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A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

1987
Comedy
Fantasy
1h 36m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 42.83% from 1776 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(1776)
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Rated 18 Aug 2020
86
92nd
After the slight misstep of the second installment, it would be easy to dismiss the remaining films in the series as horror movie chaff reserved only for gluttons and die hards, but "Dream Warriors" is not only a solid horror movie, but even if it's not as good as the first, it's still one of the best horror movies of the decade.
Rated 18 Dec 2013
76
82nd
This is the best non-Craven directed entry in the series. Everything goes down smoother with John Saxon anyways. I'd give anything to be a "dream warrior." It reminds me of a dream I had where I could turn anything I touched into stone but then my nephew had lost his cat and we had to find it. We could hear it but it was always out of reach. You know what? I hate my dreams.
Rated 18 Jun 2018
85
86th
Shoves part 2 back into the closet. Let us all breathe a sigh of relief no one is being sucked into one of Jesse’s dreams. John Saxon isn’t even playing a character. We went from Freddy chasing you with his glove and sometimes he makes his arms longer to full on nonsense theatrics.
Rated 18 Oct 2018
88
83rd
Although Langenkamp's acting is spotty & the lispy actor playing Kincaid is distracting, this may be the best slasher film ever made. In fact, the characterization and more conventional 3-act dramatic structure is so unusual for the sub-genre I'm not sure this even qualifies as a slasher film. Instead of the interchangeable victims which seem to be a slasher standard, the characters here are all clearly distinguishable from one another & so proactive that most of them are actual protagonists.
Rated 19 Oct 2017
81
85th
The third entry in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series is a fan-favorite sequel, and maybe even one that, at times rivals the original in some ways. Following-up on the first, Heather Langenkamp returns and quickly finds herself forced to team-up with the last of the Elm Street kids to wage dream warfare against Freddy. Maybe it's the creative kills and fun one-liners, or possibly the "BK kids club" and their silly dream powers, but whatever it is I love this 80's horror cheese.
Rated 12 Oct 2020
65
47th
Liked this back in the day, and wasn't disappointed on this rewatch. It isn't perfect, but there is plenty here to like. The setting and characters work well, it has a good sense of imagination, and there are some fine bouts of violence and general unpleasantness. John Saxon appears just in time to steady the ship towards the end; always a class act. The Harryhausen skeleton tribute was a bit jarring, though. Feels like a "proper" sequel...I'll need to check out that mad part 2 again sometime...
Rated 31 May 2009
80
52nd
The best one other than the first, but for entirely different reasons. Awesome death scenes and the series was mostly back on track with this one, too bad it fell off course.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
80
84th
Clearly the best of all the NOES flicks. The idea of a group of misfit freaks with dream powers teaming up to fight Freddy is badass, and this entry features some of his coolest kills and one-liners.
Rated 04 May 2009
75
54th
Few of the nondream sequences possess much in the way of logic, serving simply as convenient frames for the flick's real raison d'etre; happily, the numerous nightmare set pieces save the day, as F.K. adopts such unlikely guises as a sexy blond nurse, a TV set, and Dick Cavett(!). This remains the sickest, funniest, and most outlandishly surreal of the series.
Rated 01 Nov 2019
60
42nd
A lot of creativity and some fun set pieces, even expanding Freddy's backstory works, but the actual "dream powers" angle just doesn't work for me as anything other uber-cheesy eye-roll fuel. Sets in motion all of the major issues I have with the ensuing sequels, even if they admittedly aren't that bad yet this time around.
Rated 02 Nov 2016
7
84th
(2016 Freddython #3:) Of all the horror sequels I've seen, this is one of the only ones that actually does a genuinely creative and intelligent job expending on the mythology and "rules" of the original film. I mean, it's still ultimately a dumb slasher flick about Freddy picking off kids, but there's many clever ideas amidst the dumbness. (In a way the film is almost a proto-Matrix.) You could actually just watch the original and this one and treat Elm Street as a complete two-film story.
Rated 15 Jul 2018
65
61st
As Nancy returns to help a doctor a group of suicidal teens paying for their father's sin - of burning Krueger to death - we know a bit more about the villain's origins - "the bastard son of a hundred maniacs" - and face some amazing special effects - TV murder is awesome ("welcome to primetime!"), junkyard scene - while these kids use dream abilities - Arquette basically becomes a super-athlete - to confront the stalker. Climax is a bit annoying - why that skeleton attack?. More fun than scary.
Rated 28 May 2007
70
49th
Really, this and the original are the only two worth seeing. Co-written by an up-and-coming screenwriter by the name of Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile).
