The first draft of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, dated June 16, 1986. The basic plot is the same as the final movie, but the similarities pretty much end there.
Several elements of this script made their way into later installments of the series.
- One of Freddy's lines ("You can check into this dream, Kirsten, but you can't check out!") is similar to his Pre-Mortem One-Liner before killing Debbie in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.
- Freddy's victims show up in Nancy's nightmares, pleading for her help. Something similar happens in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.
- The concept of an infant Freddy was revisited in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.
- Phillip's original death, where Freddie places him in the path of a speeding vehicle, was reused in one of the A Nightmare on Elm Street comics.
You can find the full script here
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This script provides examples of:
- Age Lift:
- Taryn is 15 in the script, but 17 in the final.
- Joey is 19 in the script, but 16 in the final.
- Phillip is 13 in the script, but 16 in the final.
- Alpha Bitch: Sally, one of Kirsten's classmates.
- Sally: Your hair looks so good.Kirsten: Thanks.Sally: Did, uh, did they have a beauty shop in the nuthouse?
- And I Must Scream: The ultimate fate of anyone killed by Freddie.
- John: If you can't kill him, there'll be no death for you. You'll be chased forever in a dream that doesn't end. That's what hell is.
- Ass Shove: Freddie kills Kincaid by shoving his arm so far up his ass that his bladed glove emerges from Kincaid's mouth.
- Freddie: Your asshole belongs to me, Kincaid!
- Badass Normal: Nancy isn't a Dream Warrior, but is still strong enough to lead the others.
- Beast with a Human Face: When Nancy and Kirsten visit Freddie's house, they get attacked by a dog with Freddie's head.
- Beware of Hitchhiking Ghosts: At the beginning of the script, Nancy encounters a female hitchhiker, who she invites into her car. Unfortunately, this turns out to be a nightmare.
- Nancy: You must be really hot. How can you stand on that asphalt without shoes?Hitcher: [silence]Nancy: What's your name?Hitcher: [silence]Nancy: Where you going?Hitcher: Down.Nancy: Down where?Hitcher: Down where he fucks you.[Nancy's tire explodes, causing her car to roll into a field]
- Bittersweet Ending: Nancy dies, but continues to visit Neil in his dreams.
- Bloodier and Gorier:
- Freddie still kills Jennifer by shoving her head into a TV screen, but the script describes her head being smashed to pieces upon impact, unlike the bloodless death she gets in the final.
- Taryn gets chewed up to the point of resembling ground beef, rather than dying of a heroin overdose like in the final.
- Joey gets stretched out until he's torn to pieces.
- Laredo (Will) is reduced to a bloody mist, rather than simply getting stabbed in the heart like in the final.
- Kirsten's mother is disemboweled by Freddie, who proceeds to eat her entrails.
- The less said about Kincaid's death, the better.
- Body Horror: Near the end, Taryn encounters what she thinks is her grandmother... until her "grandmother's" chest splits open into a giant mouth, revealing what the script refers to as "rib-teeth" and a "heart tongue".
- Bungled Suicide: According to Neil, all of the hospitalized teenagers attempted to commit suicide, but failed. It's later revealed that none of them tried to kill themselves, with their injuries being the result of Freddie's attacks.
- Country Matters:
- After Nancy escapes Freddie's house:Freddie: Cunt! I'll get you — asleep or awake! I'll shit on your corpse!
- Later, when Nancy and Kirsten are fighting Freddie.Freddie: C'mere, cunts.
- After Nancy escapes Freddie's house:
- Creepy Child:
- The jump-roping children, as usual.
- Later, Freddie disguises himself as Laredo's younger brother, who drowned because Laredo wasn't paying attention to him.
- Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: Courtesy of Freddie.
- Freddie: I'll shit on your corpse!
- Death by Adaptation: Joey, Kirsten's mother, Kincaid, and Dr. Maddalena (Dr. Simms) die in this draft, but survive in the final.
- Death by Childbirth: The fate of Freddie's mother.
- Defeat by Modesty: After falling asleep in class, Kirsten gets revenge on Sally by tearing her clothes off in a dream, causing the same thing to happen in the real world.
- Dirty Old Man: Freddie has shades of this, joking about Nancy "giving him a little head" and referring to Kirsten as a "juicy little bitch".
- Dripping Disturbance: After having sex with Neil, Nancy is called out of bed by the sound of a leaky faucet, which turns out to be dripping blood.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Freddy's name is spelled "Freddie" in this script. Oddly, the "Freddy" spelling is still used in the Ironic Nursery Tune.
- Eaten Alive:
- Freddie, disguised as Neil, attempts to do this to Nancy.
- Later, Freddie kills Taryn in this manner.
- Elongating Arm Gag: Freddie stretches his arm across the room to punch Neil in the face.
- Enfant Terrible: In Freddie's house, Nancy encounters an infant version of Freddie, who quickly transforms into his usual self. Later, Kirsten fights and kills the infant Freddie.
- Freddie: Oh, mamaaaaa!
- Evil Elevator: During Nancy's first nightmare, Freddie traps Nancy in an elevator and tries to kill her.
- Eye Scream:
- Nancy's first nightmare ends with her father cutting off his eyelids.
- Later, Freddie (disguised as Joey's high school crush) uses his tongue to rip Joey's eyes out.
