A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

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A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

R

1987

1h 35m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

68%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

68%

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250,000+ Ratings

During a hallucinatory incident, young Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) has her wrists slashed by dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Her mother, mistaking the wounds for a suicide attempt, sends Kristen to a psychiatric ward, where she joins a group of similarly troubled teens. One of the doctors there is Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), who had battled Freddy some years before. Nancy senses a potential in Kristen to rid the world of Freddy once and for all.

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Critics Consensus

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors offers an imaginative and surprisingly satisfying rebound for a franchise already starting to succumb to sequelitis.

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Nigel Andrews

Financial Times

Abysmal, and the only thing worth cheering is special effects work by Peter Chesney.

Jul 27, 2023

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Desmond Ryan

Philadelphia Inquirer

It's the dumbest installment in the series.

Jul 25, 2023

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Bill Briggs

Orlando Sentinel

Drive-In Academy Award nominations for... Robert Englund, as Freddy Krueger, the one and only, and Chuck Russel, the director, for doing a heck of a job.

Jul 24, 2023

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

The end result is a film that, while never quite reaching the quality of Wes Craven’s original work, stands up as a particularly strong sequel – taking up the ingredients of the format and set-up, and remixing them into an entertaining new variation.

Rated: 7/10

Oct 1, 2025

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

It offers more campy fun than it has any right to deliver, though it's still a far cry from something I'd call "good."

Rated: 2/5

Sep 11, 2025

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Alan Jones

Radio Times

Full of great special effects and with Freddy's pre-history filled in very satisfyingly, this is a rollercoaster ride from the opening Edgar Allan Poe quotation to the final Ray Harryhausen homage.

Rated: 3/5

May 23, 2025

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Jay R

Always a great movie, this theater used a real reel projection of the movie, it was a great experience.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/15/25

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Jessica C

It was a fun movie that really held up well for the time period. We really enjoyed seeing this again.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/11/25

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Neil B.

Nightmare on Elm street 1,3,4 and Freddie’s Dead are the best of the series imo.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/22/25

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Matty D

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is the rare slasher sequel that doesn’t repeat the plot and beats of its predecessor(s), instead opting for some imaginative and risk-taking storytelling. With the return of Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) in a role that is definitively different from the one she played in the first film, alongside a cast of mostly newcomers, Dream Warriors deepens the Nightmare mythology, while serving up slasherific scares. Easily the most inventive and wholly memorable entry in the series, Dream Warriors surpasses the original in many respects. This is a film that takes emotional risks and they pay off, however devastating the consequences may be. If you’re a fan of Freddy Krueger, this is his must-see movie!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/19/25

Full Review

Mania I.

A fantastic threequel that brings back Heather Lankencamp from the first installment. Storyline is superior to part 2. The acting for the most part is pretty decent. The direction is phenomenal. The practical effects are amazing. The film drags a little bit in the middle but other than that is still good fun scary movie.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/18/25

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Stephen C

Success in 1 hour and 35 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/17/25

Full Review

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Chuck Russell

Director

Heather Langenkamp

Nancy Thompson

Patricia Arquette

Kristen Parker

Craig Wasson

Dr. Neil Gordon

Laurence Fishburne

Max

Priscilla Pointer

Dr. Elizabeth Simms

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Synopsis

During a hallucinatory incident, young Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) has her wrists slashed by dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Her mother, mistaking the wounds for a suicide attempt, sends Kristen to a psychiatric ward, where she joins a group of similarly troubled teens. One of the doctors there is Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), who had battled Freddy some years before. Nancy senses a potential in Kristen to rid the world of Freddy once and for all.

Director: Chuck Russell
Producer: Robert Shaye
Screenwriter: Wes Craven
Distributor: New Line Cinema, Image Entertainment Inc., Media Home Entertainment
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 27, 1987, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 30, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $44.1M
Runtime: 1h 35m

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