Rated 07 Mar 2022
100
94th
I’m sure some people may disagree with me but Dream Warriors Is the best movie in the series (In my opinion) They bought back original characters solid story and we got to know more about Freddy’s backstory All the movies have great special effects (except for the remake) This movie has the best special effects of all of them I only wish they hadn’t killed Nancy it just felt wrong My guess she didn’t want to do anymore movies But I wish they would have wrote her out differently
Rated 26 Oct 2012
80
64th
A personal favorite of mine, this movie is everything I like about 80s horror. The characters are a step above what you'd expect in a movie like this, Freddy is legit scary, and the movie has a lot of interesting ideas. It gets bogged down in that whole silly "power of dreams" things, but I've got some heavy nostalgia for this movie.
Rated 08 Feb 2008
89
92nd
Not only is this the best "Elm Street", but it's probably the best of the classic Holy Slasher Trilogy (F13, Elm St., Halloween) save for the original "Halloween". Not surprising that Craven came back to write this one. Of course, this did start Freddy's full-on metamorphosis from shadowy, dream-stalking bogeyman to melted-face court jester, but considering that they really should have just stopped with this one, I can't hold the sins of the subsequent films against it. "I am the Wizard Master!"
Rated 09 Oct 2016
75
44th
This was pretty good. The fact that it has an ensemble cast really helps, as does the setting which adds its own extra layer of horror. Freddy feels really menacing here and the mix of dreams and reality finds a good balance. It's still a bit incoherent at times, and a bit too graphic for my tastes, but I mostly liked it.
Rated 17 Feb 2010
45
7th
The only nightmare on elm street that I care to remember because the "dream warriors" scenes were so silly. This was less of a horror film really and more of a nightmare for children. It's entertaining if you like watching total 80's schlock.
Rated 24 Oct 2013
60
62nd
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors takes the spirit of the second film and ignores it completely in favor of the roots established by the original film. It has many moments of creativity, some innovative and very impressive special effects, a slightly different take on Freddy Krueger, and far too many indistinguishable characters for any of them to matter. It's also not at all scary, and it really could have used a central character to latch onto.
Rated 23 Oct 2022
69
47th
Probably about as good as a cheesy 80s slasher can get, surprising for the third in a long line of sequels. While the characters are sparse and the ending underwhelms, the kids are given something to do and there's an enjoyable campy vibe throughout, especially with how creative the dreams and deaths get. Boy, Freddy sure does say 'bitch' a lot!
Rated 06 Mar 2008
56
34th
I thought for sure the kid in the wheelchair was going to kill Freddie, but when I saw my watch, I realized there was no way they'd end this fabulous movie with like an hour in. I almost vomited when I saw the marionette scene.
Rated 28 Oct 2014
55
35th
Yeah, this definitely was not the crapfest that the second installment was. Granted these were just cool ideas that never reached a full potential due to the sheer amount of 80's cheese. I appreciate this movie, but it could have been much greater than it was.
Rated 16 Oct 2010
65
45th
I thought this was a great turn for the series. Obviously when you are on your third film in a franchise like this it's easy to just keep cashing it in, but the fighting back I felt was really cool when i was 12.
Rated 28 Mar 2010
40
39th
it actually makes a decent stab at emulating the atmosphere of the original, though occasionally ruining it with stupid over-the-top effects sequences. the main problem is the screenplay, which is absolutely silly and reads more like a captain planet episode than a horror movie. "you've found your dream power!" is terrible in comparison with nancy's intelligent improvisation in the first, and for as elaborate as the setpieces are, there really are no disturbing deaths.
Rated 08 Nov 2020
80
75th
You know you are in a good time as soon as you hear Dokken. I love how this film introduces exactly one thing each kid likes and then has Freddy use that against them.
Rated 24 Jan 2017
74
43rd
I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed this film. It was a creative idea for the franchise. Why not give the dreamers tools to fight back against Freddy? They even do a decent job of making us care what happens to these characters - plus some of those dream sequences with Freddy were bananas.
Rated 05 Aug 2018
60
25th
The best in the Nightmare franchise in my opinion, but that doesn't mean it isn't shitty. It's got that right sort of slasher-meets-sardonic-humour element that I think they always want to get out of Freddy's character, But still, it's pretty shitty.
Rated 25 Aug 2012
50
43rd
What I like about the Dream Warriors is that the individual youngsters have realized that they have some sort of power against Krueger. What I don't like is how little and how poorly it was used.
Rated 02 Oct 2021
35
55th
good slashers just make me sad
Rated 31 Oct 2015
70
56th
I can definitely see why people consider this the best of the franchise as it has a nice mix of comedy without taking too much away from the horror. Plenty of things didn't work, but I liked the team up and power aspects of the kids even if they were mostly useless and ineffective.
