(Apologies for the lateness of this. I had an unexpected engagement and I couldn't finish the movie. This, however, might allow me to start writing these the day after, so that some time has passed. So, win?)
So, as I discussed last time, Wes Craven didn't really want a franchise out of the first film. However, success of the second film convinced him the viability of it, and he returned to write the story for the film (with the intention of ending it as a trilogy). He originally conceived of a metanarrative, where the cast and crew making a new Nightmare were haunted by Freddy (ha! Unintentional pun, and yeah, this was reused for New Nightmare,which we'll look at soon enough), but the studio rejected it in favor of his other idea for the film, where a group of teens in an institution fight off Freddy with the help of Heather Langenkamp's (who returns for the film) Nancy Thompson. The script by Craven and Bruce Wagner was then re-written by director Chuck Russell (making his debut with the film) and his partner Frank Darabont (who would go on to write the Academy Award nominated film The Shashank Redemption ). Speaking of the Oscars, the film is also incidentally, the acting debut of future Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette. The filming was a tad arduous (full of long shoots and special effects mishaps, in part caused by a reduced budget for the film), but grossed $44 million on a $5 million budget, as well as mixed reviews.
Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) is a young woman who, naturally, falls asleep on night, and has an encounter with Freddy (Robert Englund), who chases her around an abandoned house before slashing her wrists, which causes obvious concern to her mother (Brooke Bundy), who commits her to a psychiatric episode. There, her clear somniphobia causes her to resist the orderlies (including Max (Laurence Fishburne)) and attending physician Dr. Neil Gordon (Craig Wesson), before an intern therapist Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) manages to calm her by reciting part of Freddie's nursery rhyme. Thompson then meets Kristen's fellow patients, including Kincaid (Ken Sagoes), Phillip (Bradley Gregg), Jennifer (Penelope Sudrow), Taryn (Jennifer Rubin), and Joey (Rodney Eastman). Thompson and Gordon, however, have a different agenda in mind for them: being the last surviving children of Freddy's lynch mob, they hope to train them to battle him. And with Parker revealing a special ability to bring people into her dreams, they just might have a chance.
I really like that they again focus and elaborate on another aspect of Freddie's actions. In the second one, it was specifically him trying to possess someone to come back. In this one, there is more of a focus on the psychological effects of Freddy's actions. The fear of sleep and dreams, how Freddie's actions can be interpreted as some sort of psychosis. The Dream Warrior aspect is also well-done, in assembling a team of people haunted by Freddy to control their dreams and use it to vanquish him once and for all. It was nice to see Nancy Thompson in a more mature role, using her own experience to help others. Each person is given enough time to really develop and make them full characters and not slasher fodder. I also like that they do delve into Freddy's backstory a little, and reveal a bit about why he ended up the way he did. Despite the apparently cut budget and some dated one (like a Harryhausen skeleton at the end), the effects are still great, and are quite terrifying to watching, particularly one involving tongues. While Freddy's wisecracking apparently wasn't seen as kosher by many people, it distinguishes him from silent killers, so I'll give him a pass, and he is threatening most of the time and still omnipresent. Finally, there's a funny gag with Dick Cavett and Zsa Zsa Gabor (which was apparently unscripted, because Gabor didn't know what movie she was going to be in).
Again, some dated special effects that look funny rather than horrifying today. I didn't like how they handled John Saxon's character (also returning), which seemed like a staunch departure from the way the character was in the first film. The ending was a tad confusing (which makes sense, given it was rewritten from a finale to the franchise written by Craven), and I sort of wish that the titular Dream Warriors had fought together, Avengers-style. Just a thought.
Another win, and another very interesting, unique entry into the franchise. I'm curious as to what they'll do next. Anyway, recommendation, though watch the first one at least for some context into this one.
Alright, Number 4: Dream Master .
So, as I discussed last time, Wes Craven didn't really want a franchise out of the first film. However, success of the second film convinced him the viability of it, and he returned to write the story for the film (with the intention of ending it as a trilogy). He originally conceived of a metanarrative, where the cast and crew making a new Nightmare were haunted by Freddy (ha! Unintentional pun, and yeah, this was reused for New Nightmare,which we'll look at soon enough), but the studio rejected it in favor of his other idea for the film, where a group of teens in an institution fight off Freddy with the help of Heather Langenkamp's (who returns for the film) Nancy Thompson. The script by Craven and Bruce Wagner was then re-written by director Chuck Russell (making his debut with the film) and his partner Frank Darabont (who would go on to write the Academy Award nominated film The Shashank Redemption ). Speaking of the Oscars, the film is also incidentally, the acting debut of future Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette. The filming was a tad arduous (full of long shoots and special effects mishaps, in part caused by a reduced budget for the film), but grossed $44 million on a $5 million budget, as well as mixed reviews.
Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) is a young woman who, naturally, falls asleep on night, and has an encounter with Freddy (Robert Englund), who chases her around an abandoned house before slashing her wrists, which causes obvious concern to her mother (Brooke Bundy), who commits her to a psychiatric episode. There, her clear somniphobia causes her to resist the orderlies (including Max (Laurence Fishburne)) and attending physician Dr. Neil Gordon (Craig Wesson), before an intern therapist Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) manages to calm her by reciting part of Freddie's nursery rhyme. Thompson then meets Kristen's fellow patients, including Kincaid (Ken Sagoes), Phillip (Bradley Gregg), Jennifer (Penelope Sudrow), Taryn (Jennifer Rubin), and Joey (Rodney Eastman). Thompson and Gordon, however, have a different agenda in mind for them: being the last surviving children of Freddy's lynch mob, they hope to train them to battle him. And with Parker revealing a special ability to bring people into her dreams, they just might have a chance.
I really like that they again focus and elaborate on another aspect of Freddie's actions. In the second one, it was specifically him trying to possess someone to come back. In this one, there is more of a focus on the psychological effects of Freddy's actions. The fear of sleep and dreams, how Freddie's actions can be interpreted as some sort of psychosis. The Dream Warrior aspect is also well-done, in assembling a team of people haunted by Freddy to control their dreams and use it to vanquish him once and for all. It was nice to see Nancy Thompson in a more mature role, using her own experience to help others. Each person is given enough time to really develop and make them full characters and not slasher fodder. I also like that they do delve into Freddy's backstory a little, and reveal a bit about why he ended up the way he did. Despite the apparently cut budget and some dated one (like a Harryhausen skeleton at the end), the effects are still great, and are quite terrifying to watching, particularly one involving tongues. While Freddy's wisecracking apparently wasn't seen as kosher by many people, it distinguishes him from silent killers, so I'll give him a pass, and he is threatening most of the time and still omnipresent. Finally, there's a funny gag with Dick Cavett and Zsa Zsa Gabor (which was apparently unscripted, because Gabor didn't know what movie she was going to be in).
Again, some dated special effects that look funny rather than horrifying today. I didn't like how they handled John Saxon's character (also returning), which seemed like a staunch departure from the way the character was in the first film. The ending was a tad confusing (which makes sense, given it was rewritten from a finale to the franchise written by Craven), and I sort of wish that the titular Dream Warriors had fought together, Avengers-style. Just a thought.
Another win, and another very interesting, unique entry into the franchise. I'm curious as to what they'll do next. Anyway, recommendation, though watch the first one at least for some context into this one.
Alright, Number 4: Dream Master .
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