While A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is the fourth movie in the series, it is a direct sequel to part 3 and part of a little trilogy that also includes part 5. On the Nightmare on Elm Street table, I would rank this just behind part 3, making this my second favorite movie in the franchise.
How to Download A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master was released on August 19, 1988. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
I feel that 3, 4, and 5 all flow together really well. This was actually the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie I saw when it was current. I did not see it in the theatre, but my friend had an older brother and he rented it from the video store for us! That sleepover watching this movie for the first time is such a great childhood memory of mine!
The Plot Unfolds
The movie takes place a year after the events of part 3. Kristen (who is now played by Tuesday Night instead of Patricia Arquette) along with Kincaid and Joey are trying to live a normal high school teenage life. Kincaid and Joey seem to be ok, but Kristen is still having bad dreams and worried that Freddy is back.
Kincaid and Joey get mad about this, with Kincaid saying that she could end up bringing Freddy back if she doesn’t leave it alone! Turns out, that was right! Freddy ends up coming back and in what is becoming a series tradition, he kills our final girl from the previous movie.
The Rise of Alice
However, Kristen’s ability to bring people into her dreams enabled her to pass her powers onto our new main hero, Alice. Alice is a good main character and I like how we kind of experience her finding out about Freddy and her new powers as she does. It is actually all very well done.
Alice, like Kristen and Nancy before her, has dream powers that allow her to bring people into her dreams. The difference here is that as Freddy starts slaying her friends, she gains the dream powers that they had, making her The Dream Master! It is a very cool idea and it gives us someone that can actually go toe-to-toe with Freddy in the dream world instead of having to bring him into the real world to defeat him.
Creative Kills and Wisecracks
We get some very creative and memorable kills in this movie, but we also get some goofy kills too such as the roach motel or Freddy “sucking face”. However, I love the way Joey meets his watery end and think that the invisible martial arts fight is a lot of fun too. Speaking of fun, Freddy kicks the wisecracks up a couple of notches here. I really think that parts 3 and 4 are what most people think of when Freddy is in the conversation.
Conclusion
I have a ton of nostalgia for A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and while 3 is always my go-to, I usually end up watching this very shortly after. These are best watched as a triple feature with part 5 as well in my humble opinion. While part 3 will always be my favorite, this one is actually a very close second.