Rated 20 Oct 2021
9
95th
What feels like the proper sequel to the original, Dream Warriors brought back the reins to Craven, with some help from Darabont and Russell. The balance of comedic relief and genuine horror is probably at its best. The story takes a nice few twists and reveals that are pretty dark, as well as does a good job of making the kids likable. Best of all, this has some of the best kills and special affects in horror for it’s time. One of the better horror sequels we’ve ever seen.
Rated 28 Oct 2023
65
65th
The first Nightmare story with an actually coherent story structure, but at the behest of a severely neutered Freddy. The car graveyard scene almost ruins the whole movie, but then is magically saved by the dopest 80s effects I've seen outside of The Thing. Larry Fishburne is the man.
Rated 28 Jun 2012
73
64th
A lot more enjoyable than the second movie, for gimmicky factors if nothing else. Freddy's finally turning into the ham everyone knows and loves here, delivering one-liners before killing people, and making the deaths more spectacular. Anything really negative I have to say would probably just be that it doesn't quite live up to the title. I expected people taking the war to Freddy, but only about three of them even tried to fight him, and those confrontations all ended pretty quickly.
Rated 16 Sep 2010
65
41st
There are moments that really work - mostly related to effects, which are monumental - and others that feel hackneyed and, well, juvenile. The film has way too many loose ends and logical fallacies for me to call it a true classic, which is really too bad. A flawed classic: yes.
Rated 02 Dec 2014
60
61st
Not a great movie, but it does provide a proper sequel to the original. It expands on the mythos of the first, and makes a decent attempt to carry on the story. Unlike many 80s slasher sequels, it tries (and mostly succeeds) to expand on the ideas of the original. But the scares are mostly replaced by SFX showcases. It does a lot of things right, but it never quite catches the thrills of the original.
Rated 25 Aug 2012
30
10th
Notable chiefly for featuring bigger names than usual (Arquette, Fishburne) but if I were them I would hesitate to place it high on my resume. For every memorable moment there are at least two where things get too silly for me. And the effects are dated.
Rated 01 Nov 2018
77
63rd
This is a much better entry in the horror series than the second installment. The cast does a good job here and there are plenty of inventive dream sequences. The script is better as well and it is more tied to the original film. Overall I would recommend this movie.
Rated 21 Jul 2009
73
44th
This is the movie that Freddy's Revenge SHOULD have been. Interesting characters, great concepts and effects, and a story that adds to the original but still stays true to its established rules. Patricia Arquette has a unique charm about her that I really like. I wish she had been able to appear in more of these movies.
Rated 07 Dec 2009
71
79th
Good Movie
Rated 02 Apr 2021
79
30th
We all know the idea of someone going into your dreams to kill you is silly, right? I love the first movie, but even I'll admit that. This wasn't nearly as good in my opinion, but it's still a lot of fun. I expected a little more from the fighting back aspect, but what's there is cool and the kills are either delightfully cheesy or really clever. Most of the acting is decent too, particularly Arquette. Great production design and lore help put a bit. It's cheesy fun and that's okay.
Rated 18 Jun 2015
55
35th
The first kill where Freddy makes that kid into a marionette is still pretty neat and then the second was just made for the "welcome to prime time BITCH" line. The first film is still better but it doesn't have the.........direction.......of the second.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
67
35th
Not quite as dark and eerie as the first film, but this movie represents the pinnacle of the imaginative nightmares and black, though often childish, humor of the series.
Rated 03 Aug 2016
57
57th
This sequel put the franchise back on track by once again emphasizing the dream world and bringing back Langenkamp and Saxon from the 1st film. It contains early roles from Patricia Arquette and Laurence Fishburne; behind the scenes it has a score by Angelo Badalamenti and a script by e.g. Craven and Frank Darabont. The effects look a bit outdated these days, but they also have a nice organic look to them instead of current CGI ones. In short: a solid horror sequel.
Rated 18 Nov 2013
90
72nd
Some brilliant set pieces and Freddy moments alongside characterised deaths, as we bordered the line between his chilling nature and shivering black humour. Characters are not immediately picked off and we have underlying back stories that play well with the narrative. It took a lot to convince me that the psychiatric institution was given a flawed reputation for that to happen, but it provided a great way out for the screenwriters with Freddy choosing a different direction in torturing them.
Rated 17 Nov 2013
77
41st
Fun sequel, I enjoyed the fantasy element and it's a much better follow-up than Part 2 (despite the amusing gay subtext in that one). Much of its strengths come from having people who worked on the original, and people with actual talent (like Frank Darabont) involved at the creative stage.
