A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

In 1987, *A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors* hit theaters as a fantasy slasher film. It marked Chuck Russell’s feature directorial debut, with a screenplay co-written by Russell, Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner, and Frank Darabont. As the third entry in the *Nightmare on Elm Street* series, it directly follows the events of the 1984 original. The cast includes Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Laurence Fishburne, Priscilla Pointer, Craig Wasson, and Robert Englund once again playing Freddy Krueger. The story follows Nancy Thompson, now a psychiatrist, and Kristen Parker, a patient who can pull others into her dreams. Together with other kids, they venture into the dream world to rescue a child from Freddy. After the mixed reception to *A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge* (1985), New Line Cinema wanted franchise creator Wes Craven back to write the third film. Craven agreed, even though he had a different concept for another *Elm Street* movie. Released on February 27, 1987, *Dream Warriors* earned $44.8 million in the U.S. against a budget of over $4 million. Critics praised it, often calling it one of the best films in the series. A sequel, *A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master*, followed in 1988. Kristen Parker dreams of Freddy Krueger, who attacks her and makes it appear she has slit her wrist in the real world. Her mother Elaine, believing Kristen is suicidal, checks her into Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital, where Dr. Neil Gordon becomes her doctor. Kristen fights orderlies trying to sedate her, afraid of falling asleep. Nancy Thompson, a new intern therapist who survived Freddy’s killing spree six years earlier, calms her by reciting Freddy’s nursery rhyme, helping Kristen realize she isn’t alone. Nancy meets Dr. Gordon’s other patients: sleepwalker Phillip Anderson, tough street kid Roland Kincaid, aspiring actress Jennifer Caulfield, wheelchair-bound Will Stanton (who attempted suicide), recovering addict Taryn White, and the youngest, Joey Crusel, who is too traumatized to speak. One night, Freddy attacks Kristen in her dreams; she unintentionally pulls Nancy into the dream, and they escape. Kristen explains she has been able to bring people into her dreams since childhood. Over the next two nights, Freddy kills Phillip and Jennifer.