A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

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A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

R

Released Aug 11, 1989

1h 30m

Horror

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Popcornmeter

30%

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33 Reviews

31%

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100,000+ Ratings

The fifth installment of the popular franchise focuses on Alice (Lisa Wilcox), a survivor of the fourth, who believes Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) has been eliminated for good. She optimistically hopes to start a life with fellow survivor Dan (Danny Hassel). The nightmares begin soon enough, though, and Alice learns she is pregnant. When her friends start dying, Alice suspects that Freddy is using the fetus within her as a weapon. Can she fight the demon while protecting her unborn child?

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Critics Consensus

A Nightmare on Elm Street feels exhausted by this cheesy fifth entry, bogged down by a convoluted mythology while showing none of the chilling technique that kicked off the franchise.

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David Hughes

Empire Magazine

Despite an impressive bag of special effects tricks, old Fred is starting to resemble one of those dead horses that studio execs insist on flogging.

Rated: 2/5

Apr 5, 2010

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

The series here takes a depressing nosedive into zero-degree filmmaking.

Apr 5, 2010

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Variety Staff

Variety

Fifth edition of the hit Nightmare series is a poorly constructed special effects showcase.

Mar 26, 2009

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The Freddy Muppet Baby is laughable, but give this some credit: It might be the only movie in history to contain references to both M.C. Escher and a-ha.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 20, 2024

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Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

What "The Dream Child" most successfully carries to term is an empathetic, emotional engagement of teenage trauma and pregnancy. It reflects a decade-ending boiling point in the tension between Hollywood button-pushers and political pencil-pushers.

Rated: 2.5/5

Oct 7, 2022

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Cody Leach

Cody Leach (YouTube)

Dream Child is a series low-point. Any terror or menace from Freddy Krueger is now gone in favor of a failing stand-up comedian. Lisa Wilcox tries her best to carry a lackluster cast of characters whose deaths (almost) all lean into the silly and stupid.

Rated: 1.5/5

Aug 20, 2022

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Lisa L

I really like the darkness and Gothic elements in this one. The story is uninteresting but Robert Englund and Lisa Wilcox do their best to make something out of nothing.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/01/24

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Rowan C

It was a pretty mediocre movie, but it was watchable in its own way. Obviously, there are the silly moments in any Freddy Krueger films and they are always entertaining to watch. Compared to the other Nightmare on Elm Streets, this one ranks a little low because the other ones are so much better. By no means is it the worst Freddy movie, it's just no where near the best one out of the franchise. I liked how they tried to continue Alices' story, but it was just not executed all to well.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/25/24

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John W

Its a bad film and rather forgettable not worth watching

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/14/24

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Zachary A

Listen, none of these movies are perfect lol but this one isn’t bad, and I argue that it’s the second best of the sequels. The first is obviously the best, followed by part 3, but I think this is the third best. The imagery and the special effects are honestly kind of beautiful in this one. The story is pretty creative, and well everything is pretty creative. A lot of the acting and dialogue is very cringe lol but if you look past the silliness, it’s one of the stronger in the franchise.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/08/24

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Lucas t

Just slightly better than the second one. That's not saying much.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

07/19/24

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Alec B

Not good but deserves a few points for the gothic imagery and for having a somewhat coherent plot and themes (i.e. fears about parenthood and the sudden arrival of adulthood). Also Krueger's camp seems less grating here but that's because eventually you just give up hoping that he'll ever be scary again.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

07/09/24

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Stephen Hopkins

Director

Robert Englund

Freddy Krueger

Lisa Wilcox

Alice Johnson

Danny Hassel

Daniel 'Dan' Jordan

Kelly Jo Minter

Yvonne

Erika Anderson

Greta Gibson

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Synopsis

The fifth installment of the popular franchise focuses on Alice (Lisa Wilcox), a survivor of the fourth, who believes Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) has been eliminated for good. She optimistically hopes to start a life with fellow survivor Dan (Danny Hassel). The nightmares begin soon enough, though, and Alice learns she is pregnant. When her friends start dying, Alice suspects that Freddy is using the fetus within her as a weapon. Can she fight the demon while protecting her unborn child?

Director: Stephen Hopkins
Producer: Robert Shaye, Rupert Harvey
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): Aug 11, 1989, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 1, 2010
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.2M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR

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