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The fourth Nightmare on Elm Street movie was the point where the franchise took a downturn. While the other movies, managed to bring forth new ideas and keep their films interesting, part 4 is just a boring rehash of the third movie minus the energy and vivacity. Part of the reason for the film’s weakness is the fact that it is directed by wholly generic and uninspiring film director Renny Harlin. You may remember some of his assfests like Die Hard 2 and Cutthroat Island.

Harlin, at the beginning of his career was tapped to create the next chapter of the Nightmare series, and for his part, the film doesn’t deviate from the formula that made the Nightmare series successful, but a good sequel manages to keep the same formula and add something new. Part 4 is perhaps one of the weakest entries in the series. Nothing here is that fascinating, and while Harlin does bring his trademark visual style to the film, it’s all just a bunch of pretty pictures with no actual substance. Harlin’s inability to develop his characters or make them interesting ruins the film and the impact of the kills… kills which under the right director could be some of the best in the business.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master picks up some years after the events of Part 3. Kristen, Kincaid, and Joey are now attending high school and trying to live out normal lives. Unfortunately a dog pisses fire and breaks Freddy out of his burial ground to wreak havoc on the children of Elm Street yet again. Soon the kids start dropping like flies. A nerdy black girl, an exercise freak with a bad wig, a kung fu cool guy, and his sister must fight back against Freddy or wind up dead. If the plot sounds uninspiring, that’s because it is.

The cast of the film is completely disappointing. Patricia Arquette, who I wasn’t a big fan of in the first place, is completely replaced by Tuesday Knight, a blond-haired waste of carbon. The rest of the cast is just as generic, and no one in this film stands out, except for Freddy himself, played by Robert Englund yet again. Without Englund, this film would be a complete waste of time. Of course, you also have an almost missable shot of Linnea Quigley’s boobs trying to escape from Freddy’s chest, but it’s just a brief glimpse.

The special effects in the film are top notch and many of the kills featured in the film are some of the best of the series. There is an awesome roach transformation that is fairly disturbing and definitely in the top ten of Nightmare on Elm Street Kills. For gore fans, that kill alone is worth seeing the film for.

There’s not much to say about Part 4. It’s a generic entry into the franchise and would bring the series down a peg. Some of the kills are sweet, Freddy is his one-liner self, but the kids suck major balls. If you’re watching the entire series, you’ll want to check it out, but if you’re afraid you’re missing something, the film could be completely skipped.

Final Synopsis: Another generic sequel from Renny Harlin, the film has no life and no spark. For bigtime Freddy fans it’s still worth checking out, but for everyone else, stick to the good ones. If you’re looking for an awesome Freddy kill, look no further than the roach kill in this movie.

Points Lost: -1 for lame characters, -1 for poor character development, -1 for a shitty pace, -1 for an uncreative plot, -1 for no spark, -1 for replacing Patricia Arquette with someone who is terrible, -1 for a shitty cast all around

Bonus Points: +1 for the awesome roach scene

Lesson Learned: If a dog bites you, just wrap a bed sheet around it.

Burning Question: How does fiery dog piss bring Freddy back?

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
4/10

Tags: 1988, a nightmare on elm street, brutality, freddy krueger, horror, horror movie, ken sagoes, latest movie reviews, linnea quigley, nudity, recent, renny harlin, rodney eastman, sequel, slasher, ultra-violence