A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child

1989
R
1h 29m

IMDb RATING

5.0/10

53K

YOUR RATING

A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)

The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world.

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Body Horror Dark Comedy Dark Fantasy Slasher Horror Supernatural Fantasy Supernatural Horror Teen Horror Fantasy Horror

The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world.The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world.The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.0/10

53K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 3 wins & 2 nominations total

Trivia
According to director Stephen Hopkins, they "got lots of tarantulas, hand-painted them green and red, and on the floor of the stage placed a little wall up in the shape of an arm and had trainers come in and around the tarantulas." The plan was to simply drop the wall and film the resulting scattering of the spiders, but after they got the shot they were left with a studio full of around 200 angry tarantulas. Hopkins figures, "We probably carried on shooting on another set, I'm sure. I don't think anyone ever found them again." As far as the director knows, those spiders roamed freely through the studio and escaped into the free world, or maybe it was just somebody else's job to ensure the tarantulas were all accounted for.

Goofs
(at around 9 mins) During the graduation, while talking to Mark and Greta, Alice is seen holding the tickets to Europe before Dan has given them to her. They disappear for a bit and then Dan gives them to her a little later in the scene.

Quotes
[disguised as Dan Jordan]
Freddy Krueger: Kids... always a disappointment.

Crazy credits
In the end credits, Lisa Wilcox's (Alice) name is omitted, possibly due an oversight with the end credits being listed alphabetically and the fact that her last name would have put her last on the list.

Alternate versions
Although the UK cinema and video versions were fully uncut the DVD release features the R-rated U.S print which is missing around 15 secs of gore. The fusion scene between Dan and the bike is shortened and the scene where Freddy forces Greta's innards into her mouth is cut (his voice can be heard saying "You are what you eat").

Connections
Featured in Romeo's Daughter: Heaven in the Backseat (1989)

Soundtracks
BRING YOUR DAUGHTER TO THE SLAUGHTER
Performed by Bruce Dickinson
Written by Bruce Dickinson
Produced by Chris Bangarides for Zomba Recording Svcs.
1989 Zomba Records LTD
An Original Sound Recording Made By Zomba Recording Corp.

User reviews332

Review

Featured review

6/10

A Bit Dull

After the wild, funhouse-like Dream Master, Freddy returns in The Dream Child, but it's a lot less fun this time. It turns out that The Dream Master's survivors, Alice and Dan, are going to have a baby and Freddy sees this as an opportunity to take a few more victims by getting into the baby's dreams.

It's an interesting concept and there are several really excellent moments, but something feels tired and lethargic about it. To be fair, the first act is fairly solid, but it starts getting really slow in the middle of the film with only a murder or two to spice things up. Thankfully, the murders (there seems to be a very small body count this time around) are fittingly fantastical with a girl being turned into a doll and force fed her intestines being particularly gruesome.

Lisa Wilcox still makes for a great heroine even if the material is a bit more dour this time around. Freddy seems to have lost a bit of his jokey quips this time, too, which is a welcome relief.