Original creator Wes Craven returns for this third
installment, albeit in a production and script writing capacity, in which teenager Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) is another Elm Street teenager who has been
suffering from bad dreams. So bad in fact, she has been sent to a special therapist unit, where she meets with several other former Elm Street residents who are
experiencing the same problem.
It turns out that Freddy (Robert Englund) has returned to kill off the last of the Elm Street kids and so has set about bumping them off in their dreams, whilst they are all conveniently residing in the same mental health unit.
Their group counsellor Dr. Gordan (Craig Wasson) at first believes that the mysterious deaths are just bizarre suicides and doesn't entertain any Freddy Kruger nonsense. That is until he meets the new intern, who is none other than Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp reprising her earlier role), and after having a run-in with Kruger himself, decides to try and help them stop Freddy once and for all.
Nancy attempts encouraging the kids to use their dream powers to battle Freddy at his own game (with limited success) but Dr Gordan thinks he's found a more practical solution. After a chance encounter with a mysterious nun, Sister Mary Helena (Nan Martin), who appears to know a lot more than she's letting on, she informs him that the only way to stop Freddy for good is to bury his body in holy ground. And so aided by Nancy's father (John Saxon returning) they try to recover Freddy's remains and bury them properly, before Freddy can finish burying all the Elm Street kids.
Directed by Chuck Russell, this is a lot better than Part 2 but is still fairly average in the general horror movie stakes. There is quite an interesting scene where Nancy's father and Dr Gordan are battling Freddy's re-animated skeleton, which looked like something from a Ray Harry Hausen film, so is pretty dated by todays stanbdards. A much better sequel than it's predecessor, but again not really my cup of tea.
