Round seven of the Elm Street horror saga. Freddy Krueger, the nightmare-dwelling child killer, invades the lives and dreams of the actors who made the first film (even Robert Englund's) in an ingenious variation on the original theme. There are lots of good in-jokes, a dire warning against letting children watch video nasties, and a sterling performance by Heather Langenkamp as her Freddy-beset self. Trust director Wes Craven, who also plays himself, along with John Saxon and others, to make something more inventive and applaudable than any of the other sequels. Heather's husband is killed and Freddy attempts to return via the sleep of her son, until he is unwise enough to take her on in a dreamworld finale. Mothers protecting their offspring, as anyone who has seen Poltergeist will testify, are fearsome opponents. It's pulsating stuff, with good intentional giggles, all the way.

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