Kristen Parker

Last updated
Kristen Parker
A Nightmare on Elm Street character
KristenParkerX2.png
Patricia Arquette (left) and Tuesday Knight (right) as Kristen Parker
First appearance A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Last appearance A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Created by Wes Craven
Bruce Wagner
Portrayed by Patricia Arquette
(Dream Warriors)
Tuesday Knight
(Dream Master)
In-universe information
Occupation High school student
FamilyElaine Parker
(mother);
Kirk Parker [1]
(father)
OriginSpringwood, Ohio
Notable relations Nancy Thompson
(therapist; deceased)
Rick Johnson
(boyfriend; deceased)
Alice Johnson
(friend)
StatusDeceased
Year of birth1969 [lower-alpha 1]

Kristen Parker is a character from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. She is a co-protagonist and final girl of the third film of the series A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and the false protagonist [3] [4] in the following film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master , and has appeared in various merchandise as well. She is played by actress Patricia Arquette in Dream Warriors and Tuesday Knight in The Dream Master. She is the central member of the titular Dream Warriors, seven teens who have to learn to fight as a group in order to survive their spectral tormentor, enigmatic murderer Freddy Krueger, and has the ability to bring others into her dreams as well as being an Olympic-level acrobat in her dreams.

Contents

Appearances

Film

Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) first appears in Dream Warriors in its opening scene in a nightmare, where a terrible, disfigured man is relentlessly stalking and tormenting her, ultimately making her appear to slit her wrists as a suicide attempt in real life, which forces her mother Elaine to commit her to Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital. This leads to Kristen joining up with Phillip Anderson, Joey Crusel, Roland Kincaid, Will Stanton, Jennifer Caulfield and Taryn White, who have all had the same experiences with a terrible "bogeyman" in their dreams. The conservative Dr. Elizabeth Simms refuses to acknowledge any supernatural elements in their afflictions, instead insisting that the common element of a bogeyman in their dreams is the result of mass hysteria and "the by-products of guilt". A new staff member is introduced to the teenagers – Nancy Thompson from the original Elm Street film. When her tormentor attempts to kill her in another nightmare in the form of a giant grotesque snake, a terrified Kristen desperately pulls Nancy, the only staff member she truly trusts, into the dream world, and Nancy's unexpected appearance and attack distracts the monster long enough for the two to escape. After Phil and Jennifer dies in their sleep, in what appears to be accidents or suicide, Nancy explains to the five remaining patients and Dr. Neil Gordon that the identity of the bogeyman is Freddy Krueger, a serial child killer whom their parents, including Nancy's, lynched and burned to death years ago, and his undead spirit is now after their children in their nightmares as revenge.

Nancy concludes that Kristen has the ability to draw others into her dreams and that her gifts could be used to beat Krueger. After an unauthorized group hypnosis causes Joey to be captured by Krueger and rendered comatose, Nancy and Dr. Gordon are fired, which causes Kristen to go ballistic and consequently be sedated and sent to the quiet room for her outburst. While Neil and Nancy's father Donald go on a mission to give Krueger's remains a proper burial in reality, Nancy is granted one final meeting with the teenagers, and using group hypnosis they enter the dream world just as Kristen succumbs to the sedation. Taryn and Will are both killed by Krueger, while Nancy, Kristen and Roland succeeds in rescuing Joey and later seemingly defeats Krueger, but as Kristen watches in horror, he one-ups them by appearing to and fatally stabbing Nancy in the guise of her father, whom unknown to Nancy he had killed in real life while the 'dream warriors' were busy in the dream world. Neil succeeds in sprinkling Krueger's bones with holy water and he is seemingly vanquished in the dream world before he can murder Kristen as well. In tears, Kristen promises to send the dying Nancy into a "beautiful dream", and some time after, Kristen, Neil, Roland and Joey attends Nancy's funeral. [5]

By the time of The Dream Master, Kristen (Tuesday Knight) has returned to a seemingly normal life but experiences ominous, foreboding dreams that seem to constantly hint that Freddy Krueger is still around, although he does not directly show himself to her. In the sequel she has become a compulsive smoker in order to soothe herself. She is now romantically involved with classmate Rick Johnson and has also befriended his sister Alice, along with Sheila Kopecky and Debbie Stevens. Kristen's nocturnal anguish and paranoia causes her to repeatedly draw in fellow surviving dream warriors Roland Kincaid and Joey Crusel into her dreams on instinct whenever she feels threatened, a habit they both berate her for. However, Kristen's worst fears prove to be true as Krueger resurrects himself in Kincaid's dream and murders him during a night when Kristen keeps herself awake and thus incapable of coming to his aid; he then murders Joey as well, and the following morning Kristen talks about her fears to Alice, who recommend her to take control of her dreams and "think of someplace fun". Kristen panics when she notices that Joey and Kincaid are both missing from their seats in class and realizes what has happened – in the turmoil she is knocked unconscious and then dreams that the school nurse attending to her is Krueger, but is woken up by the real nurse before he can kill her.

