Freddy Krueger was the king of the ‘80s. Having reached the heights of a pop culture icon that no horror villain has since matched (Michael Myers and Chucky have come close but never as culturally big), there were video games, comics, toys, and even a short-lived anthology TV show. “Freddy Fever” was a real thing that peaked with 1988’s THE DREAM MASTER.
Freddy Krueger was a cash-cow that could not be ignored and even gave the production company New Line Cinema its own nickname: The House That Freddy Built. After the runaway success of THE DREAM MASTER, they rushed out its sequel NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD (OWN IT HERE – WATCH IT HERE) less than a year later. It tells the following story:
The pregnant Alice finds Freddy Krueger striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child, hoping to be reborn into the real world.
This movie has always been considered the decline of the series, but I'm here to change hearts and minds. THE DREAM CHILD suffers mostly from franchise fatigue but, as it stands on its own, is a wild, weird and colorful entry that has Robert Englund at the top of his game. The Nightmare series eventually embraced the "Slasher On Acid" esthetic that made Krueger an icon. You may think I'm crazy or sleep-deprived, but that doesn't change my opinion on this entry unfairly labeled a BLACK SHEEP. Give it another shot and see if you agree!