A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
1h 27m | PG-13
Jesse Walsh moves with his family into the home of the lone survivor from a series of attacks by dream-stalking monster, Freddy Krueger. There, he is bedeviled by nightmares and inexplicably violent impulses.
Director: Jack Sholder
Studio: New Line Cinema
Genre: Horror
Video: 720p
Cast
Robert Englund
as Freddy Krueger
Mark Patton
as Jesse Walsh
Kim Myers
as Lisa Webber
Robert Rusler
as Ron Grady
Clu Gulager
as Ken Walsh
Hope Lange
as Cheryl Walsh
Reviews
Possession is nine-tenths of the law. A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge is the runt of the Elm Street litter. It was unfortunate to be the sequel to a landmark horror film, a film that birthed one of the ultimate horror icons whilst having at its core a terrifying premise. A premise that was superbly executed by all involved in the first film. Part 2 bravely tried to advance the bogeyman story to another level, to one of possession, which in hindsight was a mistake. There's also the mixed tonal flow and confused intents that hamper the pic. Whilst the young members of the cast are too blank to garner the required amount of sympathy to get us to care about their plight, especially lead lad Mark Patton as Jesse Walsh. However, there is still a lot to like here, some striking imagery grabs the attention and it is not without some unnerving scares. The debates about what metaphors the makers were going for still exist, and that homo-erotic sheen is never going to go away, but even though it's an average Elm Street movie, it's not as dreadful as it was first painted. 5/10
Freddy's Revenge deserves redemption. If you don't expect a film about Freddy, you can appreciate this sequel for what it is, instead of begrudging it for what it isn't. The argument for a gay reading--the idea that Freddy is symbolic of the protagonist's repressed homosexual desires--isn't entirely convincing but even without it, the movie's a lot better than many credit it. This is a Nightmare on Elm Street story that uses the creature to explore what it feels like to grow up. It's confusing and scary and transformational. Tonal shifts and plot mistakes only contribute to the overall intent.
The nightmare that started it all. Made us all scared to go to to sleep. My favorite horror series next to Friday the 13th. Love this movie.
My least favorite out of the series. Didn't like this one because Freddy wasn't really killing any one until the end. He used a live human to kill for him. So it was kind of dumb.
My least favorite out of the series. Didn't like this one because Freddy wasn't really killing any one until the end. He used a live human to kill for him. So it was kind of dumb.