Review Overview
Acting
Visuals / Camera
Sound
Story
Pacing / Editing
Characters
Entertainment Value / X-Factor
Mood / Atmosphere
A family reunion that fit's like a glove!
Freddy Kreuger is back once again for a sixth installment of the Nightmare on Elm St. franchise. This time he kills the one and only last remaining Elm St. kid. Freddy moves into new territory for fresh meat and has a family reunion with his daughter! Can she stop Freddy?
PLOT
Freddy returns once again!
What we come to realize is that Freddy Krueger has accomplished his main goal. He has killed off all of the Elm St. children. But it’s not enough for Freddy any more. He wants more. There is one left and Freddy intelligently uses him long enough to gain escape from his original confinements.
He seeks to gain entrance elsewhere for more “fresh meat”. Once he no longer needs the last.. he to, will receive his fate like all the others of Elm St. During this transition, Freddy comes face to face with his daughter! That’s right, I said daughter. You can only guess how this unusual family reunion will turn out!
I don’t think Daddy has good intentions here… do you?
REVIEW
Freddy’s Dead was directed by Rachel Talalay and starred Lisa Zane. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare was released on September 13, 1991. This was the sixth installment in the series and supposed to be the last. But we all know how that goes.
This was apparently New Line Cinemas first film in 3D from what I have gathered. Robert Englund yet again plays Freddy Krueger and as always picks up where he leaves off.
I remember seeing this film in theaters, I was all psyched up because it was in 3D. But I wasn’t impressed with the 3D graphics, but that’s to be expected, especially for back then. It did make for a good marketing gimmick to bring in viewers.
I never was to fond of this installment. It seemed to me this story line and the script was just pulled out of someones rear end. The makers knew that Nightmare 5 was a flop. I think they were trying to fix that debacle with Freddy’s Dead. Instead, they created another embarrassing mess. Freddy’s Dead was just way over the top.
There are several cameos in this movie that in my opinion help to put this movie further in to the category of “ridiculous sequels”. There’s Roseanne Barr, Tom Arnold and Alice Cooper. I don’t have anything against them at all, but this movie was just not the place for them in my opinion. What were these people thinking that was behind this movie?!?!
There is however a cameo by Johnny Depp, who was in the original Nightmare on Elm Street, who played Glenn. I always felt if they were going to use him for a cameo appearance that they should of picked a more suitable sequel / part to use him in. It’s my opinion that was a key opportunity lost to bring a little bit of the first movie back to the big screen. Like with most franchises like this, they lose sight of what’s important to fans and screw up many opportunities that could make a sequel really stand out.
So basically what we have here in this film is that Freddy needs fresh meat. He has practically killed off all the Elm Street children except one. Who he cleverly uses to expand his killing territories. Then of course when he no longer needs this kid, he kills him off as well.
Freddy also catches up with his own daughter in his new land of nightmares and she must now try to put a stop to her evil Daddy’s killing rampage once and for all. Maggie learns from Doc that Freddy has obtained his immortal powers from “dream” demons. But can be killed once and for all if brought into the real world. Now where have we heard this before?
If you read my Review for Nightmare on Elm St. 3: Dream Warriors, I write about how Wes Craven originally wanted to use his idea of bringing Freddy into the real world for Nightmare 3, but New Line Cinema didn’t like the idea and said no. But years later they accepted it and it was called Wes Cravens New Nightmare! Which was respected by many of the old school fans, including myself. It was just what we needed!
So, with a non-original idea once again, Freddy must be pulled into the real world to be killed. Maggie takes on this task of course and enters Freddy’s mind. There she sees Freddy’s horrible past from a child to adulthood. She successfully brings Freddy into the real world where they fight it out to the death. She impales Freddy with a bomb and he explodes, releasing his demons that have always revived him. This time they can not do that in the real world and Freddy’s Dead.
This scene always reminded me of The Dream Master, only instead of the souls of the dead releasing from Freddy, it was demons. I thought it was a quick and easy way to do away with Freddy. Sure we got a bit of background on Freddy in this movie, but by this time and after all we have learned from the previous sequels was it really necessary? For me, I found a lot of problems with this movie and just wasn’t impressed all the way around with it. I felt there could have been a lot more to it, a better send off etc.. after all it was supposed to be that they saved the best for last. Not in my opinion!
Old school fans of the franchise deserved a better movie, a much better story and send off. I think older, faithful hardcore fans were short changed here because New Line Cinema wanted to appeal to a younger audience. Again, they lost sight of what was important here. To put it bluntly, I can not stand the Freddy’s Dead sequel, followed closely by Nightmare 5.
CAST
Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger
Lisa Zane as Maggie Burroughs
Shon Greenblatt as John Doe
Lezlie Deane as Tracy
Ricky Dean Logan as Carlos
Breckin Meyer as Spencer
Yaphet Kotto as Doc
Tom Arnold as Childless Man
Roseanne as Childless Woman
In Memoriam:
Wes Craven recently passed away due to brain cancer. The shocking News broke just this past Sunday night, August 30, 2015. The Horror Community was shaken to it’s core in disbelief. Many fans took to the internet and social media to express their condolences and sadness of losing such a legend. Many called Wes Craven the Hitchcock of our generation. He will be greatly missed among fans and colleagues.
Always remember…. The House That Freddy Built!
Rest in peace Mr. Craven….
TRAILER: