Why Patricia Arquette Ditched The Freddy Franchise After A Nightmare On Elm Street 3

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The "Nightmare on Elm Street" film series was a hotbed for emerging talent. Many of the directors in the franchise would go on to prolific or interesting careers. Chuck Russell, director of "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" would go on to make Hollywood blockbusters like "The Mask," "Eraser," and "The Scorpion King." Renny Harlin, who directed "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" would likewise enter the Hollywood mainstream with films like "Predator 2," "Die Hard 2," "Cliffhanger," and "Cutthroat Island." Jack Sholder, Stephen Hopkins, and Rachael Talalay also emerged from the series' directors pool. 

One can also find a few rising actors at the start of their careers throughout the Freddy Krueger movies. Famously, a young Johnny Depp starred in Wes Craven's 1984 original, and, for "Dream Warriors," Patricia Arquette made her cinematic debut. In the film, Arquette played Kristen, a teen beleaguered by Freddy nightmares. Freddy, possessed of his seemingly limitless demonic powers, manipulated Kristen's body while she slept to stage what looked like a suicide attempt. Concerned, Kristen's mother sends her to a sanitarium where she meets several other kids her age also haunted by Freddy in their dreams. Soon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), returning from the first "Nightmare," will arrive to explain to the kids what's going on. 

Director Russell once noted that Arquette was not well-liked by the casting directors and that he fought to keep her on. Arquette doesn't remember her audition well but notes that she has notoriously auditioned poorly. The actress enjoyed her "Warriors" experience — especially the scene where she was eaten by the Freddy snake — but wasn't keen on returning for sequels. She said as much in a 2017 interview with the website Bloody Flicks.