Now resigned to her inevitable doom, Kristen finally tells Alice, Rick and his friend Dan Jordan about Freddy Krueger at the former Thompson/Walsh house at 1428 Elm Street, now a decaying haunted house. They are interrupted by Kristen's mother Elaine, who calls her daughter home. There they have dinner together, but Kristen realizes that her mother had put sleeping pills into her milk in a misguided attempt to help her. Kristen desperately tries to call Alice, but falls asleep. Kristen manages to dream herself into her "beautiful dream", a placid tropical beach, but Krueger interrupts and corrupts the dream into another nightmare. Relentlessly taunted by Krueger in his labyrinthine 1428/factory amalgamation, Kristen calls for Alice in panic, drawing her into Kristen's dream. Tearfully, Kristen tries to wake her up and apologizes, but as Kristen defiantly tries to shield Alice from Krueger, Alice watches in horror as he throws Kristen into his boiler, burning her alive, but before she dies, she gives her powers to Alice, though it passes through Krueger first, who then takes Kristen's soul. At the Parker's house, Alice, Rick and Elaine watches helplessly as Kristen's body roasts away, seemingly a bed-smoking accident in real life. Alice realizes afterwards that she has absorbed much of Kristen's personal traits as well, feeling an unexpected urge to smoke as Kristen did. Freddy later shows taunting visions of Kristen to Alice and Rick in their dreams, but her soul and many others are set free from Freddy's oppression by Alice when she defeats him. [2]

Literature

Likely due to the transitional nature of Kristen's character arc in regards to Nancy and Alice, Kristen has not appeared as an active part of expanded universe storylines like those two, but was mentioned and shown in flashbacks or cameos in the Nightmares on Elm Street [6] and the non-canonical Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors [7] comic book miniseries, and is mentioned by Elaine in the unfinished A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Beginning miniseries. [1] In Nightmares on Elm Street, Kristen wishing Nancy into a "beautiful dream" did send her into the good side of the dream world, independent of Freddy in his nightmare realm, which made Nancy strong enough to oppose him. [8]

In the short story Le Morte De Freddy in the anthology book The Nightmares on Elm Street: Freddy Krueger's Seven Sweetest Dreams, Alice sent a letter to Neil Gordon after the events of The Dream Master, revealing that Freddy had murdered Kristen, Joey and Kincaid, but is convinced that she took care of Freddy. Freddy himself refers to Nancy, Alice and Kristen when accusing them of hating their parents. [9]

The iconic scene of the Freddy-snake devouring Kristen appears in one issue of the MAD magazine; in one panel, he does swallow her whole but gets a heartburn from doing so. There is also a panel of Kristen expressing disgust over the undead pig she saw in her nightmare. [10] A single frame depiction of the "snake scene" is also briefly shown in another issue. [11]

Other appearances

Kristen and the rest of the "Dream Warriors" as seen in the Commodore 64/DOS game. ANOESC64-1989.png
Kristen and the rest of the "Dream Warriors" as seen in the Commodore 64/DOS game.

Kristen Parker is a playable character in the Commodore 64 and MS-DOS game A Nightmare on Elm Street, not to be confused with the unrelated NES game by the same name. Independently of each other, both games are based upon the Dream Warriors film and concept. In the C64 game, Kristen character's unique ability is the 'power kick'. [12] Patricia Arquette as Kristen appears as the "main character" in the music video for Dokken's song "Dream Warriors" (1987), in which a haunted Kristen must summon the band in order to enlist their help in fighting Freddy Krueger. [13] Clips of Tuesday Knight as Kristen from The Dream Master was also shown in the music video for Vinnie Vincent Invasion's "Love Kills" (1988) from All Systems Go , which is also in the soundtrack for the film. [14]

The scene of Kristen being swallowed by the Freddy-snake in Dream Warriors was featured at the Freddy vs. Jason section at Halloween Horror Nights #25 in 2015. [15] Kristen Parker has been featured in one action figure, in the series Cinema of Fear #1 from Mezco Toys, also depicting the aforementioned scene. [16] [17]

Roy H. Wagner, the cinematographer for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, re-created scenes featuring Kristen from his film in 2019 while using only an iPhone 11 Pro for the production; in this re-creation Kristen is played by actress Taylor Kalupa. [18] [19] [20] iJustine also got a shot at playing Kristen as a stand-in in her own behind-the-scenes feature of Wagner's project. [21]

