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 One scene near the end of the film uses some very outdated stop motion animation, but instead of looking horrible, I found it nostalgic and endearing; I'm sure I wouldn't have been so kind while watching this ten years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.

Near Dark (1987)

“Near Dark” is a decent horror film that came out during the resurgence of serious vampires movies. It may have had a better run in the box office if it hadn’t been released just three months after the super fun movie “Lost Boys” in 1987. The cast of vampires in “Near Dark” include the always charismatic Lance Henricksen, Jenette  Goldstein, and Bill Paxton, who was cast as the sadistic Severen; I should point out that these three actors had major roles in “Aliens” and that the directors of these two films, Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron, would eventually be married…for two years. With these great casting choices, I’m thoroughly confused why such an untalented unknown was cast in the lead role as Caleb. This actor had very little presence and wasn’t convincing in his part.

I personally feel that there should never be a cure for someone after they become a vampire, but if it must happen then it should be the one that Bram Stroker originally gave, which is to kill the lead vampire; this might cure you but it still leaves you pretty messed up for the rest of your life. I thought the cure in “Daybreakers” was cheesy and I downright do not like the cure in this movie; a simple blood transfusion! How does a complete blood transfusion cleanse your body from that state, and how did a veterinarian have enough human blood to make this transfusion…twice??

The other thing that really bothered me about this film is that the vampires healed from their burn marks way too quickly or the film crew’s make-up department was really lazy. If being exposed to sunlight for 90 seconds causes to explode, then I would imagine that the burn marks you receive after being hit in the face directly by middle-of-the-day sunlight might take more than a few hours to heal up. Am I wrong? This small detailed bothered me a few times throughout this movie.

Caleb is a young guy who meets a young vampire girl named Mae. He offers to drive her home and on the way we see that Caleb is just a horny boy who cannot take a hint that Mae is not interested. As dawn quickly approaches, Mae wants Caleb to get her home but he gets creepy by stopping the truck and hiding the keys, telling her that she has to kiss him first. She does so, for a while, before she gives him a bite on the neck and then jumps out of the vehicle to run the FOUR miles that she said her place was.

• -          Why did she bite him? Was it out of hunger? Was it as a punishment? Did she just have pointy teeth at the moment and it was just an accident?
• -          Why and how did she run four miles and not burn up? She was a full blown vampire and it looked awfully bright to me.

Caleb is now a vampire and begins to smolder as he walks home. He’s almost home, close enough that his sister and dad can see him all smoky. Then all of a sudden an RV comes racing through the field and grabs Caleb before racing away. It’s Mae and her “family” of nomadic vampires that travel back and forth along the southern US killing and burning stolen vehicles and truck stops.

• -          Why did they come and grab Caleb? Was it because they don’t leave any witnesses behind? Only Mae knew that he had been bit and none of them claimed to have had a slow night and needed a snack before getting some sleep.
• -          Why do vampires like the south? Do they like warm nights? Is it because the truck stops and rest stops are frequent and not very busy? At least Jesse, their leader, tells Caleb that he fought for the South during the Civil War.

No one is happy that Caleb is a vampire. Homer, the little boy who turned Mae is pissed off, Jesse just wants Caleb to prove himself, and Severen just wants to kill him. Caleb fails to impress the crew at a truck stop killing spree but redeems himself during a shootout with police in the morning. But just as things are looking up for the vampires, Caleb’s sister and dad find them at the hotel that they’re at. Caleb and his real family run out into the morning sunlight (the sun rise really quickly in less than two minutes!) and goes home for a good old fashioned blood transfusion in the barn. And BOOM, he’s normal again. But now he has to deal with four angry vampires who want to kill him and explain to Mae as to why he chose dad and sister over her.

Angel Heart (1987)

After years of wanting to see the movie “Angel Heart “ I was finally able to remember to look for it in the used section of a video store and buy a copy. It was a wise choice because I was instantly impressed with it and wished that I had seen it when I first read about it. It’s a lovely mixture of film noir and horror with beautiful scenery in both New York and New Orleans. It’s stylish and well-paced, keeping the viewer engaged throughout.