- Fantasy Keepsake: After clawing at Freddie's face in a nightmare, Nancy wakes up with pieces of burnt flesh under her fingernails.
- Fetus Terrible: The first scene of the script is an infant Freddie tearing his way out of a pregnant woman's belly.
- For Science!: Neil's justification for risking his life by entering the dream world.
- Nancy: Neil, you shouldn't be here! It's dangerous — and I've got work that's gotta be done now!Neil: Are you kidding? I'm physically inside a reality I've been trying to penetrate clinically for years. Do you think I'd miss this chance?
- Groin Attack: Laredo gives Freddie a well-deserved kick in the nuts.
- Gutted Like a Fish: How Freddie kills Kirsten's mother.
- Half the Man He Used to Be: After getting killed by Freddie, Kincaid is split in half by a Portal Cut.
- Haunted House: Freddie's house, which is the only place where Freddie can attack people when they're awake. As the script puts it:
- Freddie seems to be a part of the house... he IS the house.
- Hellevator: At one point in her first nightmare, Nancy enters an elevator in Freddie's house, which plummets through a hellish landscape.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Kirsten kills Freddie with his own blades.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Freddie, as Taryn, Kirsten's mother, and Dr. Maddalena find out.
- Ironic Nursery Tune:
- As usual, the "One, two, Freddy's coming for you" rhyme makes an appearance.
- There's also this, courtesy of Joey.Joey: Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my balls to keep, if should I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my eyes to take...
- Kill It with Fire:
- The only way to stop Freddie is by setting him on fire (again), then burning his house down.
- Nancy's father ends up burning to death.
- Man on Fire: At the end, Nancy's father runs back to the hospital engulfed in flames.
- Never Suicide: All of the supposedly suicidal teenagers were actually attacked or killed by Freddie.
- Off with His Head!: Freddie kills Dr. Maddalena by biting her head off.
- People Puppets: Freddie kills Philip by controlling his body and walking him into the path of a speeding ambulance.
- Portal Cut: Happens to Kincaid shortly after he's killed by Freddie.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Several from Freddie.
- After swallowing Nancy up to her head and getting ready to finish the job.Freddie: Now give Freddie a little head, hmm?
- Before killing Jennifer by shoving her head into a TV screen:Freddie: We've got a wonderful show for you tonight, Jennifer! 'Lights Out'!
- Before killing Taryn by eating her.Freddie: The only problem with you, Taryn, is sometimes you're hard to stomach!
- Before killing Laredo with a post hole digger (which is shaped like a giant screw).Freddie: Screw you!
- After swallowing Nancy up to her head and getting ready to finish the job.
- Race Lift: Taryn is black in the script.
- Reality Warper: Freddie as usual, but Kirsten also has the ability to affect the real world through dreams.
- Self-Mutilation Demonstration:
- In Kirsten's Catholic school nightmare, Freddie carves a cross into his flesh to scare her.
- After entering the dream world for the first time, Neil slices off a finger and reattaches it.
- Shapeshifter Guilt Trip: Freddie disguises himself as Laredo's younger brother, who drowned because Laredo wasn't paying attention to him. Laredo doesn't fall for it.
- "Toby": Hi, Laredo! Don't you recognize me? I'm Toby. I'm your brother.Laredo: You're not my brother! You're not real!"Toby": I was swimming in the pool. Mommy told you to watch me. But you had to talk on the phone.Laredo: No! It was a wrong number, I couldn't have been on for more than a second!"Toby": A second was all I needed to die, Laredo.["Toby" approaches Laredo]"Toby": Laredo, save me! If you'll just hold me, I'll be all right. It's a second chance — for both of us![ Laredo kicks "Toby" in the groin, causing him to transform back into Freddie]
- Shapeshifter Showdown: Freddie and Laredo face off in this manner. Freddie wins.
- Shout-Out:
- At one point, Kincaid refers to Freddie as "Dr. Seuss".
- Later, Kirsten says that she feels like the Bride of Frankenstein.
- Freddie's line as he emerges from the TV in Jennifer's nightmare is a reference to either The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson or The Shining.Freddie: Heeeerrrrreee'sss Freddie!
- Joey and Kincaid compare their fight against Freddie to High Noon and Seven Samurai respectively.
- Sinister Scraping Sound:
- In one of Nancy's nightmares, the sound of Freddie's claw is recreated by shower curtain hooks scraping along the curtain rod.
- In the final scene, the sound of Freddie's claw is used to indicate that Freddie is Not Quite Dead.
- Sir Swears-a-Lot: Freddie and Kincaid.
- Sleepwalking: Philip is a sleepwalker.
- Sudden Name Change: Several characters have different names than they do in the final.
- Freddy's name is spelled "Freddie", except in the Ironic Nursery Tune.
- Kristen is named Kirsten.
- Will is named Laredo.
- Phillip's name is spelled "Philip", though the final spelling is used a few times.
- Neil Goldman is named Neil Guinness.
- Elizabeth Simms is named Shirley Maddalena.
- Nancy's father is named John instead of Donald.
- Kirsten's mother is named Alice instead of Elaine.
- Tap on the Head: Freddie knocks Neil out with a punch to the face.
- This Is a Drill: Freddie kills Laredo with a post hole digger.
- This Is Not a Floor: During her second trip to Freddie's house, Nancy ends up falling through a floor that turns out to be water.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Not only is Freddie able to do this, but it's also Laredo's dream power.
