This book presents 64 types of antagonists. Short lists of horror or horror-adjacent movies featuring these antagonists are suggested. The movies are ranked in order of preference. The antagonists are divided in five categories: viscera, society, science, folklore and afterlife.
Each film description contains a synopsis and a star rating.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Haunted by a specter in her nightmares, a teenager discovers she is propagating her death curse among her friends.
Horror for Beginners
United States1988
Feature Film
Realism:
Supernatural
Dimensional:
Nightmare
Fluids:
Water
Wizards:
Possessor
Evoker
Transmuter
Screenplay:
Characters:
Franchise Sequel
A recurring nightmare you won't want to wake up from!
Ambiance
Dialogue
Plot
This third sequel in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is a gift to the MTV generation. It walks in the footsteps of the previous film but brings its own immature, bratty flavor. Not as dramatic but still tense, it creates ambiance through music as much as lighting and set design. The soundtrack is mostly composed of pop rock, yet the song selection still serves the eeriness.
Freddy is his threatening self but now seems self-aware, camera-conscious and plays it cool. The movie has memorable mind-fuck moments, atmospheric dream sequences and fun characters you can't help but care for. The third movie was character-centric and so is this one. It is now established that whatever talent or strength you have or wish you had in real life you can use as weapon in nightmares.
The direction is energetic, methodically paced, the dialogue hip, though slightly awkward at times, and there is always something interesting going on. The script is dense and eventually deals with time loops, location warps, and the groundhog day effect. The new eccentricities are a hazy delight. The murders scenes are imaginative, completely over the top, lengthy and gory.
