A Nightmare On Elm Street: Dream Master

I knew, upon watching the first movie, that the sequels were going to be a little campy. There were a lot of cheesy moments in the first film that just felt so out of place to make it overall scary or intense. And judging by the last two films, it only starts from here.
After the success of dream warriors, the filmmakers decided to make a sequel a year after, though this seems to be bad timing since they were in the middle of a writer strike during the late 80's. So after many constant re-writes and script layovers, they finally constructed the right material along with gong-ho special effects.
So this is how A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Master begins. When I first saw this, I didn't really know what to make of it. The tone was vastly different from the first three films and it felt like I was watching a Saturday morning kid's show than a horror film. But I do think this installment is the most innovative of the series. And if it hadn't of been for John Carl Buechler and Team's state of the art mastery and Renny Harlin's slick directing, this movie would've been a lifeless dud because the script is by no means perfect. Although, I do consider the second half to be pretty strong, the first half is really weak. The one thing I really don't like is how they just instantly kill off the dream warriors. It's like their fight at the end of the last movie didn't mean anything and their powers are now worthless. So the second half is focused on the character of Alice, who is probably one of the most interesting and most badass final girl of  the nightmare series. So let's compare the Nightmare Franchise to the Batman Franchise (and I can't believe I'm comparing A Nightmare On Elm Street to Batman) And I sort of see Dream Master as the Batman Forever of the series. It has it's good moments, it has it's bad moments but it's an overall entertaining movie.
Here's the story: After the events of Dream Warriors, Kristen still has fears that Freddy Krueger might be back to haunt her and her friends. once she tries to warn Joey and Kincaid, they quickly brush it off. But eventually, Kristen's fears become true and Freddy is  back from the grave, quickly killing off Joey and Kincaid in the process. Now, Kristen, being the last elm street kid, must warn her new friends of Freddy's new thirst for blood. One of them being the shy, quiet Alice, but unfortunately, in easy defeat, Kristen is killed by Freddy, while attempting to save Alice in the  dream world, though just in time, she gives Alice her power. Now, it's up to Alice to control her new power while stopping Freddy from killing her friends and taking their souls for eternity...

I thought most of the cast was good and the characters were charming enough but you kind of get the sense this is a more different  than your usual nightmare movie, so you don't feel the genuine connection between the cast like you use to because there are too many characters to focus on. However, they are still very likeable and relatable bunch.

Now, lets get to the one and only Alice Johnson. Just like the awesome Tina from Friday Part 7, Alice is the most memorable, most well-developed, and probably the most badass final girl of the nightmare series. Coming from a broken home by losing her mother at an early age and an apathetic, alcoholic father, Alice is, at first, a shy, insecure girl who rely on her daydreams to cope with her crippling self-esteem. She finally finds her strength through the untimely death of her brother and friends, by gaining their inner abilities.

Soon, she becomes this ass-kicking warrior heroine, successfully killing the monster and becoming true to herself. Alice, to me, is a very relatable character. I was the shy, quiet kid with a (still) active imagination and I'm also extensively (and still) shy around boys. So it's refreshing to see yourself in a character. I did say in the 80's movie review that Lisa Wilcox's acting was a little shaky when she was introduced, mostly because the focused on Kristen but once it transitions to Alice, this is when Lisa Wilcox really shine in the role. There is just something so magnetic about her. I don't know if it's those beautiful blue eyes of hers or her versatility. But by the by, she is the best thing in this movie.

Fucking A in deed!

 

 

So now we focus on Kristen and the dream warriors, which is highly debatable amongst fans.

The characterization and ultimately the casting of Kristen is the most controversial. There is not just a change in the actress but there is also a change in the character. She is just your usual pretty popular upper-class girl with problems. There is nothing more to that. And the personality of the dream warriors are kind of exaggerated: Joey is girl-crazy, Kincaid has a bad temper, and Kristen is a neurotic chain smoker?....What? But we have to remind ourselves that these are the same characters from the last movie and we are at least still invested in them. But they are not well-developed in this one, not even enough before all three of them is subsequently killed off.

Tuesday Knight was okay in certain parts but I think she just didn't bring any soul to the character, she was just so artificial for the most part.

She actually comes off as a poor little rich girl than a tortured teen. When Patricia Arquette was in the role, she played the character as a real teen and she had a real haunting, ethereal quality that made the character special. Tuesday Knight, on the other hand, was incredibly bland. According to Rodney Eastman and Ken Saoges, they had admitted they had little to no chemistry with Tuesday Knight and it shows. The special bond that we saw in the dream warriors is not the same anymore and this is probably the weakest points of the movie.

