184 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) & Before I Wake (2016) →

CW: Death of a child

It’s a Dream Week on Pod Sematary! Chris & Kelsey get a cool gearing-up montage and cool new dream powers!

Read our afterthoughts for this episode here!

The Classic Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
"Freddy Krueger returns once again to terrorize the dreams of the remaining Dream Warriors, as well as those of a young woman who may be able to defeat him for good” (IMDb.com). The Nightmare franchise starts to take a turn for the worse in this installment, but it's still not bad yet... surprisingly.

The Modern Film: Before I Wake (2016)
"A couple adopt an orphaned child whose dreams - and nightmares - manifest physically as he sleeps” (IMDb.com). Since this is a Mike Flanagan joint, you know that there is at least a minimum threshold of quality here, but the squandered potential, muddled metaphors, and theme that's about as subtle as a slap in the face make this easily the worst of his outings we've seen so far.

Audio Sources:
"Are You Ready for Freddy?" written by Patrick Klein, et al., & performed by The Fat Boys
"Before I Wake (2016)" produced by Intrepid Pictures, et al.
"Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" produced by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, et al.
"I Want Your (Hands On Me)" written by Sinéad O'Connor, et al., & performed by Sinéad O'Connor
"Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy" produced by 1428 Films & Panic Productions
"A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" produced by New Line Cinema, et al.
"Pet Sematary" written by Dee Dee Ramone & Daniel Rey and performed by The Ramones