PopHorror Let's Get Scared
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is the fifth installment in the popular A Nightmare on Elm Street horror franchise, directed by Stephen Hopkins and released in 1989. The film continues the story of Freddy Krueger, the iconic dream-stalking killer, as he terrorizes a new group of teenagers. This time, Freddy’s malevolent focus is on Alice Johnson, the protagonist from the previous film, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (where Alice was the “Dream Master,” of course).
In The Dream Child, Alice discovers that she is pregnant, and Freddy Krueger uses her unborn child’s dreams to invade the real world. Essentially, Freddy plans to be reborn through the baby, and Alice must find a way to stop him while protecting her child and friends. The film explores themes of motherhood, the power of dreams, and the impact of trauma, maintaining the series’ signature blend of surreal, nightmarish imagery and gruesome deaths.
It’s a weird movie, and one might at least give it some credit for originally and taking chances.
Characters of A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Alice Johnson (Lisa Wilcox): The returning protagonist who must once again face Freddy, this time with the added stakes of protecting her unborn child. It’s a likable character, and Wilcox does her best to bring her story to life.
Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund): The infamous dream demon, continuing his quest to torment and kill the teenagers in his admittedly limited territorial range of Springwood.
Dan Jordan (Danny Hassel): Alice’s boyfriend and the father of her unborn child, who becomes one of Freddy’s victims early in the film. If nothing else, his death is perhaps one of the most memorable of the entire Elm Street franchise.
Yvonne Miller (Kelly Jo Minter): Alice’s best friend and one of the key characters who helps her fight Freddy, though she questions Alice’s sanity when Alice rants about Freddy. According to the director, Minter “rocked, she was a real firebrand.” She also gives Alice sound advice like, “Girl, you’d better lock up your window.”
Amanda Krueger (Beatrice Boepple): Freddy’s mom and a ghost. She shows up to give Freddy a stern talking-to for being a bad boy.
Jacob Johnson (Whit Hertford): A weird, future version of Alice’s son. His presence may be one of the film’s more confusing and polarizing elements, even if the boy is likable.
Greta Gibson (Erika Anderson): One of Alice’s pals who is pressured by her mother into being a model, and pressured into being highly weight conscious. This is viciously taken advantage of by Freddy, who plays with his victims as a cat would with a mouse.
Mark Gray (Joe Seely): A cool comic book nerd whose imagination almost gives him an edge against Freddy…almost.
Dennis Johnson (Nicholas Mele): Alice’s dad has one of the franchise’s best character arcs, as he is no longer an alcoholic, no longer verbally abusive to Alice, and is actually quite supportive of his daughter now. Nice! To be honest, this character arc is one of my favorite parts of the movie, being both refreshing and realistic that Alice could inspire her dad to turn his life around.
Production and Style
The Dream Child is known for its darker tone compared to the previous film, incorporating Gothic horror elements and more complex, psychologically driven themes. The film’s special effects were a significant focus, particularly in the dream sequences, which are known for their elaborate and nightmarish designs. To help show that logic is more “shut off” in a dream state, many of the scenes seem more labyrinthine in the movie.
The movie had a relatively tight production schedule, with director Stephen Hopkins reportedly finishing the film under intense time constraints. Despite the challenges, the film’s visual style was praised for its creativity, though the rushed production may have contributed to some of the criticisms regarding its coherence and pacing. Every Nightmare movie has “What am I watching?” moments, and this one is no exception.
Reception and Legacy
Upon release, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child received mixed reviews from critics and fans. It definitely had mixed moods. For example, when the weird Freddy baby is called “One of God’s creatures” and then erratically escapes from the delivery room, there’s a comedic element, almost like it’s parodying something (“Alien” perhaps?). Something about the Freddy birth scene just seems altogether too silly, which clashes pretty ridiculously with some of the aforementioned serious “gothic” elements.
To be fair, it would have been difficult to blend all of these jarring elements together no matter who was involved in the production.
Some praised its ambition and visual effects, while others felt it lacked the freshness of the earlier films in the series. Many would agree that it’s better that the effects were practical. Commercially, it was one of the lower-grossing entries in the franchise, though it was still the highest-grossing slasher film of 1989.
Importantly, it also managed to maintain Freddy Krueger’s status as a horror icon.
Over the years, The Dream Child has garnered a more appreciative following, particularly among fans who enjoy its relatively darker tone compared to Dream Master and its unique approach to the Nightmare mythos. Some might appreciate that it’s unlike most other “slasher films,” even more so than previous entries in the series.
While not as iconic as some of the earlier films, it remains a key part of the franchise’s evolution and Freddy Krueger’s legacy in horror cinema.
If you doubt that this film impacted the trajectory of Freddy’s story, keep in mind that the next two films (Freddy’s Dead and New Nightmare) were also significantly steeped in parental themes. The labyrinthine final scenes of New Nightmare perhaps work even better because such dynamics were already established in the asylum/hospital scenes in this movie.
Also, let’s face it: Robert Englund will improve any Freddy movie (or Freddy’s Nightmares episode), no matter what it’s about. At most, one might say some of his performances are better than others, but he still embodies the character better than anyone else, and it’s not too “fanboy-ish” to assume that will always be true. He still rocks as Freddy here, even if the story is a bit strange and convoluted at times.
Trivia
The film is notable for its incorporation of themes related to teen pregnancy and motherhood, which were relatively rare in horror films of that era. So, again, even if a person thinks this movie is “bad,” it probably deserves a nod of respect merely for taking some creative chances.
Director Stephen Hopkins went on to have a successful career, including directing Predator 2 (1990) and the critically acclaimed TV series 24.
The film’s special effects were considered groundbreaking for the time, and one of the sequences was worked on (at least partly) by Tool guitarist Adam Jones, who also worked on films like Jurassic Park. Ironically, I could imagine some people watching this film and saying Malcolm’s classic line: “[They] were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn’t stop to think if they should.” That being said, I am actually not that significant of a hater of Nightmare 5. I’ll just say it’s not my favorite of the series (in fact, I even prefer the much-maligned “Freddy’s Dead” over this one).
The Dream Child – Final Thoughts
Despite its mixed reception, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is a significant chapter in the Nightmare saga, continuing the legacy of Freddy Krueger as one of the most memorable villains in horror history. He is definitely one of the “Big Three” horror villains from the ’80s (Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers).
As with so many horror films, this one is best enjoyed if not taken too seriously, if you healthily suspend disbelief, and just try not to whine about it too much. A Freddy Krueger movie is probably not going to win Best Picture. That would be Hannibal Lecter’s domain.