Now let's talk about Elaine. Do you think after all what happen in Dream Warriors that she would be a little more caring and attentive? No. She is still a horrid bitch. She is actually much worser  in this movie. Not only is she unsympathetic towards her daughter after Both of her friends die on the same day but she also drugs her drink. What parent does that?! Ultimately, she is the cause of Kristen's death which possibly makes her the most hated character of the nightmare series in my opinion.
Now let's get to the rest of the characters shall we....

First, we have Rick, Alice's brother and Kristen's boyfriend. Not much to summarize on Rick, though, he does have an interesting personality. He's really cute, funny and.....

Has a love for karate, wanting to be the next Bruce Lee. I'm sorry, I just couldn't take the whole karate thing seriously.

And apparently, they used this theme in the death scene. It just came off so goofy and campy that it's considered the worst moments of the movie. But since the producers were finding various way to kill off the character, I guess this was the best they could come with, unfortunately.

Then we have Sheila, the hip, brainy bookworm. Again there's not much to say about her but She is easily the most down-to-earth and mature of the group.

And you never really understand why Freddy killed her off the way he did.

Then we have Debbie, the tough punk girl with style and attitude. What I like about Debbie is that she is the personification of the 80's teen. Her big hair alone can be it's own character. There's not much focus on Debbie but when we do see her, she's pretty cool. And also, she probably gets the most cringe-worthy death scene, which I will get to later.

Lastly, there's Dan, who is the least developed of the teens. He is the love interest. That's it. And the only reason Alice is crushing on him is because of how hot he is, though I can't blame her, he is really attractive. However, besides all that, there is just nothing interesting about Dan. All we know of him is that he is a handsome jock, he's popular, blah, blah blah,etc. I think the reason why Dan is so important because...yes, of course, eye candy. This is what I thought about Megan in Friday Part 6, since male horror fans kept obsessing how hot she is but at least she had a personality, which made her likeable. Nick from Friday part 7 was an obvious love interest but at least he had good character development. Dan just doesn't get the right treatment. Once he's in on the action, he's just there and in the end, Alice has to be the one to save him. He's that useless. Dan might be super hot but he doesn't live it up as a character.
There is another weak point I have with this movie: Where is Neil Gordon? I really thought that he was an integral part of the series. Since he was the first to be introduced to Amanda Krueger and successfully defeat Freddy. And shouldn't he, at least, check up on the dream warriors after all what happened and all? And it could've been him on the action with Alice instead of Dan. The movie would've been a lot better honestly.

Now on to Freddy. Although he's not scary anymore, he still comes off as evil and maniacal. Although the one-liners are memorable, there were times where they were going a little overboard. I think the filmmakers were trying to cash in on "Welcome To Prime, Bitch", So it was pretty obvious that Freddy was beginning to weigh in on pop culture status. And once you see Robert England in top billing, it's clear that Freddy is the star of the show, with LOTS of screen time. Quite frankly, this was a bad idea. And it's soon the beginning of turning Freddy into a wisecracking, over-the-top jester in the latter movies. And another problem is how he basically kills off all of the elm st. kids but suddenly veers towards random teens. it's hard to explain his motive now. It's not so much about revenge anymore, it's just bloodlust at this point.

Now, on to the special effects which is the biggest highlights of the movie. Let me start by saying that this is a very colorful movie. A stark contrast to the dark and ominous feel from the first three movies. The tone might be left out of the window, but the special effects are still awesome.

Though just to get this out of the way, I had one problem with the special effects. It has got to be the dog pissing on Freddy's grave. They could've tried so many ways to revive Freddy and they had to come up with that? This has got to be one of the dumbest moments in the movie and I surely don't know what kind of drugs Renny Harlin was taking.
The directing is a bunch of fast cuts and out of this world wide shots, which in my opinion, works in a film like this. The filmmakers wanted to put on an Asian action movie feel to the whole piece to combine all the fantastic dream sequences. It really shows how creative and visual the final product turned out to be. Now on to the nitty gritty. Most fans complain about the movie not having that much blood and gore but considering how rough the MPAA was on horror films back in 1988, it's pretty unlikely to see guts flying off the screen. But there were two of the grossest death scenes in the movie and here's my first: Debbie's.

