A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Encyclopedia
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is a 1989 American slasher film
and the fifth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series
. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins
. The film's general tone is much more gothic and dark than the films before, and used a blue filter lighting technique in most of the scenes. The film's main titles do not display the "5" which was used in all of the promotional material, TV spots, trailers, and merchandise. The main titles simply say "A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child".
, Alice and Dan have now started dating and there is no sign of Freddy Krueger
. Alice begins to have dreams of a young nun, with a name tag for "Amanda Krueger", being locked away in an asylum full of maniacs. Upon graduating from high school, Alice and Dan plan their getaway to Europe. Alice has made some new friends: Greta, a supermodel in training; Yvonne, a future Olympic diver; and Mark, a comic geek.
As Alice makes her way to work she finds herself back at the asylum. Alice is wheeled into an operating room on a stretcher, wearing Amanda's uniform, and screaming in pain. As Alice looks around she sees Amanda Krueger on the table, instead of herself, giving birth. As the baby is delivered, Amanda clamors to get to it. The baby breaks free from the doctors and escapes the room. Alice follows it into a church rectory, the same place that Alice defeated Freddy in the previous film. Before she can stop him, the baby finds Freddy's clothes and quickly grows into an adult. Amanda shows up to help Alice, but is disrupted when Freddy slams the church doors closed on her. After these events, Alice finds herself at work, but four hours late.
Alice immediately phones Dan who leaves their friends and rushes over to the diner. Before Dan can make it he falls asleep and Freddy (after transforming Dan into a very literal speed demon) forces him to drive into another vehicle. Alice, after watching Freddy take possession of Dan, faints in the middle of the street. At the hospital, she is informed that she is pregnant with Dan's child. While recouping, she meets a young boy, Jacob. Yvonne later informs Alice that there were no children on her floor, nor is there a children's ward at the hospital. Freddy begins to kill Alice's friends one by one as they fall asleep. First is Greta, by forcing her to eat herself to death. Freddy then goes after Mark, and only after Alice draws herself into Mark's dream does Mark start to believe Alice. Alice requests an early ultrasound for her baby, and she soon realizes that Freddy is using her child to get into her friend's dreams. Alice also discovers that Jacob is really her unborn son. While Alice is looking for Amanda's body, Yvonne is attacked by Freddy. It's only when Yvonne barely escapes Freddy, thanks to a little help from Amanda's soul, that she accepts what Alice has been telling her. Shortly afterwards, Mark finds a comic depicting the entire events to that point and is drawn into his own nightmare. While there, Mark sees an image of Greta and finds his "dream power", the Phantom Prowler. He attacks Freddy, but is ultimately killed by Krueger and cut to pieces (literally, as he was turned into a paper character in his nightmare).
Alice sends Yvonne to the now-abandoned asylum (former Westin Hills) to release Amanda's soul while she sets out to free Jacob. Freddy pulls her into a M. C. Escher
-like labyrinth
to try to slow her down. Freddy goes back into hiding inside Alice as she finally catches up to Jacob. Upon the revelation that Krueger has been hiding inside of her the whole time, Alice forces him out, but almost dies in the process. After being released by Yvonne, Amanda arrives and instructs Jacob on how to defeat Freddy. Jacob, releasing the power that Freddy has given him, forces himself and Freddy to revert back to an infant. Alice picks up Jacob and absorbs him while the now-infant Freddy tries to escape. Before he can escape, though, Amanda picks him up and absorbs him back inside. Freddy begins to fight from within and the church doors close. A couple of months go by; Alice gives birth to Jacob, and is finally at peace from the nightmares.
In the film's last scene, the children who appear throughout the series and are used as omens of Freddy's presence are shown, humming the familiar song "One, two, Freddy's coming for you..." wearing church outfits. They are next to Alice, her father, Yvonne and baby Jacob.
. Along with Freddy's Revenge
, Robert Englund has cited number 5 as one of his least favorite Elm Street movies in his book Hollywood Monster.
Awards
11th Golden Raspberry Awards
1990 Young Artist Awards
An unrated version of the film was originally released on VHS and Laserdisc. This version contained longer, more graphic versions of Dan, Greta, and Mark's death scenes. In Dan's scene, cables can be seen sliding under the skin of Dan's arm, a large piece of the bike pierces his leg, and the skin on Dan's head is much more graphically torn off while he screams in pain. In Greta's scene, Freddy slices open a doll that begins to bleed and Greta is shown to have a gaping wound in her stomach, from which Freddy starts to feed to her. Also Mark's demise when Freddy starts to kill him . As of 2010, New Line Cinema has yet to officially release the uncut version of the film on DVD; however, snippets of these scenes are found in the Nightmare 5 section of the documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
.
