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A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

Play trailer Poster for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child R 1989 1h 29m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
32% Tomatometer 37 Reviews 31% Popcornmeter 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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A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream 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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Critics Reviews

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David Hughes Empire Magazine Apr 5, 2010
2/5
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. Go to Full Review
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Apr 5, 2010
The series here takes a depressing nosedive into zero-degree filmmaking. Go to Full Review
Variety Staff Variety Mar 26, 2009
Fifth edition of the hit Nightmare series is a poorly constructed special effects showcase. Go to Full Review
Grant Watson Fiction Machine Oct 2, 2025
6/10
While stylish and broadly enjoyable, The Dream Child feels like a compromised work and does not quite make the impact that its immediate predecessor did. Go to Full Review
Brian Bisesi Horror Movie Club Podcast Sep 25, 2025
3/5
The Dream Child has good ideas, and is entertaining despite its flaws. Partly a victim of a rushed production, and partly of extensive MPAA cuts, the final product is a slapdash jumble of what could have been a far more compelling entry in the franchise. Go to Full Review
Josh Mooney Movieline Sep 16, 2025
A pretty tired effort. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Robert P @Superbad 2 days ago this movie stinks... See more B P @Bradster69 Aug 31, 2026 Not Bad, but Not My Favorite See more Alex B @AlexBioni Aug 26, 2026 Bon Appétit, Bitch This movie is a sequel to Part 4, and unfortunately it feels exactly like Part 4. The TV movie acting and production are distracting, and nothing particularly interesting happens. Every time a teenager gets attacked by Freddy, the movie basically stops to explain what just happened. It became frustrating and made the whole thing feel like the same generic formula over and over. I did like that they went deeper into Freddy's lore. There are some interesting ideas here, but I don't think they were executed well. The practical effects are also cool to look at, as expected. Overall, I feel like I got nothing out of this movie. It's not scary, the story isn't interesting, and it doesn't do enough to justify another sequel. See more Romas M @Romas Aug 4, 2026 Greetings from Lithuania. "A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child" (aka part 5) is just a bad movie. I've watched it back in the day, and revisiting it in 2026 on newly remastered 4K UHD was a fun but ultimately disappointing watch. The film does look and sound great on 4K, but as a movie itself it is a bad one. Story, screenplay, acting, directing - nothing works in this mess. On positive side there are some inventive scenes here and there like one with the comics. Some make up effects are great as usual for the series. Overall, "The Dream Child" is just a bad movie. Not scary, very confusing and totally unnecessary instalment that hurt the series rather to elevate it. See more Charles T @CharlesGaming1000 Jul 14, 2026 Alr, this is kinda bad See more diogo13 T @Tua_mera Jul 11, 2026 Este filme deveria ter sido cancelado. See more Read all reviews
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

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Movie Info

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 29m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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