This was very surprising because of how lame the death scenes are, especially Rick's. When I first saw this, it was definitely labeled into those WTF moments. The scene was just unnerving, cringe-worthy, and disgusting. To see a person mutate into a bug creature is always a nasty sight. But the most awe-inducing death scene...was Freddy's own.

 I have never seen a horror villain get killed off this way. It was cool and gross at the same time. It's probably one the best moments of the movie and totally original.
Trivia Time! Wes Craven and Bruce Wagner came upon with a concept that involved time travel. But Robert Shaye and Sarah Riser didn't feel that fit the whole realm of the nightmare series. They still should've used Wes Craven though. To be honest, it would've been interesting, probably dwelling into the Freddy myth a whole lot more. In the classroom scene, there is, of course, a cameo by dear old Robert Shaye as the teacher and a blink-if-you-miss-it cameo by director Renny Harlin as one of the students. The souls on Freddy's chest are real actors, including scream queen Lienna Quigley. And just so you know, the actors are naked. So the girl stretching out her breast in Freddy's chest is, unsurprisingly, Lienna who seems to notable for her nudity in horror films ( I wonder if she auditioned for Friday The 13th: A New Beginning). John Carl Buechler, who worked on the special effects, also was the director of Friday The 13th: The New Blood. There's your Freddy and Jason connection. There's also a Michael Myers connection as well; Ellie Cornell once auditioned for the role of Alice, who went on to play Rachel in Halloween 4 and 5. Interesting....

But let's get to the real topic at hand as to why Patricia Arquette didn't reprise her role of Kristen. There's one fact where her agent requested more money but the studio was unable to give the offer. Given how great her performance was in Dream Warriors, she should've deserved it. Another fact is she didn't want to be labeled as a scream queen, and I could understand that. I could see that she didn't want to be known as "That girl on A Nightmare On Elm Street" and she's a more credible actress than that. And here's the final note....Teen Pregnancy. It happens.
The film ranked number 1# at the box office, ranking in $49 million dollars. Making it the highest grossing slasher film of the 80's.
I could understand the film's popularity. It's really fun to watch and it's not to be taken too seriously. But that's the main problem: The series isn't taken seriously anymore. The only reason the film was commercially successful was for it's entertainment factor and that's what movies are made for. Though at the same time, the clever writing and intelligence of the first film is lost.
But on the bright side, I do recommend this movie because of the awesome soundtrack(Dramarama, Sinead O'Connor featuring MC Lyte, The Fat Boys, Divinyls. Nothing can get better than that), the badass Alice, and the cool, spectacular special effects.
My Last Word: Definitely a fun fantasy rollercoaster ride of action-packed thrills!
P.S. This song is a total earworm:

Movie Review: Friday the 13th: The New Blood

This has got to be one of my favorite Friday sequels. I just like how they would take a risk like this and still make it work. I mean you have my favorite movies: Friday the 13th and Carrie, merged together. That is like the perfect combination!
It's one of the most innovative and creative of the series. I know that's saying a lot since this got mixed reviews from many of the fans but I think this ranks high on my list. In this, it's pretty much back to basics but still has likeable characters (at least some of them), a now indestructible killer, and a compelling sympathetic female lead in the character of Tina Shepard.
So they did something that was totally different from any other slasher film of the 80's. And it was easy competition because A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: Dream Master was coming it's way at the box office as well. This was also Kane Hodder's first role as Jason, which he will continue playing the character for the next three sequels, making him the most well-know actor In the role.
I remembered first seeing this when I was 11 or 12 years old, and boy, was I entranced. Once this movie played on, I knew I was in for an interesting rollercoaster ride.
Here's the story: Still harboring the guilt over her father's death, young Tina Shepherd is shifted off to Camp Crystal Lake along with her mom to meet Dr. Cruise who is analyzing her psychosis. But there is something special about Tina, something beyond her control. This special gift is telekinesis, a power that tragically killed her father during an angry confrontation. Now, trying to face her past and trying to deal with the demeaning Dr. Cruise, who is exploiting her powers, Tina must battle a new evil once she accidently unleashes the indestructible force that is Jason Voorhees, All the while, a bunch of teens are vacationing next door. Tina must stop this undead killer before he gets some more fresh blood to spill.

Although most of the cast are described as one-note or less developed, but they are still very likeable despite the usual slasher movie stereotyping (the virgin, the mean girl, the nerd, the stoner, etc.).

Tina Shepherd is the most memorable, the most well-developed, and probably the most badass final girls of the Friday the 13th series. She usually contributes the usual tropes of the final girl but in a different way. She is based on the character of Carrie: A bit shy, a bit of a loner, and trying have a basic need of a normal life, despite having an extraordinary and dangerous power.

