TheNightmare on Elm Streetfranchise could lure back Patricia Arquette, if producers are willing to meet one particular condition. The future Oscar-winner became a 1980s scream queen with her starring role as Kristen inA Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Having survived her battle with Freddy Krueger,thanks in part to her special dream-gymnastics skill, anointed Final Girl Arquette exited the franchise. Her recast character was eventually killed inA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.
Almost 40 years after taking her turn in the biggest of all ‘80s slasher franchises, Arquette says she would consider returning to Elm Street, but joked thatshe’ll only do it if producers take away Kristen’s gymnastic ability and give the character a new superpower(viaComicBook.com):
“Ya know, I just, I never really thought that in my dreams I’d be a gymnast so I don’t know. Can I change my superpower? Maybe I’ll come back if I can change my superpower but I mean, I don’t know. I can be invisible; I can be anti-gravitational. I can do all kinds of things. Why do I have to do gymnastics? I like gymnastics don’t get me wrong but I’d like something a little more lethal when I’m dealing with [Freddy].”
What This Means For A Nightmare on Elm Street And Arquette
The Franchise Has Been Slumbering Since 2010
Arquette was a young actor when she joined the popularNightmare on Elm Streetseries as Kristen Parker, a troubled young woman who joins forces with the other patients in her psyche ward to battle their tormenter, Freddy Krueger. Having gone all the way against Freddy,Arquette surprisingly declined the chance to play Kristen inNightmare 4, later explaining that she wanted to take on better roles.
Arquette is plainly joking with her new remarks about possibly returning to theNightmare on Elm Streetfranchise. It’s a series that hasn’t put out a new installment since 2010’s poorly-received reboot starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy, and hasn’t generated a lot of revival buzz in recent years, so it’s unlikely Arquette would have gotten the call to come back anyway. There’s also the matter of her character being long-dead (though Kristen could easily return in a dream, and still fight Freddy).
Our Take on Arquette Getting A New Nightmare on Elm Street Superpower
It’s indeed been nearly 40 years sinceArquette’sNightmare on Elm Streetexperience. In that time, she’s established herself as one of the most reliable and prolific actors around, winning an Oscar for her role inBoyhood. Indeed, Arquette is way past needing theNightmareseries. Given how lucky they would be to land an award-winner for their franchise, it would be a slam-dunk for producers to acquiesce and let Kristen return sans gymnastic superpower.
Arquette was replaced forNightmare on Elm Street 4by Tuesday Knight.
That Kristen has gymnastic fighting skills in her dreams is indeed one of the sillier aspects ofA Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, a film that is otherwise widely praised as one of the best in the series. But Kristen has a second power in the movie, of course, as it’s revealed that she can pull others into her dreams. That power is interesting, and has a huge bearing on the movie’s plot. Kristen’s gymnastic attacks are not interesting, and are even cheesy, as Arquette herself seems to agree.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Cast
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors continues the horror saga with young Kristen Parker being targeted by the dream-stalking Freddy Krueger. She is sent to a psychiatric ward, where she joins other troubled teens and meets Nancy Thompson, who aids in the battle against Freddy’s terror.
