A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors (1987)

  • 72% of critics liked it
    (32 reviews)

  • 68% of users liked it
    (283,602 ratings)

The best of the Elm Street sequels, this creepy, surreal fantasy features terrific effects, a fine young cast, and an air of grim fatalism that sets it apart from its giggly successors. Patricia Arquette stars as Kristen, whose nightmare leads to a slashed wrist which looks suspiciously like a… More

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R, 1 hr. 36 min.
Directed By
Chuck Russell
Written By
Chuck Russell, Frank Darabont, Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner
Genres
Horror
In Theaters
Feb 27, 1987 Wide
On DVD
Aug 21, 2001
Media Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    Debuting director Chuck Russell elicits poor performances from most of his thesps, making it difficult to differentiate between pic's comic relief and unintended howlers.

  • Janet Maslin, New York Times

    The film's dream sequences are ingenious, and they feature some remarkable nightmare images and special effects.

  • Richard Harrington, Washington Post

    While it's better than its predecessor, it's still not quite up to its inspiration.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    This is filmmaking by the numbers, without soul.

  • David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews

    ...the mental-hospital setting [is] certainly a refreshing change from the suburban atmosphere that dominated the first two films.

Read all 16 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

  • AJ V


    Alright, that's it, this is the last Elm St. movie I ever want to see! Here I thought that after that horrendous second movie this one would be worse, but no, it was terrifying, and I went back to my nightmares with Freddy. The original scream queen Langenkamp, who played Nancy… More

  • Jason C


    This is probably my favorite entry in the series. "Dream Warriors" thankfully rebounds from the ridiculous "Freddy's Revenge", and actually advances the concepts presented in the original. The most notable creative progressions are the dream sequences. The… More

  • jd c


    Tied with New Nightmare, this is my second favorite in the series. This is where Freddy Krueger becomes the comedian we grew to love. It displays some of the most inventive kills in the series. Part 3 is bloodier than part 2, but not bloodier than the original. But the death scenes… More

  • Jeff "


    This is a redeeming sequel to the weaker Freddy's Revenge. What makes this film a better, more entertaining film is a strong cast, some terrific directing, great script writing and the involvement of Wes Craven. Dream Warriors is one of the best Nightmare On Elm Street sequels… More

  • Chris G


    The tide of 1980’s horror sequels continues with this third chapter in the series of films that ruined the housing market on Elm Streets throughout the country. This time the film actually doesn’t occur on Elm Street (unless you count a few dream sequences in the house from the… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

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Trailers & Clips

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