, with the second side essentially being all rap and hip-hop
.
Bruce Dickinson
, famed singer of heavy metal
band Iron Maiden
, wrote and performed the song "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter
" for this movie's soundtrack. The song, later re-recorded by the band Iron Maiden itself, went on to be #1 UK single.
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
and the fifth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series
A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
. It was directed by Stephen Hopkins
Stephen Hopkins (director)
Stephen Hopkins is a Jamaican-born film director and producer. He is best-known for his continuation of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise with A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and the Predator franchise with Predator 2...
. The film's general tone is much more gothic and dark than the films before, and used a blue filter lighting technique in most of the scenes. The film's main titles do not display the "5" which was used in all of the promotional material, TV spots, trailers, and merchandise. The main titles simply say "A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child".
Plot
Taking place almost a year after The Dream MasterA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American slasher film and the fourth film in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. The film was directed by Renny Harlin.-Plot:...
, Alice and Dan have now started dating and there is no sign of Freddy Krueger
Freddy Krueger
Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
. Alice begins to have dreams of a young nun, with a name tag for "Amanda Krueger", being locked away in an asylum full of maniacs. Upon graduating from high school, Alice and Dan plan their getaway to Europe. Alice has made some new friends: Greta, a supermodel in training; Yvonne, a future Olympic diver; and Mark, a comic geek.
As Alice makes her way to work she finds herself back at the asylum. Alice is wheeled into an operating room on a stretcher, wearing Amanda's uniform, and screaming in pain. As Alice looks around she sees Amanda Krueger on the table, instead of herself, giving birth. As the baby is delivered, Amanda clamors to get to it. The baby breaks free from the doctors and escapes the room. Alice follows it into a church rectory, the same place that Alice defeated Freddy in the previous film. Before she can stop him, the baby finds Freddy's clothes and quickly grows into an adult. Amanda shows up to help Alice, but is disrupted when Freddy slams the church doors closed on her. After these events, Alice finds herself at work, but four hours late.
Alice immediately phones Dan who leaves their friends and rushes over to the diner. Before Dan can make it he falls asleep and Freddy (after transforming Dan into a very literal speed demon) forces him to drive into another vehicle. Alice, after watching Freddy take possession of Dan, faints in the middle of the street. At the hospital, she is informed that she is pregnant with Dan's child. While recouping, she meets a young boy, Jacob. Yvonne later informs Alice that there were no children on her floor, nor is there a children's ward at the hospital. Freddy begins to kill Alice's friends one by one as they fall asleep. First is Greta, by forcing her to eat herself to death. Freddy then goes after Mark, and only after Alice draws herself into Mark's dream does Mark start to believe Alice. Alice requests an early ultrasound for her baby, and she soon realizes that Freddy is using her child to get into her friend's dreams. Alice also discovers that Jacob is really her unborn son. While Alice is looking for Amanda's body, Yvonne is attacked by Freddy. It's only when Yvonne barely escapes Freddy, thanks to a little help from Amanda's soul, that she accepts what Alice has been telling her. Shortly afterwards, Mark finds a comic depicting the entire events to that point and is drawn into his own nightmare. While there, Mark sees an image of Greta and finds his "dream power", the Phantom Prowler. He attacks Freddy, but is ultimately killed by Krueger and cut to pieces (literally, as he was turned into a paper character in his nightmare).
Alice sends Yvonne to the now-abandoned asylum (former Westin Hills) to release Amanda's soul while she sets out to free Jacob. Freddy pulls her into a M. C. Escher
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
-like labyrinth
Labyrinth
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos...
to try to slow her down. Freddy goes back into hiding inside Alice as she finally catches up to Jacob. Upon the revelation that Krueger has been hiding inside of her the whole time, Alice forces him out, but almost dies in the process. After being released by Yvonne, Amanda arrives and instructs Jacob on how to defeat Freddy. Jacob, releasing the power that Freddy has given him, forces himself and Freddy to revert back to an infant. Alice picks up Jacob and absorbs him while the now-infant Freddy tries to escape. Before he can escape, though, Amanda picks him up and absorbs him back inside. Freddy begins to fight from within and the church doors close. A couple of months go by; Alice gives birth to Jacob, and is finally at peace from the nightmares.
In the film's last scene, the children who appear throughout the series and are used as omens of Freddy's presence are shown, humming the familiar song "One, two, Freddy's coming for you..." wearing church outfits. They are next to Alice, her father, Yvonne and baby Jacob.
