Anyone who knows me understands — or at least acknowledges — my Freddy Krueger obsession: the holographic Freddy watch, the Freddy sweater, the talking Freddy doll, the glazed-over look in my eyes when I rhapsodize about the human-head pizza served in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master‘s scene at the “Crave Inn” diner. (Best…crunching sound effects…ever).
A Nightmare on Elm Street — specifically the third installment, a.k.a. 1987’s Dream Warriors, possibly the series’ strongest entry — is also the reason I became a Dokken fan. This film has it all: a young Patricia Arquette, a Freddy-propelled sleepwalking human marionette, John Saxon, Freddy’s nun-tastically elaborate backstory, the line “Welcome to prime time, bitch!”, and Nightmare‘s best theme song (apologies to DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince). That last item comes courtesy of Dokken’s “Dream Warriors,” co-written by the band’s George Lynch and Jeff Pilson. It was released Feb 10, 1987, just days before my 12th birthday. Being a sick-minded sixth grader, I was already deep into Freddy. “Dream Warriors” quickly became my favorite song.
Ain’t gonna dream no more!