Horror History: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS Was Released on This Day in 1987
One of the best-loved sequels to Wes Craven’s seminal slasher is celebrating its anniversary; A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (directed by Chuck Russell) was released on this day in 1987. If it’s been a while, revisit the trailer and synopsis below.
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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.
Trivia:
Jennifer Rubin was told by some of her fans that her character of Taryn had caused them to quit drugs, and the actress is very proud of the fact. (Source)
For the dream sequence in which a Dick Cavett interview is interrupted by Freddy Krueger, Sally Kellerman was originally in the script as the guest, but Cavett was then allowed to pick the person he’d be interviewing. He picked Zsa Zsa Gabor because he thought she was the dumbest person he’d ever met in his life, and he’d never have her on his show in real life. So, if there was one person he’d want to see killed by Freddy, it would be her. (Source)
According to Wes Craven, the idea for the mental hospital treating the Dream Warriors was not just some riff on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), but instead inspired by real-life establishments, “At that time, there was kind of a movement of such places that even advertised on television, ‘Send us your troubled child, and we’ll make them okay’, and, essentially, they were like prisons or insane asylums.” (Source)
Are you a fan of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram! You can also carry on the convo with me personally on Twitter @josh_millican.
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