Nightmare on Elm Street for Freddy. The deaths in this one are gratuitous and really show the kind of power Freddy has over you in your dreams.

Some of the film's deaths are really interesting and hold your attention. Others are more predictable. Lisa Wilcox actually does very well for most of the movies. She is a bit like Nancy in that she goes from being the damsel to realizing that she needs to defeat Freddy at his own game.

Tuesday Knight (what a name) is actually an improvement. I didn't like Patricia Arquette's Kristen because I felt she was too vulnerably acted and never really grew as a character. While she was supposed to be a depressed teen, I never got the feeling she was.

Knight's I feel was a better interpretation of a damaged teen via the smoking and emotional mood swings. Overall, if you are a Freddy fan and watch Nightmare films for Freddy, you will probably love this installment.

If you watch the films for a scare or looking for a sinister villain, skip this one.