A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) Review

The course correction. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) brought Wes Craven back to the story and got the franchise back on track — and we're covering it for week three of So Many Scares.

First-time viewings for Josh and David (Garrett caught it at a Circle Cinema midnight screening), the superhero-team structure that made Josh call it "the best X-Men movie," the backstory debate (should Freddy just be a dream demon?), Patricia Arquette's film debut, "Larry Fishburn," a Dokken music video, Garrett's DJ Jazzy Jeff revelation, a $44.7M box office run on a $4M budget, and a score game where Garrett nails the Letterboxd average exactly.

Ratings: Josh 3, David 3, Garrett 3. Letterboxd average: 3.5 — only 0.2 behind the first film.

Chapters
00:00 — Welcome back to So Many Scares — Dream Warriors
00:24 — Garrett's DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince revelation
01:32 — Why So Many Scares rarely commits to a full series
02:18 — Before they were famous: Patricia Arquette, "Larry Fishburn"
03:38 — First-viewing verdicts (and Garrett's Circle Cinema midnight screening)
04:54 — Chuck Russell: The Mask, Eraser, The Scorpion King
06:35 — Freddy's backstory problem — dream demon or human?
09:19 — The mystery structure actually works this time
10:02 — The best kills so far
11:42 — Freddy gets a personality (and the one-liners start)
12:33 — Biggest budget yet: the effects showcase
13:56 — Beetlejuice vibes and horror homages
15:22 — Dream powers: lucid dreaming as agency
19:07 — Better acted: future stars and the creepy doctor
21:31 — "Welcome to prime time, bitch!"
22:25 — Delightfully eighties: the Dokken music video
23:23 — Box office: $8.8M opening weekend, $44.7M on $4M
24:48 — 1987: Three Men and a Baby — directed by Leonard Nimoy?!
28:54 — Our ratings: 3, 3, 3
29:30 — Letterboxd reviews
32:33 — The score game — Garrett nails the 3.5 exactly
34:23 — Next: Wes Craven's New Nightmare

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