Harry Angel is a New York PI who is hired by a mysterious client named Louis Cyphre, who wants a performer named Johnny Favorite found so he can repay his debt. Angel is told that Favorite was last seen at a private hospital receiving treatment for trauma that he received while serving in the War (WW2). This is just the beginning of a long series of events that lead Angel to one former associate to another, all whom had dealt with Favorite at some point before the War but not since. This chain of events eventually leads Angel to New Orleans where Favorite had performed and had previous relationships before being drafted. As Angel is performing his inquires, various associates are found murdered, causing the local authorities to suspect Angel. Angel wants out after the first dead body shows up but is essentially bribed by Mr. Cyphre to continue until Favorite is found. Eventually the truth is uncovered as magic, voodoo, lovers, and shady business partners all collide in a delicious manner. Mmm, gumbo!

Favorite moment – Angel meets Mr. Cyphre in a small café in New Orleans to give him an update on his investigation. During this exchange, Mr. Cyphre (played by Robert De Niro) delivers the best statement in the entire movie. “There’s just enough religion in the world to make men hate each other enough not to love.” It’s the perfect sentence for his character say….

Hellraiser (1987)

Why did the 80's give us the majority of the horror movie icons that we have today? Was it really that messed up of a time period and I just didn’t notice? Was it a display of fiction reflecting reality because of the famous serial killers around the U.S.? I hope not, but you have to admit that plenty of movie villains came out that decade!

We already had Michael Myers and Leatherface from the late 70’s and they were soon joined by Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and a psychopathic doll named Chucky. And lest we forget the Cenobite originally known as Priest, quickly renamed by the press and marketing teams as Pinhead. Pinhead was an instant fan favorite, the assumed leader of a band of summoned demons and the standard bearer for Clive Barker's professional directorial debut in the movie "Hellraiser". It what really makes the Cenobites unique in “Hellraiser” is that they are not the real villains in the film but are merely the consequence of opening a fancy puzzle box…

Frank wants to experience the ultimate pleasures and when he opens the mysterious puzzle box, that’s exactly what he finds. If you think being pulled apart of large hooks on chains is your idea of ultimate pleasure. A few months later, Frank’s brother Larry and his wife Julia move into the house where Frank performed his final acts. Larry accidentally cuts himself while helping the moving crew and the blood that falls onto the floor is just enough to summon Frank back from Hell. Julia, who was having an affair with Frank, discovers him and finds that he is just bone and muscle, and agrees to help him find new flesh.  Kirsty, Larry’s daughter, thinks something is suspicious when she noticed that Julia is bringing strange men to the house during the middle of the day. She goes in to see what’s going on but is attacked by Frank. Kristy is able to obtain the puzzle box, and while recuperating at a hospital, she accidentally summons the Cenobites. Right before they are to claim her as their prize, she tells them that Frank had escaped from Hell and that she could take them to him. And thus a deal with the demons is made…

“Hellraiser” was adapted from Barker’s novella “The Hell Bound Heart”. It’s pretty faithful to the original story with only a few minor details being changed. The only real change I remember off hand is that in the story, Kirsty was Larry’s best friend. I see why she was changed to be his daughter for the film but it wasn’t all that important.

Favorite moment – When the Cenobites first appear. They walk in cool and calm, each taking its place in the room and in order. The when Pinhead first speaks, it sends chills down your spine…at least the first time you see the movie.

Evil Dead 2 (1987)

“Evil Dead 2” is a unique movie to say the least. It’s more of a reboot than a sequel; the first portion of the film goes over some of the same story points that the first film was about before going on to new material. “Evil Dead 2” is also unique because it includes some very dark comic moments throughout the film but still remains a horror movie. Most of the horror movies I have seen fail whenever they try to change the mood more than once.

The movie is about a couple who go to a cabin in the woods for a romantic weekend. In the cabin they find a tape recorder and when it’s played a professor of sorts is heard explaining his research about the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis, also known as the Book of the Dead. After the tape is played Ash’s girlfriend becomes possessed. He is forced to kill her and shortly after becomes possessed as well. He recovers when the sun comes out and he returns to the cabin after seeing that he is trapped in the forest. The movie continues with new the material which includes laughing inanimate objects, more possessions, more people coming to the cabin, and a creepy demonic hand.

Note - The Book of the Dead has a different name in the original Evil Dead and it's recent remake. In those films it's known as Naturon Demonto. I wonder why there was a change between the films...

Favorite moment – I have to be predictable and say that my favorite moment of “Evil Dead 2” is when Ash’s hand becomes possessed and smashes plate after plate against his head before noticing a knife and dragging his body towards it.