Reception

Chuck Russell, director of Dream Warriors, said on Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy that "the cast member that stuck out with me was Patricia Arquette. That was her first film. There was something so interesting, so haunting about her. And I think that's always been a special gift for her in her other work as well." Producer Sara Risher claims that she was disappointed at the time that Arquette could not reprise her role, commending her as an "integral part to Nightmare 3" and as well-liked by the rest of the crew. [22] Heather Langenkamp also praised Arquette, saying that "[Nancy's death scene is] one of my favourite scenes now out of all the scenes I've ever done, it had the most gripping reality to it with Kristen and me in that final scene. I just find it so touching and it was a very, very real scene to shoot and we were very fond of each other so it was an easy. I feel that scene really stands out", and that "it's just so rare to get somebody who has laid out their whole soul like that and they're distressed so realistically, she just did such a good job. It's just a testament to what a fine actress she is". [23] Kristen has (for Dream Warriors) been called "one of the most beloved and well-remembered characters from the franchise" and "a role that was as important as Heather Langenkamp's Nancy Thompson". [24]

Though Ken Sagoes has mentioned on Never Sleep Again that he did not think his and Rodney Eastman's chemistry was as good with Tuesday Knight as it was with Patricia Arquette, [22] he has also spoken highly of Knight in other interviews:

"I don't think Tuesday Knight was given enough credit for what she had to do. I think that out of all of us, she had one of the difficult roles to play, because she had to embody a role that Patricia (Arquette) had beautifully played. But Tuesday, did not skip a beat, she stepped in and made Kristen her's with the highest respect." [25]

According to Tuesday Knight, Wes Craven had, when calling her about a cameo in New Nightmare, expressed that he was a big fan of Knight's portrayal of Kristen and had expressed criticism of the writing for the Kristen of the theatrical Dream Warriors, explaining that he had written her to be more of a fighter but the changes done by the other scriptwriters and director reduced her to too much of a victim, [26] while Knight's take on Kristen was more in line with how Craven had originally envisioned the character. [27] In another interview, Knight talks about the subject of Kristen as a victim:

"Kristen encapsulates so much of what women should be today—not a victim, but someone who spoke up for what was right even when people thought she was crazy and, although she got it in the end, went down fighting. I see no victimization in that." [28]

Jake Dee of JoBlo.com admires the sheer boldness of killing Kristen off midway into The Dream Master, arguing that her death happened in spite of Tuesday Knight providing the theme song and doubles its impact by ending the life of a protagonist and handing over the lead role to a new lead. [29]

Kristen was at 18 on Buzzfeed's top 25 list of final girls [30] and on the top 10 final girls in the digital SCREAM magazine (in no particular order), which states that "Patricia Arquette's depiction of the role injects an impressive amount of gumption into the part; as she brings with her a new twist to the tale- the power to pull other people into her dreams". [31]

Development

Conception

While the changes between drafts concerning Kristen in Dream Warriors are not quite as extensive as those for Nancy's character, some changes do occur. In the original script, Kristen's mother is named Alice and not Elaine, and she is still married to her husband and Kristen's father, Kirk Parker. Though ultimately omitted from the theatrical script and film, where Elaine is definitely single and apparently attempting to date various men, Kirk Parker would later appear in a flashback in the comic book A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Beginning, the script of which refers to the couple as "rich snobs" and Elaine as "Kristen's bitchy mother". [1]

In the original script, in addition to the ability of bringing others into her dreams, Kristen is shown to be capable of daydreaming that she tears up the clothing of Sally, a classmate who made fun of her, and this happens in real life without Kristen having been near her in reality. Kristen mentions having, or having had, a brother in the script and Freddy ends up killing her mother in a scene reminiscent of the pool party scene in Freddy's Revenge. Furthermore, Kristen would be the last surviving patient and Elm Street child, as both Joey and Kincaid would have perished by the end of the story, and the model of the 1428 Elm Street house that Kristen made in the film's opening would have been made by Joey instead, with the same outcome in regards to the end scene of the film. [32] Both the original draft and the script for the theatrical film had an omitted end scene where Kristen and Dr. Neil Gordon talks about Nancy, implying that she now visits and protects them in their dreams, opposite of what Freddy had done and thus hinting that she is now undead in the dream world like him. [33] This "beautiful dream" concept would later be revisited in the Nightmares on Elm Street comics.

As with Alice, Kristen's portrayal in The Dream Master differed little between the later drafts and what eventually made it into the film, with the exception of one omitted scene where Kristen faces Freddy in a dream the same night he killed Kincaid and Joey, taunting her for now being "Elm Street's last brat", [34] while in the film she only encounters Freddy after Elaine drugs her. Steven Fierberg, cinematographer of The Dream Master, claims that there was a scene where Kristen would walk out of her own house only to find it having turned into the nightmare 1428 house and consequently encounters Freddy in a tunnel. He called it the "best sequence in the movie" and a "terrifying, great sequence", but explains that it was cut out in the last minute because "people were feeling it takes too long to get rid of Tuesday Knight and then establish Lisa Wilcox as the new heroine". [22] This scene does exist as described in the screenplay, and a snippet from this, of Kristen saying "I knew you'd be back" can be seen in one of the trailers that was released for The Dream Master. [35] According to Tuesday Knight, the boiler room scene where Kristen desperately summons Alice and is killed by Freddy was longer than the theatrical version, but New Line Cinema ordered director Renny Harlin to kill Kristen off within a certain time frame to make way for Alice as the new protagonist. [36] The screenplay also has a desperate Kristen making a gymnastic attack on Freddy in vain as he stalks her further throughout the 1428 Elm Street/factory labyrinth he tends to use as a setting in nightmares:

She realizes she's standing on a catwalk high above the room. She looks around and sees that Freddy is standing in front of a furnace, watching her with a grin on his face. With a defiant cry, Kristen runs at Freddy. She does a series of cartwheels and throws herself at her tormentor, crashing into him. Caught off guard, Freddy stumbles backwards and falls onto the grating.