Cast
- Robert EnglundRobert EnglundRobert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
as Freddy KruegerFreddy KruegerFrederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,... - Lisa WilcoxLisa WilcoxLisa E. Wilcox is an American actress who has starred in film and television.-Movie career:Wilcox's best known film role is in the 1988 hit horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master as Alice Johnson. In 1989, she reprised the role in the sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The...
as Alice Johnson - Beatrice BoeppleBeatrice BoeppleBeatrice Boepple is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Amanda Krueger in the 1989 horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child...
as Amanda Krueger - Whit HertfordWhit Hertford- Biography :His mother, Carol Hertford, raised Whit and his two younger sisters, Chelsea and Brighton in Oak Park, CA. He is the son of the late stage director, Bruce Hertford. He lives in Los Angeles.- Career :...
as Jacob Johnson - Kelly Jo MinterKelly Jo MinterKelly Jo Minter is an American actress who has starred in many feature films. Her first feature role was in the 1985 hit drama film Mask...
as Yvonne - Danny HasselDanny HasselDanny Hassel is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Dan Jordan in the 1988 hit horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and in the 1989 sequel A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child....
as Dan Jordan - Erika AndersonErika AndersonErika Anderson is an American actress who has starred in film and on television. Anderson grew up in Tulsa Oklahoma. The daughter of a sculptor, she attended Hale High School and the University of Tulsa with a Telecommunications major and Theater minor. While in school, she worked as a disc jockey...
as Greta Gibson - Nicholas MeleNicholas MeleNicholas Mele is an actor who has starred in many movies and on television. His first movie role was in the 1976 movie The Ritz. Other movie roles include Some Kind of Hero and Young Doctors in Love . His most well-known film role was in the 1988 hit horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 4:...
as Dennis Johnson - Joe SeelyJoe SeelyJoe Seely is an actor who has starred in films and television. He is perhaps best known for his role as Mark Gray in the 1989 hit horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. His other films are Armed and Dangerous, Tough Guys, and Shag. Seely has made guest appearances on tv shows...
as Mark Grey - Valorie ArmstrongValorie ArmstrongValorie Armstrong is an American actress most notably recognized from her role as Perkins family matriarch, Marisa Perkins on NBC's soap opera Santa Barbara during 1984-1985. Her other roles include various guest-starring roles on TV shows...
as Doris Jordan - Burr DeBenningBurr DeBenningBurr DeBenning was an American character actor, who has done work in both film and television. DeBenning appeared in nearly 100 films and TV shows during his career. His credits include the television films The House on Greenapple Road, Wolfen, The Incredible Melting Man, A Nightmare on Elm...
as Mr. Jordan - Clarence FelderClarence FelderClarence Felder is an American character actor who starred in films and on television and co-starred in ten Broadway productions....
as Edmund A. Gray
Critical
The film received mixed to very poor reviews, and has an overall 29% 'rotten' score on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Along with Freddy's Revenge
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge is a 1985 American slasher film and the second film in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. The film was directed by Jack Sholder and stars Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Despite the film's title,...
, Robert Englund has cited number 5 as one of his least favorite Elm Street movies in his book Hollywood Monster.
Commercial
The film opened in 1,902 theaters making $8.1 million in its opening weekend. The domestic gross was $22.1 million, making it the second lowest grossing Nightmare movie.Awards
1990 FantasportoFantasporto
Fantasporto, also known as Fantas, is an international film festival, annually organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. Giving screen space to commercial feature films, auteur films and experimental projects from all over the world, Fantasporto has created enthusiastic audiences, ranging from...
Awards
- Critics Award - Stephen HopkinsStephen HopkinsStephen Hopkins may refer to:* Stephen Hopkins , Mayflower passenger, first mayor of Plymouth, father of only baby born during the trip aboard the Mayflower...
- Won - International Fantasy Film Award Best Film - Stephen HopkinsStephen HopkinsStephen Hopkins may refer to:* Stephen Hopkins , Mayflower passenger, first mayor of Plymouth, father of only baby born during the trip aboard the Mayflower...
- Nomination
11th Golden Raspberry Awards
- Razzie Award for Worst Original SongRazzie Award for Worst Original SongThe Razzie Award for Worst Original Song is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst song written for a film in the previous year. The following is a list of recipients and nominees of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated...
- Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
for Bring Your Daughter...To the Slaughter - Won - Razzie Award for Worst Original SongRazzie Award for Worst Original SongThe Razzie Award for Worst Original Song is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards for the worst song written for a film in the previous year. The following is a list of recipients and nominees of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated...
- Kool Moe DeeKool Moe DeeMohandas Dewese , better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American Hip Hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was born in Manhattan, New York...
for Let's GoGreatest Hits (Kool Moe Dee album)Greatest Hits is a collection of all emcee Kool Moe Dee's greatest hits and other highlights of his hip hop career.-Track listing:#"Wild Wild West"#"Go See the Doctor"#"God Made Me Funke"#"I Go to Work"#"Whosgotdaflava"#"Let's Go"#"Death Blow"...