Rated 03 Oct 2016
65
28th
Many scary scenes. Freddy is freaky as all hell. Highlight of the movie is the TV turning into Freddy scene.
Rated 17 Oct 2019
90
84th
Dream Warriors might be the best of the Freddy movies in my opinion. It has an interesting story. The return of Heather Langenkamp gives it some legitimacy, especially since Wes Craven didn't want anything to do with the second movie. Frank Darabont also has a writing credit on this movie! The acting is good and it has that 80's group of disparate kids that hate each other at first but work together to accomplish a goal thing going for it. Dream Warriors is the most rewatchable of the series.
Rated 21 Oct 2020
50
10th
Creative but the terrible acting and long run time made it very difficult for me to sit through.
Rated 28 Jul 2020
68
49th
67.7.
Rated 28 Oct 2014
58
60th
Better than it ought to be, mainly because of Freddy's Bond-level lines when dispatching teenagers.
Rated 02 Jun 2013
80
77th
This one was my favorite as a kid. Not just because it had boobies, but because super powers!
Rated 01 Nov 2021
70
19th
Viewed October 25, 2021. Director Chuck Russell can't exactly match Wes Craven's morbid imagery, but he does wring a lot of tension out of this premise and out of his protagonists' fear that they're doomed for life. Moreover, you get by far the series' best Freddy one-liner up to this point when he smashes a girl's head in a TV and says, "Welcome to primetime, bitch."
Rated 28 Nov 2022
60
44th
The effects are absolutely terrific both in conception and execution and the movie surely wouldn't be the same without those sequences. The new teen characters generate sympathy but are far from meticulously crafted and probably that's why the perceived underlying criticism of the ostracism of mental health patients doesn't pack as much punch as it should. Also, Langenkamp's acting is fairly bad and the script gives in to cliches and contrivances quite a bit. Dokken's theme song is gold though.
Rated 05 Feb 2008
40
31st
Patricia Arquette in pajamas. Grrr!
Rated 17 Sep 2008
17
11th
heller ikke denne
Rated 25 Mar 2013
75
28th
this ones not bad
Rated 30 Aug 2011
67
33rd
Enjoyed this one the best!
Rated 21 Jul 2009
82
50th
Much better then second part. I love soundtrack from these movie.
Rated 21 Dec 2007
65
10th
With the exception of the original and Wes Cravens New Nightmare, the whole series gets a little out of hand. It is still a little fun to watch, but unless you're a die hard fan you could do without.
Rated 28 Jan 2011
81
71st
A healthy rebound from the near disaster of Freddy's Revenge, and the textbook for pretty much everything that is right about the later installments of the NOES series.
Rated 25 Dec 2012
70
67th
Lucid Dreaming. 2nd best in the series
Rated 10 Mar 2018
86
62nd
B+
Rated 28 Sep 2013
44
15th
* Casting, Acting : 3.5 * Script : 5 * Directing, Aura : 5 * Ease of Viewing : 4.5 * Naked Eye : 4
Rated 06 Aug 2013
86
56th
dick cavett is exposed for the slime he is!
Rated 10 Jun 2014
72
42nd
Part 3: Dream Warriors brightens up the franchise in an interesting way. It's very imaginative, like how the first movie was, but in its own way, not as scary but more colorful and with some great special effects. It introduced a few more comedic elements and balanced them rather well. Perhaps best of all, it brought back Heather Langenkamp, returning in the role of Nancy, and Wes Craven, director of the first movie, as a co-writer.
Rated 09 Apr 2007
40
26th
I liked the comic book-feel, as I tend to with this type of movie, but it's just too loud and silly to grab me.
Rated 08 Oct 2018
69
19th
Creativity abounds in this one, both in writing and style. The great ideas stack on one another and, objectively, it's probably the best storyline yet in the franchise.
Rated 16 Jun 2012
85
58th
Goofy fun
Rated 30 Mar 2007
40
23rd
The dumb jokes and FX actually make it a little better than it was
Rated 19 Mar 2011
60
39th
Best of the Elm St series for some biased reason...I guess it was fun and left me tormented with imagery as a kid.
Rated 10 Apr 2009
0
15th
Diminishing returns set in as this tedious bloodbath (all in the mind) gets under way.
Rated 24 Aug 2007
20
21st
ok
Rated 25 Sep 2011
69
32nd
ALMOST as good as the first, just losing some points for not quite having the shock factor the first did. Original deaths and Freddy was back in the dreams; where he belongs.
