By Melissa Antoinette Garza
“You are all my children now.” Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)
The original NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST will forever be one of the greatest movies ever made. It is a horror film of legendary proportions, and Freddy Krueger was made a household name because of the outstanding performance by Robert Englund. A sequel was bound to happen, and though Wes Craven wanted no part of it, FREDDY’S REVENGE made its way to theaters a year after the original.
One of the grievances that Craven had against the sequel was the different direction that Freddy took. In the first, Krueger’s intention was to kill the children of those that had killed him. He did so within the confines of the dream until of course, Nancy, (Heather Langenkamp) the heroine was able to pull him out for one final showdown. Of course, it ends begging for a sequel. Nancy’s friends are suddenly alive, and her mother waves goodbye as Nancy joins her friends in the red convertible. Things appear to be normal until of course, the car they all are sitting in locks of its own accord and the top rolls up displaying Freddy’s notorious colors. Nancy screams for her mother’s attention as Freddy pulls her through the glass of the door.
In FREDDY’S REVENGE this conclusion is ignored. More than that new rules apply and Freddy‘s powers have been modified. Jesse’s (Mark Patton) family moves into the old Thompson house. We soon learn that Nancy’s mother had committed suicide. Soon, while cleaning his room, Jesse and his love interest Lisa (Kim Myers) find Nancy’s diary. They begin to read it and laugh at the absurdity until the journal mentions Freddy’s glove. Jesse attempts to disregard the reference but being that he had a dream the night before seeing Freddy firsthand, finds it difficult.
Soon, Freddy’s intentions are clear. He wants to use Jesse to get to the other kids in Springwood. Jesse slowly becomes Freddy Krueger. Make no mistake, Robert Englund still portrays the Krueger sequences. The issue is that they are few and far between. Robert Englund IS Freddy Krueger! The NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST. series relies on him so I understand why the resentment is there. In “Freddy’s Revenge” he is on for thirteen minutes of the movie. With the exception of an awesome pool sequence, the movie is missing the mere presence of the advertised villain. Still, there is things going on within the film that have made it find a strong cult following.
It’s widely accepted now that the movie is truly about the lead character coming out as gay. There are countless articles on this and when looking at the facts, it’s obvious to see the intent was clear. When all that is considered and the story is looked at as Jesse’s metamorphosis and evolution rather than something that fits in line with the NIGHTMARE OF ELM. STREET line, Freddy’s absence is forgiven and the film becomes something unique. The campiness and insanity of it all just makes it more worth the watch.
On the surface, the concept of Jesse becoming Freddy is unappealing. It almost has a JECKYLL and HYDE feel to it as Jesse attempts to force Krueger out. Writing a direct sequel for NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET should and could have been easy. The first film concludes leaving it more than open for the movie to continue on the same page as the original. Even if the second couldn’t begin exactly where the first left off, an explanation as to what happened at the end and a continuation of Freddy’s rampage would have been a rather simple way to make another great movie.
Admittedly, Freddy is best when he is pure evil, and when he kills merely because it amuses him. It’s perfection in simplicity. The expansion of the character both in this film (as he tried to become Jesse) and the movies that followed (where he needed to collect souls) deteriorated his character, but this isn’t Freddy’s story. If you are able to take it out of the universe it was built into and look at it as Jesse’s movie, it’s quite amazing.
Now, the movie is completely absent of the things Freddy fans want. One of the best scenes in the franchise is as Freddy expands his arms making an air-embrace, and stands before the swimming pool in front of the teenagers stating, “You are all my children.” That said, I think for some that made it all the more confusing. Obviously, given the time-frame, this story could not have been told completely unveiled. It would have never gotten made. Therefore, the end result is a mish-mesh of two disconnected stories, but it works. It may not be to everyone’s tastes, but it works marvelously and I enjoy it immensely.
The acting is impressive. Patton sold some of the toughest material written. There was so much he had to sell with mannerisms because he couldn’t tell his character’s full story and he did so marvelously. Englund as always is amazing, but I certainly understand why the Freddy fans wanted more scenes with him.
Scared Stiff Rating: 8/10
About the Release:
“Don’t fall asleep” — words to live by for Elm Street teens. Not a problem for fans wide awake with fear (and glee) as they experience these 7 Nightmare movies released from 1984 to 2003. Each features Robert Englund’s masterfully macabre incarnation of slouch-hatted, razor-fingered Freddy Krueger, who mixes wicked wit with even wickeder mayhem as he haunts teens when they’re asleep and most vulnerable. A newspaper article about children who died after having fearsome nightmares provided the real-life springboard for filmmaker Wes Craven’s breakthrough series. Perhaps that underlying reality helps make these shockers so unnerving. Or maybe it’s just that we all like a good scare…and that this series consistently, imaginatively delivers some of the best.
All original Nightmares on 5 discs. Plus the new featurette – The Tales and Crimes of Freddy Krueger