- Nominated
1990 Young Artist Awards
- Best Young Actor in a Supporting Role - Whit HertfordWhit Hertford- Biography :His mother, Carol Hertford, raised Whit and his two younger sisters, Chelsea and Brighton in Oak Park, CA. He is the son of the late stage director, Bruce Hertford. He lives in Los Angeles.- Career :...
- Won
Deleted scenes
The graduation sequence was considerably cut down, which included Alice's father giving her the camera. As a result there are a number of minor continuity errors such as Alice holding airplane tickets moments before Dan gives them to her as a surprise gift.An unrated version of the film was originally released on VHS and Laserdisc. This version contained longer, more graphic versions of Dan, Greta, and Mark's death scenes. In Dan's scene, cables can be seen sliding under the skin of Dan's arm, a large piece of the bike pierces his leg, and the skin on Dan's head is much more graphically torn off while he screams in pain. In Greta's scene, Freddy slices open a doll that begins to bleed and Greta is shown to have a gaping wound in her stomach, from which Freddy starts to feed to her. Also Mark's demise when Freddy starts to kill him . As of 2010, New Line Cinema has yet to officially release the uncut version of the film on DVD; however, snippets of these scenes are found in the Nightmare 5 section of the documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy is a 2010 American four-hour direct-to-DVD documentary film that chronicles the entire Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and the rise of New Line Cinema. Written by Thommy Hutson, produced by Daniel Farrands and Thommy Hutson, and co-directed by Daniel...
.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack featured ten tracks. The first side was essentially all heavy metalHeavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, with the second side essentially being all rap and hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
.
- Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonPaul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
- "Bring Your Daughter... to the SlaughterBring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter"Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" is the second single from No Prayer for the Dying, Iron Maiden's first full-length album in over two years...
" - Romeo's DaughterRomeo's DaughterRomeo's Daughter are a British AOR mainstream rock band with Leigh Matty, Craig Joiner, Anthony Mitman. The band released two albums in 1988 and 1993 respectively. The band then reformed in 2009 and plan to release new material.- History :...
- "Heaven in the Back Seat" - W.A.S.P. - "Savage"
- MammothMammothA mammoth is any species of the extinct genus Mammuthus. These proboscideans are members of Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths, and close relatives of modern elephants. They were often equipped with long curved tusks and, in northern species, a covering of long hair...
- "Can't Take the Hurt" - Slave RaiderSlave RaiderSlave Raider was an American heavy metal band formed in 1985 that was known for its over-the-top antics, heavy make-up and glam song lyrics. In the 1980s, the Minneapolis music scene was primarily known for The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Hüsker Dü and Prince among others. In the Twin Cities, Slave...
- "What Do You Know About Rock 'n' Roll" - WhodiniWhodiniWhodini is a hip hop group that was formed in 1981. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, aka Ecstasy ; and turntable artist DJ Drew Carter, aka Grandmaster Dee.-Early years:Whodini was among the first hip-hop groups to...
- "Any Way I Gotta Swing It" - Samantha FoxSamantha FoxSamantha Karen "Sam" Fox is an English dance-pop singer, actress, and former glamour model. In 1983, at the age of 16, she began her topless modeling career on Page Three of The Sun, and went on to become a popular pin-up girl...
- "Now I Lay Me Down" - Kool Moe DeeKool Moe DeeMohandas Dewese , better known as Kool Moe Dee, is an American Hip Hop MC prominent in the late 1970s through the early 1990s. He was born in Manhattan, New York...
- "Let's Go" - Doctor IceDoctor IceDoctor Ice is a rapper in the hip-hop world. He was with the group UTFO, most famous for its song "Roxanne, Roxanne" released as a single in 1984, before the self-titled debut album in 1985. The group recorded 4 albums together that did well, charting some number-one singles, as well as the...
- "Word Up Doc!" - Schoolly DSchoolly DJesse B. Weaver Jr. , better known by the stage name Schoolly D, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.- Career :...
- "Livin' in the Jungle"
Bruce Dickinson
Bruce Dickinson
Paul Bruce Dickinson is an English singer, songwriter, airline pilot, fencer, broadcaster, author, screenwriter, actor and marketing director, best known as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Iron Maiden....
, famed singer of heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band's discography has grown to include a total of thirty-six albums: fifteen studio albums; eleven live albums; four EPs; and six...
, wrote and performed the song "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter
Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter
"Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter" is the second single from No Prayer for the Dying, Iron Maiden's first full-length album in over two years...
" for this movie's soundtrack. The song, later re-recorded by the band Iron Maiden itself, went on to be #1 UK single.
External links
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child at The Nightmare on Elm Street Companion