Another deleted scene was of Freddy tormenting Kristen with severe sunburns as she sinks through the quicksand: [34]

Kristen is sunken halfway into the sand, preventing escape. Freddy raises his claw as if to attack Kristen and the shadow of the claw BURNS BLISTERS onto her otherwise pale skin. Freddy saunters over, unaffected by the quicksand. He watches the girl struggle and laughs when her screaming mouth fills with sand as she SINKS BELOW THE SURFACE.

Adding gravity to the suggestions of Fierberg, Harlin and Knight that New Line Cinema wanted Alice established as the new protagonist as quickly as possible, the official press kits from New Line Cinema for both The Dream Master and The Dream Child mysteriously references a plot element, of Kristen drawing Alice into a dream to face Freddy before the dream in which Kristen dies, resulting in Alice consequently helping Kristen to enlist the help of the others, that was entirely absent not only in the theatrical picture, but even from the two screenplay drafts available on the Internet:

"When Joey and Kincaid are found dead, Kristen intimates to newcomer Alice that her friends were murdered by Freddy Krueger -- in their nightmares. Alice is convinced of Freddy's lethal power after Kristen draws her into a nightmare to experience the very real terror. Together they decide to do battle with the deathly Elm Street menace, Freddy Krueger. They share their fears with friends Sheila, a scholastic genius, Alice's brother Rick, a martial arts experts who is also Kristen's boyfriend, Debbie, an attractive bodybuilder, and Dan, the handsome object of Alice's schoolgirl crush. No one will believe them." [37]
"Kristen must persuade her friend Alice to help her. After drawing her into a dream, they attempt to rally the support of their friends, who are clearly not convinced of Freddy's existence. Undaunted, Alice tells Kristen of her "Dream Master" theory, whereby it is possibly to control nightmares by visualizing positive scenarios." [38]

Casting

"They asked me to come back for 4 but at that time I was starting to break into kind of meatier roles. I had just done a movie of the week about teen pregnancy called Daddy and I was really liking getting deeper with my work. I love the horror genre and the Freddy franchise but I was chomping at the bit to try other things as an actor."

— Patricia Arquette (2017) [39]

The role of Kristen Parker in Dream Warriors was the debut role for Patricia Arquette. Arquette was reportedly close to being recast early into the filming of Dream Warriors, though director Chuck Russell recognized her qualities and vouched for her to the other producers, resulting in her staying. [40] Arquette was replaced by actress Tuesday Knight for the sequel, The Dream Master. Neither Robert Shaye, Renny Harlin nor Robert Englund has expressed any definite reason for why Arquette did not come back, though Harlin and Rodney Eastman theorized that her agent might have asked for too much in salary. [22]

Though others speculates that the reason was Arquette's real life pregnancy with her son Enzo Rossi (January 3, 1989), [41] [42] [43] the book Assault of the Killer B's: Interviews with 20 Cult Film Actresses states that "Patricia Arquette reportedly fought the [horror genre] label, turning down a hefty offer to reprise her heroine role, instead favoring more dramatic roles and becoming a respected thespian in the Hollywood community". [44] Arquette confirmed herself in 2017 that this was in fact the case, [39] and has also stated that director Chuck Russell had been very controlling of his actors but had apologized afterwards, while also mentioning the DP (director of photography) as having been "really horribly mean". [lower-alpha 2] [45] Returning actors Eastman and Ken Sagoes expressed disappointment that the character of Kristen had to be recast and of the defaulted reunion with former co-star Arquette, while Tuesday Knight on her part has admitted to having felt out of place due to the recasting. [22]

Tuesday Knight was told by the producers to rewatch Dream Warriors to emulate its Kristen as much as possible, but Knight thought that Arquette's Kristen had been written and portrayed as too much of a "screamer" and victim and hoped to bring a little more strength of will to the character than the previous version. [26] Thus, she decided to try to make the role her own instead of strictly emulating Arquette. [46] Tuesday Knight auditioned before Renny Harlin, Bob Shaye and Rachel Talalay and was "hired on the spot". [27] She would end up contributing the song Nightmare to the film's soundtrack but did not know until she watched The Dream Master in the theater that it been chosen to be the actual title/intro song. [22] The master record of this song, previously thought for many years to have been lost or destroyed, has since been "uncovered in a box deep within the bowels of Warner Brothers" according to Knight. [28] Knight would also have a cameo in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). According to Knight, Wes Craven had been nervous about calling Johnny Depp due to how his career had exploded since his role in A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, fearing that Depp would consider his new film and a mere cameo to be beneath him. Instead, he called Knight and offered her a cameo, explaining that he was a fan of how she portrayed Kristen in The Dream Master. [26]

