A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS Chuck Russell revived the Krueger franchise from almost certain death after the hopelessly incongruous Freddy's Revenge with this nifty 1987 sequel, which many consider the best of the series. Good reason for that assessment, too. Dream Warriors not only re-validates the events of the first film, it also adds critical backstory on burned, claw-handed Fred Krueger himself, plus identifies new ways to combat him via the titular protagonists. Most of all, the film brings back Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), who is older and wiser and is able to instruct Freddy's latest batch of dream victims on how to combat him. Krueger (Robert Englund) has been on a new tangent lately, using his usual batch of torments to enact teen suicides. Survivors have been placed in a mental hospital, under the care of Dr. Neil Gordon (Craig Wasson). After Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) is brought in following a particularly violent episode, none other than Nancy appears on the scene and appears to work miracles with the group of misfits struggling to dodge the mysterious dream marauder. The survivors bond with the celebrated dream expert, but Nancy's guidance can only protect them so far until Freddy intensifies his campaign. With a cast that not only reunites Englund and Langenkamp but also John Saxon as Nancy's skeptic dad, retired cop Don Thompson, Dream Warriors also centerpieces the single best cast of heroes of the entire series. There's Kincaid (Ken Sagoes), the muscle man; Will (Ira Heiden) the wheelchair-bound RPG master; Taryn (Jennifer Rubin), the former junkie turned knife artist; and Joey (Rodney Eastman), the mute with a hidden, incredible vocal skill. Add in quickly-defeated characters Phillip (Bradley Gregg) and Jennifer (Penelope Sudrow), and you've got a highly likable bunch of teens for whom you're genuinely sorry when Freddy literally sinks his claws into them. As an unexpected preternatural bonus, Nan Martin makes an appearance as the ghost of a nun eventually identified as the woman who gave birth to the "son of a hundred maniacs." If they'd left it alone, Dream Warriors would have been a perfect end to an entertaining Krueger trilogy. But in the 80's, that was like asking AOL to stop upgrading its shitty ISP. More sequels ensued, repudiating the happy ending here, but guess what? They were fun, too. What did the 90's give us? I thought so. << Previous Review | Next Review >> Cast: Heather Langenkamp .... Nancy Thompson Craig Wasson .... Neil Gordon Patricia Arquette .... Kristen Parker Robert Englund .... Freddy Krueger Ken Sagoes .... Kincaid Rodney Eastman .... Joey Crusel Jennifer Rubin (I) .... Taryn White Bradley Gregg .... Phillip Adamson Ira Heiden .... Will Stanton Laurence Fishburne .... Max Penelope Sudrow .... Jennifer Caulfield Clayton Landey .... Lorenzo John Saxon .... Lt. Thompson Brooke Bundy .... Elaine Parker Priscilla Pointer .... Dr. Elizabeth Simms Kristen Clayton .... Little Girl Sally Piper .... Nurse #1 Rozlyn Sorrell .... Nurse #2 Nan Martin .... Nun Stacey Alden .... Marcie Dick Cavett .... Himself Zsa Zsa Gabor .... Herself << Back