This franchise has many highs & lows over the years. I would say it holds up better than most of it's competitors. Freddy is such an unique character that people simply can't get enough of him. Many people around the time of it's release had trouble sleeping due to seeing the movie. Sadly the company & Craven had very different ideas how things were to be handle.
1. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
_theatrical_poster.jpg/220px-A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street_(1984)_theatrical_poster.jpg)
Of course the one that started it all. A Nightmare on Elm Street follows a teenager named Nancy with her friends being stalked by a dead man in their dreams. Originally they wanted a older man to play Freddy but they knew as soon as Robert Englund audited for the role. He was the man for the job & he has many appearances as the character since then.
I would say this was a terrifying movie for it's time. This so happens to be Johnny Depp's first role. Speaking of Depp, part of what they originally attempted didn't happen. Every scene with Freddy brings fear right down your spine. Some great kills that can still haunt your dreams see what I do there lol.
Robert did an amazing job being Freddy. This stands as one of Craven's greatest movies. Sadly this ended up being one of his biggest regrets. He wanted to make it a stand alone movie with a happy ending. However someone high up was heavily against the idea. Also because many horror movie franchises were making money.
Every nightmare including those with no kills are truly unique for it's time. This movie plays on several fears many could have. We have a boogeyman that can virtually do anything. The ending is still one of the strangest I have ever seen in a horror movie. Many things originally appearing in this movie are present in most of the franchise.
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
_theatrical_poster.jpg/220px-A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street_2_-_Freddy's_Revenge_(1985)_theatrical_poster.jpg)
I am not a fan of this movie for many reasons. It is not because the main guy in real life prefers guys. Honestly I could care less about what he likes or who he sleeps with. There really isn't enough Freddy in this movie. I believe someone clocked all of his appearances in this movie to around 10 to 11 minutes.
Really Freddy appears that little in a Freddy movie well yeah. Wes Craven & some actors from the fist movie are against this movie. They chose to ignore Freddy killing you in your sleep concept. Instead a teenager named Jessie becomes Freddy. This ignores the part in the original where Nancy pulled Freddy from her dream.
Even some of the later movies talk about getting harm & bringing Freddy into the real world. Which involves you pulling Freddy while waking up. Yeah you can kinda picture where I'm going with this. I felt most of this movie doesn't exactly come off as a horror movie. I wasn't impressed by most death scenes.
Although the best scene in the entire movie is Freddy attacking people at a party. This scene still stands as his biggest kill count in a single scene. Also crazy things happen like a bird attacking then burns to death. I will be honest to say the effects for Jessie becoming Freddy are great. This movie is an insult to the late Wes Craven.
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Everyone agrees that this is the best Freddy movie. This was Patricia Arquette's first role. The last among the Elm Street teens are committed to a hospital. OMG everything is so damn good that I can't imagine them out doing it. I am not kidding every special effect is amazing. Easily some of the best kills in the entire franchise are present in this movie.
Robert Englund really steals the show this time with an amazing performance. I also like they discover each one of them has a power in the dream world. If you think about it, everyone should have something to help protect them from Freddy. This movie blows you away from start to finish. This is more of a direct sequel to the original.
This was one of the few Freddy movies to have Wes Craven on board. Every scene plays a major role in some way. This had the best story out of all the Freddy movies. I was really impressed by all the nightmare scenes. Some of them still creep me out like turning Phil into a puppet using his veins. Nancy returns to help these teens from Freddy.
I also like they reveal more about Freddy. Who doesn't remember Freddy possessing his own skeleton beating up two guys? I felt they did a great job writing the characters. It wasn't exactly common for characters to be likable. In fact for many horror movies, a lot of people root for the killer to kill people.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 is a candidate for being one of the greatest horror movies ever made. I personally consider it one of the greatest horror movie sequels of all time. This movie not only out done the original but also brought plenty of interesting ideas in. Sadly Craven wasn't allowed his concept for the movie that eventually became another movie.
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
_theatrical_poster.jpg/220px-A_Nightmare_on_Elm_Street_4_-_The_Dream_Master_(1988)_theatrical_poster.jpg)
Freddy rises from the grave to hunt down the last three teens he was after. Alice gets unwillingly used by Freddy to kill more people. Oh okay I prefer that over how A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 did. I would say some of my favorite Freddy moments are in this movie. I felt they did a great job with the movie overall.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 is where things gets confusing with Freddy. Prior to this movie, we knew him as a specter that's killing teens in their dreams. Now we are suppose to believe he actually the guardian of the dream gate. It felt sorta rushed in although why those teens from Part 3 had trouble fighting him does make more sense.
Debbie getting one of the sickest kills in any Freddy movie. First she gets both of her arms broken while lifting weighs. Then she transforms into two cock roaches that ended up getting stuck inside a trap. Finally Freddy says one of his best lines in the movie quickly followed by crushed it in his hand. I like on the DVD release a scene is titled Mortal Combat lol.