Characterization

In Wes Craven's and Bruce Wagner's original script from Dream Warriors, Kristen is named Kirsten and is described as "young - no more than 16 - and is stunningly beautiful", [32] while the script for The Dream Master describes her as a "beautiful, but pensive-looking blonde teenager". [34] In the book Hearths of Darkness: The Family In the American Horror Film, Tony Williams argues that "Kristen's death results from Elaine's complicity", and that Kristen thus "becomes a sacrificial offering in a satanic eucharist unconsciously initiated by the parental world". He argues that Kristen's dream of Freddy killing her mother expresses Elaine's real feelings toward her daughter, where her severed head taunts her that Kristen spoils it when she brings a man home for dating and that she's just using her botched "suicide attempt" and apparent sleep disorder as a mean of drawing some attention from her mother. John Kenneth Muir describes Elaine as "a horrible woman who makes no attempt to understand her suffering child", and (on accusing Kristen of "just trying to get attention") that if "[Elaine] would give her any attention [after her suicide attempt], there would be no need for Kristen to do such things". [47] The false protagonist plot device of starting The Dream Master from Kristen's point of view and later reveal Alice as the true protagonist narratively mirrors to some degree the events of the first film, where it quickly becomes evident that the heroine of the film is Nancy and not Tina Gray. [3] Nat Brehmer on That's Not Current elaborates on the false protagonist dimension of Kristen in The Dream Master, arguing that

"In the beginning, [Alice Johnson] plays almost second fiddle to Kristen. Even though she's played by a different actress, we're naturally expecting Kristen to be the heroine all over again, not just because she survived the last one but because she spends the first half hour of Dream Master really driving the plot. It's an incredibly similar dynamic, on some levels, to the one shared between Tina and Nancy in the original Nightmare." [4]

Kristen's fate has also been compared to the plot twist of Janet Leigh's character Marion Crane in the Hitchcock film Psycho (1960), the apparent protagonist of the film, being killed off unexpectedly. [29]

Notes

  1. ↑ Per her gravestone as seen in The Dream Master. [2]
  2. ↑ In extended interviews on Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, line producer Rachel Talalay reveals that Dream Warriors originally had another, foreign cinematographer who was fired by her due to being rude and abusive towards Penelope Sudrow and others, meaning that Patricia Arquette may not be referring to his replacement Roy H. Wagner. [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> (franchise) American supernatural slasher franchise

A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American supernatural slasher media franchise consisting of nine films, a television series, novels, comic books, and various other media. The franchise began with the film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), written and directed by Wes Craven. The overall plot of the franchise centers around the fictional character Fred "Freddy" Krueger, the apparition of a former child killer who was burned alive by the vengeful parents of his victims, who returns from the grave to terrorize and kill the teenage residents of the fictional Springwood, Ohio in their dreams. Craven returned to the franchise to co-script the second sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), and to write/direct Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). The films collectively grossed $472 million at the box office worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freddy Krueger</span> Horror film character

Freddy Krueger is a fictional character and the antagonist of the A Nightmare on Elm Street horror film franchise. Created by Wes Craven, he made his debut in Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as the malevolent spirit of a child killer who had been burned to death by his victims' parents after evading prison. Krueger goes on to murder his victims in their dreams, causing their deaths in the real world as well. In the dream world, he is a powerful force and seemingly invulnerable. However, whenever Freddy is pulled back into the real world, he has normal human vulnerabilities and can be destroyed. He is commonly identified by his burned, disfigured face, dirty red-and-green-striped sweater and brown fedora, and trademark metal-clawed, brown leather, right hand glove. This glove was the product of Krueger's own imagination, having welded the blades himself before using it to murder many of his victims, both in the real and dream worlds. Over the course of the film series, Freddy has battled several reoccurring survivors including Nancy Thompson and Alice Johnson. The character was consistently portrayed by Robert Englund in the original film series as well as in the television spin-off Freddy's Nightmares. The reboot portrays him as an undead groundskeeper accused of molesting the students.

<i>Wes Cravens New Nightmare</i> 1994 film by Wes Craven

Wes Craven's New Nightmare is a 1994 American meta supernatural horror film written and directed by Wes Craven, creator of 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street. A standalone film and the seventh installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, it is not part of the same continuity as previous films, instead portraying Freddy Krueger as a fictional movie villain who invades the real world and haunts the cast and crew involved in the making of the films about him. In the film, Freddy is depicted as closer to what Craven originally intended, being much more menacing and less comical, with an updated attire and appearance. The film stars Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Miko Hughes, and John Saxon.