Our sympathies are with her when she tries to overcome the death of her father, dealing with the ruthless Dr. Cruise and the jealous, vindictive Melissa, and unfortunately the death of her mother. So she takes all this emotion and ends up giving Jason the beating of a lifetime. It's a knock-out drag-out battle and it's glorious. Tina is wonderfully played by the gorgeous and talented Lar Park Lincoln, bringing in a emotional range and vulnerability that was needed for the role. It would've been great if she continued acting, she really did a great performance.

And then we have Nick, played by the very sexy Kevin Spirtas (Blair). There isn't much to say about Nick honestly, But I can say that he is one of the best horror movie heroes. I there were times where Tina had to save him but it's his persistence and fearlessness that makes him note-worthy.

  And overall, he's a pretty swell guy, almost too perfect actually. But he does tell Tina about his past as a troubled youth and how he comes to terms of it, by changing his life and going to school. It actually made him a more well-rounded character and he's probably the most likeable of the other teens. I thought Kevin Spirtas was really great in the role, not to mention having classically handsome looks. I did heard that Kevin and Lar Park didn't get along on the set and that she didn't feel the chemistry between them. Well, in my opinion, I thought they had good chemistry, it's either that or they ARE really good actors.
Again, although the cast are somewhat stereotypical and one-note, there are still are an engaging brand of characters with interesting little subplots.

First, we have the yuppie couple. I call them the yuppie couple because they are almost personification of one. The guy is a sort uptight, waspy type and the girl is a perky, California valley girl type. It's a match made in heaven.

unfortunately, they get killed off rather quickly for us to be invested in.

Then you have the two female best friends with opposite personalities. You have Maddy, the nerdy one and Robin, the more attractive, vivacious one with fiery red hair.

They're competing over the affections of this guy, a stoner named David. Yeah, he's cute and all, but his personality sucks.

The one who wins, eventually, is Robin. Because she has more....character, I guess. Soon all three of them gets the sharp end of the ax.

First, Maddy gets it. It's sad because she is the more innocent of the two. In a deleted scene, it kind of explains why Jason is so pissed at her but it still kind of shows how Jason is no hold barred.

Of course, Robin and David gets the death by sex treatment along with evil old pot smoking. Eh, typical.

Then you have a minority couple, Ben and Kate. Kate seems to be pissed at Ben, but we don't know about. Though in the end, we really don't care because they get back together anyway.

And soon, Jason interrupts their makeup sex, of course.

Then there is the nerd, Eddie, who is rather cute but very stereotypical of that sort of character. All there is to say about him is that he is obsessed with science fiction and has a huge crush on the beautiful but bicthy Melissa. So once Melissa rejects him, in favor of Nick, he has a little pity party.

Until Jason crashes the party with a quiet force.

Finally, we have Michael, Nick's cousin and his girlfriend.

But by the first five to ten minutes, they are both killed off just as they're introduced. But beyond death, Nick is the driving force of the subplot mostly because the reason the teens are at Crystal lake is that they are preparing his birthday party.

I rarely focus on unlikeable characters in horror films but since these two are memorable in the film, why not?

So here's Melissa, she's basically the stereotypical popular rich bitch who vies for the affection of Nick, who constantly rejects her, in favor of girl next door Tina. It's not anything out of place for High School Drama, really.

So finally, Jason comes in the last minute and embeds an ax on her pretty little face.

But the worst character by far is Dr. Cruise. My god, he's awful! Not only does he exploit Tina and berating her into using her powers, he plays with her emotions and twists the things she says, while she is still coping with the death of her father.  He's an emotional manipulative asshole and he knows it.

But this is by far the worse offense that he's done. He uses Tina's mom as a human shield just when Jason is about to attack them.

And to add this little note, I felt bad when Tina's mom got killed because in the beginning, before her husband's death, she was just a woman trying to save her marriage at the time, despite her husband being an alcoholic and trying to help her fragile teenage daughter. just a shame.

Oh yeah, Lets get back to Dr. Jerk....

So to please all the fans, The Doctor gets it. The special tool is a weed whacker in the intestines.

And this where we to Jason. Boy, is there so much to say about Jason. He is now a rotted corpse with supernatural powers.

He is the full embodiment of the movie monster similar to The Creature From the Black Lagoon. He's faster, stronger, and is very capable of using his hands as a weapon. Kane Hodder really molded the personality of Jason, giving the notion to fans that he is truly a force to be reckoned with.

