Sunday, October 11, 2015

Movie Reviews #39 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

Plot: Freddy Kruger attempts to possess the body of Jesse, a teen who just moved into a house on Elm Street.

Review: The sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street goes in a weird direction. For some reason, Freddy is now able to possess people. There`s no explanation as to why he can do this or even what happened at the end of the first movie. There`s also things that happen in the real world that don`t make sense. In one scene, the pet bird goes crazy and attacks the father, then it bursts into flames. So now Freddy can drive birds crazy and then explode them? In another scene, Jesse leaves his home in the middle of the night and for no apparent reason goes to an S&M club where he runs into his gym teacher, who then makes him run laps at the school gym. What kind of movie is this? Also, Jesse is an oddball. He`s sort of likable but he`s always being a dick to his girlfriend who actually believes him and is trying to help. Shouldn`t he be nice to her of all people? 

Many people, including the screenwriter, believe that the movie is secretly about repressed homosexuality. Once you know this, you can kind of see it, but a horror movie about a guy who can haunt your dreams is not the best place to put this kind of secret meaning. Robert Englund is back as Freddy and his role seems smaller in this movie but at least he doesn’t come off as goofy.

            The second A Nightmare on Elm Street tries to be different from the first movie but it does not work. The special effects are solid, except for the dogs with doll faces near the end that look terrible. This movie, just like the first one, has an ambiguous ending that leaves the audience confused. This is not a strong entry in the series and most people tend to forget it in the end.

Score: 5/10

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