Tuesday Lynn Knight is an American actress, singer and designer. She is best known for her role as Kristen Parker in the 1988 film A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, replacing Patricia Arquette in the sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Her other film roles include Mistress (1992), The Fan (1996), Daddy and Them (2001), and How to Be Single (2016). Knight has had guest appearances on several television series, such as Profiler (1996) and The X-Files (1999), as well as a starring role on 2000 Malibu Road (1992). Outside of acting, her self-titled debut album was released in 1987 and her jewelry line was launched in 2001.

<i>Freddys Dead: The Final Nightmare</i> 1991 film by Rachel Talalay

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is a 1991 American slasher film and the sixth film in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. It is a sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child and was originally intended to be the final installment of the series; Wes Craven's New Nightmare was released three years later but takes place outside the series canon. A canonical crossover/sequel, Freddy vs. Jason, was released in 2003. This was New Line Cinema's first 3D film release.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> 1984 American slasher film by Wes Craven

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, and Johnny Depp in his film debut. The film's plot concerns a group of teenagers who are targeted by Krueger, an undead child killer who can murder people through their dreams, as retribution against their parents who burned him alive.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors</i> 1987 film by Chuck Russell

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is a 1987 American Supernatural slasher film directed by Chuck Russell in his feature directorial debut. The story was developed by Wes Craven and Bruce Wagner and is the third installment in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Larry Fishburne, Priscilla Pointer, Craig Wasson, and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Nancy Thompson, now a psychiatrist, and Kristen, a patient who can bring others into her own dreams, team up with other kids to launch a daring rescue into the dreamland and save a child from Freddy Krueger.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master</i> 1988 film by Renny Harlin

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 American fantasy slasher film directed by Renny Harlin, and is the fourth installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Serving as a sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), the film follows Freddy Krueger who, following the death of Nancy Thompson and completing his revenge against the families who killed him, reappears in the dreams of Kristen Parker, Joey Crusel, and Roland Kincaid, where he uses Kristen's best friend, Alice Johnson, to gain access to new victims in order to satiate his murderous needs. The Dream Master is often popularly referred to as "the MTV Nightmare" of the franchise.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child</i> 1989 film by Stephen Hopkins

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is a 1989 American slasher film directed by Stephen Hopkins and written by Leslie Bohem. It is the fifth installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, and stars Lisa Wilcox, and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. The film follows Krueger, using a now pregnant Alice Johnson's baby's dreams to claim new victims.

Nancy Thompson (<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i>) Main character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series

Nancy Thompson is a fictional character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. She first appears in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as a teenager hunted in her dreams by enigmatic serial killer Freddy Krueger. In this film, she was portrayed by Heather Langenkamp—who reprises the role in the sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Langenkamp later portrayed a fictional version of herself who embodies the role of Nancy in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). A reimagined version of the character, Nancy Holbrook, is portrayed by Rooney Mara in the 2010 remake.

The popularity of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series has led to several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, Innovation Publishing, Trident Comics, Avatar Press and WildStorm Productions. After the success of Freddy vs. Jason and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake film in 2003, New Line Cinema created their House of Horror licensing division which licensed the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise to Avatar Press for use in new comic book stories, the first of which was published in 2005. In 2006, Avatar Press lost the license to DC Comics imprint, WildStorm Productions which then published several new stories based on the franchise before their license expired as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dream Warriors (song)</span> 1987 single by Dokken

"Dream Warriors" is a song by American band Dokken, that was written by members George Lynch & Jeff Pilson for the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. The song was released as a single in 1987, charting at number 22 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and was also released on Dokken's fourth album, Back for the Attack, as the closing track to that album.

<i>Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors</i> Limited series comic book

Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors is a six-issue limited series comic book written by Jeff Katz and James Kuhoric, with drawings by Jason Craig. The series was published by Dynamite Entertainment and DC Comics, with imprint by Wildstorm, beginning in August 2009 and concluding in December 2009. The Nightmare Warriors is a sequel to Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash, which was published in 2007 and was itself a sequel to the 2003 film Freddy vs. Jason. The series is a crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Evil Dead horror film franchises.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> (2010 film) American supernatural slasher film by Samuel Bayer

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2010 American supernatural slasher film directed by Samuel Bayer, written by Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer, and starring Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, and Kellan Lutz. Produced by Michael Bay and Platinum Dunes, it is a remake of Wes Craven's 1984 film of the same name, as well as the ninth overall installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film is set in a fictitious town in Ohio and centers on a group of teenagers living on one street who are stalked and murdered in their dreams by a disfigured man named Freddy Krueger. The teenagers discover that they all share a common link from their childhood that makes them targets for Krueger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nightmare (Tuesday Knight song)</span> 1988 single by Tuesday Knight

"Nightmare", also known as "(Running From This) Nightmare", is a song by American recording artist and actress Tuesday Knight. The song serves as the opening song for the fourth installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, in which Knight co-starred. Although not officially released as a single or included on the original soundtrack for the film at the time, "Nightmare" has become a cult hit among horror fans and is one of Knight's most well-known and signature songs. It was released officially as a single in 2015.

