Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors (1987) #444

Nightmare on Elm Street 3 Trailer

A total 80's classic, "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" is a solid movie that truly represents the horror genre at that time; a big name franchise with a well known villain, complete with "witty" one liners and catchphrases, a returning final girl, and numerous victims killed off in bloody and gruesome ways. Original cast members Robert Englund Heather Langenkamp reprise there roles as the unforgettable Freddy Krueger and survivor Nancy, and are joined by a new cast of potential victims including Patricia Arquette and Laurence Fishburne.

"A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" picks up right where the original left off. Nancy Thompson is now a psychologist specializing in dream therapy. She begins working with a group of teens at the local hospital, all of whom are experiencing nightmares with a common theme, Freddy Krueger. She also discovers that a new patient, Kristen, has a unique ability to bring others into her dreams. When the patients begin dying, supposedly by committing suicide, Nancy teaches the teens how to fight back within the dream world. With help from Kristen, her father, and Dr. Neal Gordon, Nancy is confident that they can finally destroy the spirit of Freddy Krueger.

While watching this film, I noticed a few details that made me truly appreciate the experience. First was the dialogue, it wasn't Oscar worthy but it wasn't as dreadful as so many teen slashers were during this time period so that's a plus. What really impressed me about the dialogue were Freddy's lines; it seemed that  he didn't really talk as much in this film as he did in the other films. He still delivered some one-liners to his victims, and these weren't too cheesy or cringe worthy yet. He felt more reserved with his speech and reminded me of Pinhead from the first two "Hellraiser" movies. 

Another aspect I appreciated were the practical and special effects used. The make-up ascetics used on Robert Englund are top notch and clean looking. Some of the special effects hold up decently well considering that the movie was produced in 1987 and look comparable to some effects used in today's movies. One scene near the end of the film uses some very outdated stop motion animation, but instead of looking horrible, I found it nostalgic and endearing; I'm sure I wouldn't have been so kind while watching this ten years ago.

Halloween (2018) #443

Halloween Movie Trailer

In 1978, John Carpenter introduced us to masked killer Michael Meyers and Laurie Strode, one of the most famous final girls in any horror movie. Forty years later both Michael and Laurie in 2018’s film simply titled "Halloween". At first glance, it feels like a path that’s already been on. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the original film, we saw the return of Laurie Strode as Michael's primary focus in "Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later". The movie itself does a fine job of ignoring the previous installments of the "Halloween" franchise, taking place twenty years later after "Halloween 2", and wrapping up the the series in a more than adequate fashion. So why do we need this new chapter? Because it's finally been done right.

The original “Halloween” was written, scored, and directed by the incredible John Carpenter who has returned as a producer, offering his spiritual guidance and wisdom regarding the script. Mr Carpenter also helped score this movie as well, presenting a haunting rendition of his original score. The music in this movie is absolutely perfect as ambient tones and sounds as well as the general theme enhance the mood and fill in the quiet moments.

  

While it’s great to see Michael Meyers on the big screen again, the real star of “Halloween” is Laurie Strode, played by the outstanding Jamie Lee Curtis. She is dominant, she is fierce, and she owns every second of screen time that she is given. From the first moment you see her, you feel her pain and her sorrow, having spent everyday for the past forty years waiting and preparing for Michael to return. Her character is reminiscent of Lynda Hamilton’s portrayal of Sarah Connor in “Terminator 2”; both women tried to lead normal lives but their paranoia and other symptoms of ptsd ultimately ruined their relationships with their children. Through Jamie’s gut punching performance, you are given more reason to care about her daughter Karen (played by Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (played by Andi Matichak). Each character is fully developed and gives the audience the rare opportunity to actually care about the characters in a horror movie.

                              

“Halloween” is full of nostalgic moments, drawing ample inspiration from the original with a unique twist, subtle references and setting certain rumors to rest, and little details in staging; they even use the same font for the opening credits! But this film provides its own special moments, including the best dialogue during a babysitting scene I have ever seen. The most important choice that the film makers made was ignoring the sequels and reboots and choosing to set the movie directly after the original “Halloween”. This is the film that we wanted and the film that is worthy enough to properly celebrate the fortieth anniversary of this franchise.