FREDDY’S JUST AROUND THE CORNER…
Teenager Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette), who’s considered to be suicidal, is admitted to a psychiatric hospital where she and a group of other teens battle the actual enemy: Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund).
The third chapter was a bet on a young talent, Chuck Russell, and the results were a surprise – not only was it an improvement on its predecessors, but it also made more money. What really excels here, and inspired its sequels, was the creative use of special effects in the nightmare scenarios; Freddy strikes with the help of stop-motion animation, miniatures, models and a whole bag of magic tricks.
A sweet portrait of the tormented kids helps us feel for them.
1987-U.S. 96 min. Color. Directed by Chuck Russell. Screenplay: Wes Craven, Bruce Wagner, Frank Darabont, Chuck Russell. Music: Angelo Badalamenti. Song: ”Dream Warriors” (performed by Dokken). Cast: Heather Langenkamp (Nancy Thompson), Craig Wasson (Neil Gordon), Patricia Arquette (Kristen Parker), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Ken Sagoes, Rodney Eastman, Laurence Fishburne, John Saxon. Cameos: Dick Cavett, Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Trivia: Co-executive produced by Craven. Followed by A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988).
Quote: “Welcome to prime time, bitch!” (Englund before killing a teen with a TV set)
Last word: “When I made Elm Street 3, I had the good fortune of working with New Line Cinema right at the time where they were going from what would be considered an independent film company [to a Hollywood studio]. Elm Street 3 helped the company financially – it was a very successful movie. From there, New Line went on to show their trust in me by allowing me to direct The Mask years later, which was a movie made for under $20 million, even with all of those visual effects that were pioneering CGI at the time. Jim Carrey was not yet a star and Cameron Diaz had never acted before! That’s kind of the business model for me: let’s bet on ourselves creatively, and on exciting new talent and a story that’s as original and fun as I can make it.” (Russell, Filmmaker Magazine)