Alice Johnson (<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i>) Fictional character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise

Alice Johnson is a fictional character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. She first appears in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) as a teenager that inherits dream superpowers from the victims of enigmatic serial killer Freddy Krueger. In this film, she was portrayed by Lisa Wilcox—who reprises the role in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989).

Tina Gray (<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i>) Fictional character

Christina "Tina" Gray is a fictional character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. She was created by Wes Craven. The character was portrayed by Amanda Wyss in the original film and Katie Cassidy in the 2010 film. Julianna Damm also portrayed the character as a preadolescent in the 2010 film's flashbacks and dream sequences. A high school student whose death is the catalyst for the events of the series, Gray is the false protagonist of the 1984 original film. She also appears in the novels, Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), 2010 reboot, merchandise based on the films, and a claymation version of the character is shown in the documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010). The imagery featuring Gray in the body bag during the dream sequences have been regarded as iconic.

1428 Elm Street, also known as the Elm Street House, is a fictional residential house and street address in Springwood, Ohio, and is an important location in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, where it has been the home of Nancy Thompson and her mother, later Jesse Walsh and his family, and finally Lori Campbell and her father, throughout the film series. It has also been implied to have been Freddy Krueger's home at some point before the events that take place in the films. It appears in some form in nearly all the films, as well as literature, comic books, toys, and music videos. The house, like Freddy Krueger, Nancy Thompson, Tina Gray, and Kristen Parker, were all conceived by Wes Craven.

<i>Nightmares on Elm Street</i> Comic book series set in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" universe

