10 Brilliant Horror Movie Concepts Not Taken Far Enough
9. A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
This three-quel offers the unique and exciting premise that the young victims of Freddy Krueger can possess strength in dreams they do not have in waking life.
Dream Warriors follows a group of teenage patients confined within a psychiatric hospital as they are preyed upon by dream stalker Freddy Krueger. Original Elm Street heroine Heather Langenkamp returns as Nancy Thompson to aide the teens in one final fight intending to stop Krueger for good.
The film's title and its marketing campaign suggests a teaming up of dream world superheros to take out the legendary dream demon for good! Unfortunately this isn't quite the film we got. Although the teenagers involved do possess some impressive powers, such as super strength, magical powers and medal worthy gymnastics it all appears to be for nothing. The Dream Warriors are almost completely ineffective against Freddy, with half dying and the other half running away. It is left to someone in the waking world to defeat Freddy.
One can't help but feel a little let down by how this concept was handled and how it could've been so much more. Even the usually enigmatic Heather Langenkamp seems stiff and rather useless here, her character ultimately succumbing to Krueger's blades after falling for a rouse she seems much too smart for.