A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge

“The man of your dreams is back.”

5.8

1985

1h 27m

Horror

Director: Jack Sholder

Overview

A teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by deceased child murderer Freddy Krueger, who is out to possess him in order to continue his reign of terror in the real world.

Trailer

Cast

Freddy Krueger

Robert Englund

Freddy Krueger

Jesse Walsh

Mark Patton

Jesse Walsh

Lisa Webber

Kim Myers

Lisa Webber

Ron Grady

Robert Rusler

Ron Grady

Ken Walsh

Clu Gulager

Ken Walsh

Cheryl Walsh

Hope Lange

Cheryl Walsh

Coach Schneider

Marshall Bell

Coach Schneider

Mrs. Webber

Melinda O. Fee

Mrs. Webber

Mr. Webber

Tom McFadden

Mr. Webber

Kerry

Sydney Walsh

Kerry

Biology Teacher

Edward Blackoff

Biology Teacher

Angela Walsh

Christie Clark

Angela Walsh

Reviews

John Chard

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

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tmdb15214618

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.

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