Nightmares on Elm Street is a six-issue comic book limited series set within the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, set chronologically between A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) and Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991). It was written by comic book writer Andy Mangels and published bimonthly throughout 1991 and 1992 by Innovation Publishing. The first two issues revolves mainly around Nancy Thompson's fate following her murder by Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, while issue three through six deals primarily with the return of Alice Johnson and her son Jacob to Springwood. The comics are considered to be canonical to the franchise.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Andy Mangels  (w),Mal T. Cullers (p),Vickie Williams (i)."Burnt Offerings"Nightmare on Elm Street: The Beginning,vol. 1,no. 2(1992). Innovation Publishing.
  2. 1 2 Renny Harlin (director) (1988-08-18). A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (DVD). United States: New Line Cinema. ISBN   0780630874.
  3. 1 2 Shimabukuro, Karra (2016). "I Framed Freddy: Functional Aesthetics in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series". In Clayton, Wickham (ed.). Style and Form in the Hollywood Slasher Film. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 56. ISBN   9781137496478.
  4. 1 2 Nat Brehmer (August 6, 2019). ""Tell 'Em Freddy Sent Ya:" Why 'Dream Master' is the Distilled Essence of Freddy Mania". That's Not Current. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  5. ↑ Chuck Russell (director) (1987-02-27). A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (DVD). United States: New Line Cinema. ISBN   0780630866.
  6. ↑ Andy Mangels  ( w ),Tony Harris ( p ),Vickie Williams ( i ). "Eternal Evil" Nightmares on Elm Street,vol. 1,no. 2(1991). Innovation Publishing .
  7. ↑ Jeff Katz and James Kuhoric ( w ), Jason Craig  ( p ). Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors ,no. 1-6(2009). WildStorm .
  8. ↑ "Beyond Death: What Happened to Nancy Thompson". Nightmare On Elm Street Companion. October 7, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  9. ↑ Relling Jr., William (October 15, 1991). "Le Morte De Freddy". In Greenberg, Martin Harry (ed.). The Nightmares on Elm Street: Freddy Krueger's Seven Sweetest Dreams. St. Martin's Press. pp. 127–172. ISBN   9780312925857.
  10. ↑ Aragonés, Sergio (1987-10-01). Ficarra, John (ed.). "A Mad look at A Nightmare on Elm Street 3". MAD. No. 274. pp. 16–17. Retrieved 2019-05-18– via Nightmare on Elm Street Companion.
  11. ↑ Drucker, Mort (1988-09-01). Ficarra, John (ed.). "The Venomous Girl-Eating Snake scene". MAD. No. 281. p. 47.
  12. ↑ A Nightmare on Elm Street (Video game). Westwood Studios. October 1989.
  13. ↑ George Lynch, Jeff Pilson, Patricia Arquette, Robert Englund (1987-02-10). Dokken – "Dream Warriors" (Official Music Video) (Music video). Elektra. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14 – via YouTube.
  14. ↑ Vinnie Vincent Invasion - Love Kills (music video). Capitol, Chrysalis Records. May 17, 1988. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14.
  15. ↑ firstclasshorror (July 16, 2018). "Halloween Horror Nights 25 - Freddy vs Jason". Amino Apps. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Figures | Nightmare on Elm Street Companion — Ultimate Online Resource to Horror Series A Nightmare on Elm Street". NOES Companion. Mezco Toys. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  17. ↑ "Cinema of Fear Screen Grabs: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors". Mezco Toyz. Archived from the original on December 25, 2007. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  18. ↑ "DREAM WARRIORS Cinematographer Remakes ELM STREET 3 Scene with iPhone 11". Dread Central . November 4, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  19. ↑ "Shot on the iPhone 11 Pro! Roy Wagner ASC re-shoots a scene from Nightmare on Elm Street: 3". VideoVillagePro. October 30, 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved December 20, 2019– via YouTube.
  20. ↑ "Freddy Krueger meets the iPhone11 Pro! (Behind the Scenes)". VideoVillagePro. October 30, 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved December 20, 2019– via YouTube.
  21. ↑ "Re-shot on iPhone 11 Pro: Nightmare On Elm Street!". iJustine. October 31, 2019. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved December 20, 2019– via YouTube.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (Blu-Ray). 1428 Films. May 4, 2010.
  23. ↑ Langenkamp, Heather (2011-08-08). "Exclusive Interview With Heather Langenkamp | STATIC MASS EMPORIUM" (Interview). Interviewed by Patrick Samuel. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  24. ↑ Adrienne Tyler (September 14, 2019). "Patricia Arquette's Nightmare On Elm Street Role Explained". Screen Rant . Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  25. ↑ Sagoes, Ken (2014-10-02). "Interview: Ken Sagoes". Drunk Monkeys (Interview). Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  26. 1 2 3 Tuesday Knight (June 2, 2017). "Hellter interviews Tuesday Knight (Nightmare on Elm Street 4's Kristen)". Grue Monkey (Interview). Interviewed by Hellter. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  27. 1 2 Knight, Tuesday (2016-02-25). "Horror Reviews & Interviews". HMZ's Horror Company (Interview). Interviewed by Noah Manginelli. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  28. 1 2 Knight, Tuesday (2016-03-16). "Interview: Actress/Singer Tuesday Knight on her ELM STREET Theme 'Nightmare' Shock Till You Drop". ShockTillYouDrop.com (Interview). Interviewed by Shawn Macomber. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  29. 1 2 Jake Dee (August 24, 2018). "The Test of Time: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)". JoBlo.com . Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  30. ↑ Peitzman, Louis (2013-10-17). "The 25 Fiercest Final Girls of Horror". BuzzFeed . Retrieved 2016-03-17.
  31. ↑ "SCREAM MAGAZINE's Top Ten Final Girls - THE HORROR ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE". SCREAM Horror Magazine. 2015-10-12. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  32. 1 2 Craven, Wes; Wagner, Bruce (June 16, 1986). "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (original script)" (PDF). Retrieved May 18, 2019– via Nightmare on Elm Street Companion.
  33. ↑ Craven, Wes; Wagner, Bruce; Russell, Chuck; Darabont, Frank (1986). "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (final script)" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  34. 1 2 3 "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master – Script" (PDF). NOES Companion. Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  35. ↑ A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master - ALTERNATE U.K. TRAILER (trailer). New Line Cinema. 1988. Archived from the original on 2021-12-14 – via YouTube.
  36. ↑ Knight, Tuesday (June 11, 2015). "Horror Month: Interview with Tuesday Knight (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4/New Nightmare)" (Interview). Interviewed by Ben Gummery.
  37. ↑ "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master — Press Kit" (PDF). NOES Companion. New Line Cinema . Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  38. ↑ "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child — Press Kit" (PDF). NOES Companion. New Line Cinema . Retrieved 2019-05-18.
  39. 1 2 Patricia Arquette (November 4, 2017). "Interview: Patricia Arquette talks Dream Warriors". Bloody Flicks blog (Interview). Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  40. ↑ David Onda (June 1, 2017). "'Dream Warriors' Director Chuck Russell: Producers Almost Fired Patricia Arquette & More Secrets of the Horror Classic". XFinity. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  41. ↑ John Squires (October 1, 2015). "Who Is That?! 12 Horror Roles that Were Recast for the Sequel". Dread Central . Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  42. ↑ May Paige (March 27, 2019). "Movie roles that were recast with different actors in sequels and reboots". Rocketgeeks. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  43. ↑ "RETRO RECOMMENDATIONS: "A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER" (1988)". Rue Morgue . March 18, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  44. ↑ Collum, Jason Paul (2004). "Dreaming of A Nightmare on Elm Street". Assault of the Killer B's: Interviews with 20 Cult Film Actresses. McFarland. pp.  97–102. ISBN   0786418184.
  45. ↑ Arquette, Patricia (March 4, 2015). "After Throwing Down At The Oscars, Patricia Arquette Is Back On Network TV" (Interview). Interviewed by Kate Aurthur. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  46. ↑ Tuesday Knight (August 22, 2018). "Women in Horror Spotlight: Tuesday Knight". Morbidly Beautiful (Interview). Interviewed by Billy Stamper. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  47. ↑ Muir, John Kenneth (February 24, 2004). Wes Craven: The Art of Horror. McFarland & Company. ISBN   978-0786419234.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.