Rated 20 Aug 2009
93
94th
Probably my favorite of the series
Rated 03 Nov 2007
15
8th
Patricia Arquette's not stop squealing is absolutely infuriating. I swear a good 20 minutes of this film is spent on listening to people scream. It's really, really annoying. The film itself isn't all that great, aside from a few surreal scares. Many people cite it as having childish humour but I didn't find anything in this one funny at all. First one was better and this feels like it's just dragging out the story. And let's not forget the title: Dream Warriors? What? Seriously. What?
Rated 18 Nov 2008
50
56th
Best soundtrack of all the ANoES.
Rated 30 Nov 2014
77
34th
A lot of pretty fantastic effects tied to a script that doesn't quite work.
Rated 25 Aug 2019
80
55th
Complete rebound from the awful part 2.
Rated 21 May 2012
6
34th
A punk-rock horror film and the point where Freddy started becoming more of a stand up comic than a murderous psychopath. Inventive death scenes and fun characters keep this one interesting. "Let's get high."
Rated 25 Apr 2014
70
39th
69.500
Rated 14 Aug 2007
76
83rd
One of the best entries into the series.
Rated 06 Oct 2008
75
47th
One of the best!
Rated 18 May 2011
65
30th
Pretty awesome for an old Krueger movie..! The kids also really try to stick together (where normally they would say "let's all split up"), which was a positive aspect for me in the movie. I liked the wizard boy :D
Rated 14 Aug 2007
85
71st
Classic Wes Craven.
Rated 21 Mar 2010
71
73rd
The best of the Nightmare sequels. Great special effects and nice humorous touches help overcome a somewhat uneven screenplay and flaccid, disappointing ending. The TV scene (with cameos by Dick Cavett and Zsa Zsa Gabor) is a special hoot.
Rated 11 Jun 2014
75
35th
"Dream Warriors" mixes scares and laughs very well. Freddy is still a frightening figure, but pulls of more of the one-liners he is famous for in this movie than the earlier entries. The characters are interesting and it's great to see Heather Langenkamp back. The story is unique and while I did enjoy Nightmare Part 2 it's good to see that the dream world is back in the 3rd entry.
Rated 20 Jul 2015
25
9th
This is the film that really began the wisecracking Krueger schtick. Suffers from some truly awful writing, which makes me happy to be able to comment that it was partly written by the guy who wrote THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. Which would have been better if Chuck Russell had directed it, actually.
Rated 11 Aug 2009
82
73rd
The best Nightmare sequel and one of the most entertaining movies of the decade. Dream Warriors has as many set pieces as characters.
Rated 13 Jul 2008
80
84th
I love these movies (with the exception of part two). And I personally thought each one got better
Rated 09 Jan 2009
40
40th
Heh.
Rated 06 Oct 2017
58
69th
I like it better than previous ones just because this Flew On Cuckoos Net vibe :)
Rated 09 Dec 2010
69
58th
The strongest and most satisfying Elm Street film, its premise pushed much further than the others with a dreamier, funnier and more bizarre intensity, the scene with Freddy taunting and then killing the punk junkie girl with hands full of needles is the highlight of the franchise.
Rated 01 Nov 2020
65
45th
A sizeable step up from Freddy's Revenge, it unfortunately marks the beginning of the end for the franchise, which sort of fell apart afterwards. Heather Langenkamp's return is the best thing about it, but there are memorable scenes aplenty & decent performances all on top of very solid effects work. The story is a bit muddled, but it's probably the best of the series overall, with likeable characters & a fun (if corny) premise. The finale rings more hollow than it should. Still, worth a watch.
Rated 02 Mar 2007
30
9th
Poor.
Rated 23 Feb 2022
69
25th
This entry brings some life back into the franchise by figuring out that the audience might be more invested in the story if it featured characters that they were actually interested in.
Rated 08 Oct 2011
78
61st
78.000
Rated 26 Sep 2016
60
40th
that useless freddy krueger...i once had a dream involving 19-year old patricia arquette, but i'm pretty sure i got her. maybe i handled her punishment a bit differently.
Rated 31 Oct 2021
70
64th
Bigger, meaner, more imaginative and, yes, sillier than the original, this is the first entry to work as a full-fledged entertainment with engaging (I didn't say three-dimensional) characters.
Rated 30 Aug 2010
43
16th
Noted for the special effects wizardry but little else, Part Three was produced on a $4.5 million shoe string and took in more than $40 million, making it one of the most successful independently produced films in Hollywood.
Rated 27 Nov 2018
70
42nd
This is the second best film in the franchise. Langenkamp and Wasson are not great actors and they drag the film down a bit, but generally it's one of the films in the series that everyone should see ... plus John Saxon is back and has a pretty big role. All films are made better by John Saxon.

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