Freddy Friday: Revisiting ‘Dream Master’ documentary ‘Making of a Nightmare’

in 1988, ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master’ documentary “Making of a Nightmare” gave us an exclusive behind the scenes look at that glorious bit of Freddy magic.

Welcome to Wonderland, Alice… erm, I mean Freddy Friday here on 1428 Elm!

Image via Imgur

Of the original Nightmare on Elm Street films, Dream Master tops the box office charts regarding the largest money haul in theater releases — Freddy vs Jason and the 2010 Nightmare remake take the top two spots in the Freddy theatrical winner’s circle.

Collectively adored by (most) fans of the franchise, Dream Master had a lot to live up to after the pretty much perfect sequel, Dream Warriors. I mean, how the hell are you going to top, “Welcome to Prime Time bitch!”, and that bitchin’ Dokken tune?  The heat was definitely on for New Line and newcomer director Renny Harlin to deliver, who had only previously helmed two movies (Prison, Born American) prior to landing the fourth installment to the beloved Nightmare series. And although I may catch some serious heat for this, I think he, along with writers William Kotzwinkle and Brian Helgeland, made a  fun, and fantastic follow-up in the continuation of Freddy’s legacy.

Also, per Dream Master, “Welcome to Prime Time bitch!“, was officially dethroned.

Image via Tumblr

Just as with Dream Warriors, Dream Master carried out some heavy promotional arsenal in order to get those butts in the seats; though I think it’s fair to say with any upcoming film with Robert as Freddy, asses are guaranteed to fill the theater to capacity. One of which was a glorious 45 minute behind the scenes look at the making of Dream Master, along with some really fantastic history highlights from the previous three films leading up to the, at the time, anticipated third sequel.

Along with interviews featuring Wes Craven, Dream Master producer Rachel Talalay, who then went on to make her own directorial debut with Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare three years later, make-up and special effects wizards, and of course the cast including Englund IN the Freddy makeup, Making of a Nightmare highlights some super cool scenes from the film and how they were carefully executed. Scenes including the infamous cockroach transformation, the junkyard scene, and Freddy’s demise in his battle with Alice.

Youtube upload courtesy of Neil Bowyer

The Making of a Nightmare really is a treasure trove in the Nightmare franchise legacy not only as true retro fuzzy-goodness but a staple in the essential understanding in just how much passion and guts goes into each and every Freddy flick. If you never got around to checking it out, or hell even knew of its existence, no better time like the present to settle in with the ultimate look at the movie magic that created Dream Master!

Next: Freddy Krueger's glove turned in anonymously in England

Love the fourth Freddy film? Share your own memories of the classic slasher sequel in the comments section below, and find more rad horror content from Patti over at Bloody-Disgusting and Nightmarish Conjurings.