“Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” is a reboot before reboots were cool. In terms of kill sequences, the 1994 film loosely reads as a reimagining of the first film, rather than anything truly original. However, babysitter Julie’s (Tracy Middendorf) death scene remains unexpectedly tragic and unnerving. A clear nod to Tina’s death from the first movie, the reworked concept packs its own sort of grisly punch.
In the third act, Heather rushes her son Dylan to the hospital after yet another earthquake rattles their house. Hospital personnel suspects Heather of abusing her son, but we know better. As such, the doctor on-call recommends Dylan be put under strict observation until they get to the bottom of what is going on. Heather drives home to retrieve Dylan’s favorite stuffed dinosaur, Rex. Meanwhile, the nurses inject Dylan with a sedative, against Julie’s objections.
Dylan swiftly falls into a dream. Borrowing a trick from “A Nightmare on Elm Street 5,” Freddy invades Dylan’s nightmare to viciously slaughter Julie. “Hey, Dylan, ever play skin the cat?” Freddy taunts, pulling Julie further up the hospital wall. A blood trail is the least of the terror here as Julie’s screams are chilling. Justice for Julie.