And one final note, the makeup effect on Jason is awesome, although it's a bit of a mixed reaction from fans. But in my opinion, it's very detailed, structured, and probably the best Jason design.
Boy, the special effects are pretty spectacular. Some of death scenes were cut down because the MPAA were very severe on the blood and gore in horror films back in 1988. But much of what you do see is still effective.

Especially the sleeping bag scene. Kane Hodder reportedly did at least 10 takes before getting the right shot. And it was that one whack against the tree that made the scene classic.

But the biggest effects for me was when they blew up the house and surely it was turning from a small independent slasher to a big budget action flick.
Now, lets get to the trivia, and boy, do I have a lot to tell you.
Director John Carl Buechler also worked on the special effects on A Nightmare On Elm Street: Dream Master, a movie that was again, a stiff competition at the box office. This was slated to be a Freddy Vs. Jason movie but distribution rights got in the way, so instead it was Jason Vs. the telekinetic Tina and Freddy Vs. the dream master Alice. Bill Butler alongside Lar Park Lincoln, Jeff Bennett, and also Tiffany Helm (Violet, A New Beginning) starred in Freddy's Nightmares. Bill Butler also starred in the 1990 move Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 co-starring Jennifer Banko who plays the younger Tina in the prologue opening.
Now, let's get to the real topic at hand. This is what many people called Frigay the 13th(no wonder this is my favorite) and there is a reason why.

Jeff Bennett

 

 

Craig Thomas

 

 

Bill Butler

 

 

And the very hot Kevin Spirtas are all gay. Not to mention they are all quite attractive as well. :)

 

 

And here's a little note, Bill Butler and Jeff Bennett did hook up at a party once. Can I say HOT!

 

This movie was number 1# at the box office.......for a while. A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 4: Dream Master was one of the highest grossing slasher film in the 1980's, knocking off The New Blood out of it's running spot. I guess Freddy wins this round. But this movie is without it's fan base, including myself of course.











I just find this new concept of the Friday The 13th mythology so refreshing. It still has the usual ingredients of a good slasher film but with a new twist. Again, this is the best Friday in the series, which is opening the doors to the supernatural side of Camp Crystal Lake.
My Last Word: An interesting, inventive must-see

Nightmare/Friday: The TV Series

To add more discussion on the Friday The 13th and A Nightmare On Elm Street Franchise. Let's move over to the TV Series.

First you have the Friday the 13th TV series (1987-1990). At first, I was a bit thrown off since it had the same namesake of the movie series but didn't have Jason. I know, I was one of those people but I was a kid at the time. It wasn't until years later, that  I gave it a watch or two, and I was surprised at how good it was and it's much more similar to the show The X-Files.

Even the female lead is a redhead

 

And I'm thinking this was it's inspiration of that show. It was also the most-watched and more critically-acclaimed than the movie series. So it's highly recommended.

 

And then there's Freddy's Nightmares (1988-1990). While the Friday The 13th Series was serious in tone, Freddy's Nightmares was unfortunately not. I heard a lot of buzz from this and so I watched a couple of episodes. There was one episode I remembered, That starred Lar Park Lincoln (Friday The 13th Part 7), Nancy Mcloughlin (Friday The 13th Part 6) and a pre-Hedwig And The Angry Inch John Cameron Mitchell. When I first saw this episode, it was like I was in an acid trip. I mean I see what they were doing, having this experimental feel that other television shows didn't do at around those years. But at the same time, it was too much going on for me to understand the basis of that episode. It was too confusing and it was sort of like the movie Inception but not in a good way.

I do give it points for aspiring shows like Tales From The Crypt as Freddy has the same appeal as the Crypt Keeper.

 

On the down side though, It has a very campy vibe and it was hard for me to take it seriously because of how cheap the production values are. The only reason the show was popular in the first place because of the many guest stars on the show like Brad Pitt, Mariska Hargitay, Lori Petty,etc. And this is the period where Freddy was selling himself short with the one liners and gimmicks which was done to death.

So the final verdict is: Friday The 13th The TV series of course! It has better production values, a better story, and an interesting cast of characters. Most of the story is coherent and it keeps us engaged.

Where as Freddy's Nightmares was only interesting for it's late night shock value.

So there you have it. Two shows who gained cult status from two successful film franchises until some asshole protested against it because of the violence, having it abruptly canceled in 1990, the same year shows like Twin Peaks were on air.

Although the shows didn't last long, They will always be remembered. For good or for bad....