A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 8, 2025

Warner Brothers has released the 1989 franchise film 'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Master' to the UHD format. New specifications include 2160p/HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio as well as adding a second cut of the film. At time of writing, this release is exclusive to a franchise UHD boxed set; there is no standalone release. See below for reviews of the new video and audio presentations and a listing of included supplemental materials.

For a full film review, please click here.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

The more I dig through Warner Brothers' A Nightmare on Elm Street UHD collection, the more impressed I am with the excellence on display. Once again, Warner Brothers does right by one of the mid-franchise sequels with A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, certainly one of the more mediocre entries in the franchise but given a very good treatment on the 4K format.


This 2160p/HDR UHD presentation looks much the same as the last couple of films. It's lightly grainy, nicely filmic, and satisfyingly crisp and natural in its presentation. The movie might not be the absolute sharpest, most visually robust, most screen commanding, most whatever on the UHD market, but it does its thing very well, taking film elements and presenting them with the finest clarity and naturalism this film has ever seen for home viewing. It's really sharp, really clear, and really looks like film. Some of the visual effects elements struggle to keep up, but the bread and butter content here looks borderline amazing. I couldn't be more pleased with facial textures, clothing details, environments, and the grain. Whether drenched in daylight by drowned in darkness, most every shot looks very good.

The HDR grading brings newfound balance to the film. This is an 80s films film, so expect some loud colors in the real world. It's also a Nightmare on Elm Street film, so expect some dour interiors and duller colors in the dream world. But no matter where the action goes, there's no mistaking that HDR brings newfound life to, and appreciation for, the color scheme, the cinematography, and the film's mood. Look at a horrifying birthing scene early in the movie, around the 17-minute mark. The location is bleak, gray, and frightening, devoid of color. But there is a stark contrast with perfectly bright white medical sheets and garb and bold blotches of blood on them (eventually). It's a striking example of this film's exceptional HDR grading. One of my main issues, as has been the case with the other films in the series on UHD, is that blacks are sometimes a little underwhelming, looking slightly flat and pale. But viewers will be greatly impressed overall with boldly colored period clothes, greenery, and the like. Skin tones look very natural, too.

As with every other UHD in this collection, I did not spot any print wear or encode issues. The Dream Child just about reaches "dream" UHD for this particular film; I can't envision it looking drastically better than it does here.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The new Dolby Atmos soundtrack likewise compares very favorably to the previous couple of entries. In fact, I can['t really find much reason to deviate from what has been written in the previous audio reviews. The Atmos track is not a rework of the content. Instead, the extra overhead and surround back channels offer opportunity for superior stage fill and immersion. They are used in support and complimentary roles but are, truth be told, nonessential luxuries for a movie of this sort. But, it's nice to have them, and they do play a vital part in delivering a richer, fuller, more robust listening experience. Speaking of "robust," the track is no stranger to heavy audio cues in the more terrifying horror and action scenes. Surround use is consistent, the subwoofer picks up some weight, and stage immersion and dynamics are well versed in every instance. Environmental support creates natural (here) and haunting (there) content, depending on the scene. Musical engagement is wide and front focused with a healthy but never overpowering surround element. Dialogue is perfect.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This UHD release A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master contains the same extras that accompanied the original Blu-ray, minus the Theatrical Trailer and, curiously, the Music Videos. Please click here for coverage of these bonus features.

• Womb Raiders
• The Sticky Floor
• Take the Stairs
• Hopkins Directs
• A Slight Miscalculation

Also of note is the inclusion of both the Theatrical (1:29:31) and Uncut (1:30:02) versions of the film. The "Uncut" version of the film adds a few scattered shots, mostly of amplified gore.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child might be the midline for the quality of the films in this franchise, but its UHD is hardly "midline." With excellent 2160p/HDR video, a perfectly balanced and dynamic Atmos soundtrack, and two cuts to choose from, not to mention most of the legacy supplemental content from the previous Blu-ray release, this stands as rock solid UHD in the fan favorite series. Recommended.