Funny enough Freddy appears in two Mortal Kombat games. Of course I should mention how much I enjoy seeing Freddy & Alice going at it. Alice made sure to bring something belonging to her friends & brother to confront Freddy. Alice is sorta a mixed dream warrior since she possesses traits of the souls she got.
I also enjoy watching Freddy pulling himself together. What's weird is a dog pissing a flame that opens a grave. Maybe that's Freddy's way of telling you, you're dead & so are your friends. I would say the nightmares are mostly interesting. Some short ones are alright with Freddy being a nurse being the best of them.
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 is a rather strange movie for many reasons. In many releases, the number 5 doesn't appear which never got explained. This is following the fourth movie with Alice being pregnant. This brought the concept of that nun aka his mother from Part 3. Freddy has some great lines this time around.
Dan's kill is still one of my personal favorites in the franchise. His nightmare starts in his truck with Freddy driving another truck. After a while Dan gets thrown from his vehicle to get on a motorcycle. Suddenly this motorcycle is ripping into him, fusing it to his body. He reminds me of Mr. Grimm from Twisted Metal series.
He gets hit by a truck to die shortly afterwards. Mark technically dies twice in this movie. Alice saved his soul from going to Freddy. Sadly Mark gets an awesome death scene. He becomes similar to his own comic book character gunning Freddy down. Freddy transforms into Super Freddy to claw a good amount of him off.
Mark turns into a comic book character that quickly loses his colors. Freddy rips him into several little pieces. I should mention Robert cameos as one of those maniacs you see early on in the movie. This time Freddy is using her unborn child for revenge. Which means Alice can experience the dream world without being asleep.
You do get to learn a little more about Freddy. It is kinda weird how Freddy gets defeated this time. In a weird way it makes sense since he was possessing an unborn child. The same child he gave three souls to. Jacob uses the power he was given to force Freddy out of his body. This led to his mother dying a second death.
I would say parts of this was better than Part 4. I still like how well they changed from the real world to the dream world. Some of the best lines Freddy says are in this movie. I felt Englund did a great job once again. I would say it is not bad but it comes close to the borderline of what's good & bad. I might recommend this to some Freddy fans.
6. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
The official attempt to end A Nightmare on Elm Street series. Keep in mind, two attempts on Jason doing the same thing. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, we learn a great deal about Freddy's past. Believe it or not this movie was also done in 3D. Back then not many horror movies did the concept. Still not many of them nailing the 3D effect today.
Let's be honest this movie is like Seed of Chucky for Child's Play series or the movie Funny Man. To clarify I'm talking about that clown character that loves screwing with people. Some weird references in this movie like Freddy pushing a bed of nails just in time his victim was about to hit the ground. If you haven't somehow figure it out, it was referencing The Looney Tunes.
I should mention Freddy recreating parts of The Wizard of Oz. Another scene he uses a controller controlling a stone gamer guy. Some of his friends knock the controller away, Freddy transforms his glove into a power glove. He then says the famous line now we're playing with power lol. Nintendo did actually sue them over it.
Funny enough in Injustice 2, Scarecrow says this line. The answer to the question about what exactly is Freddy. It turns out he is a dead man that was given powers by dream demons. I would say I do enjoy many nightmare scenes including a Johnny Depp cameo. There is the bus scene where a guy gets sent flying from the dream world into the real world.
To sum it up, Freddy pretty much killed most of their child. He needs his child to allow him to leave town to continue killing people. I really enjoy the part where Maggie I mean Katherine is inside Freddy's head. Alice Cooper cameos as abusive man that took in Freddy. I really enjoy the fight scene between her & Freddy.
Not many people in this movie but all of their kills were over the top. Funny Man was the same way except it was surprisingly funnier & had better death scenes. Robert Englund still steals the show as Freddy. I like the scene where Carlos fell asleep, he checks a map that keep getting bigger. A message written in red to sum it all up lol.
7. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
The last Freddy movie to have Wes Craven on board. Earlier I was talking about a concept they wouldn't allow him to do for Part 3. In this movie, Freddy's darkside is haunting the actress that played Nancy. I got to say this is a beautifully written horror movie. Everything about it is so good even for early 90s.
I actually like the new Freddy look in this movie. Most nightmare scenes stands out in a huge way. Robert Englund appears as himself and Freddy. Although during the ending credit for Freddy they let ? instead of a name. I guess they wanted to attempt one last scare that not many people will get to see. I also like Wes Craven appears in this movie.
Wes Craven's New Nightmare often gets called Part 7 despite being it's own stand alone story. I also likes it kept referencing the original movie. This felt like a true successor to it, the same way Part 3 was. Craven has stated most of these sequels are terrible. This Freddy isn't meant to be funny. Craven actually wanted Freddy to being more terrifying.
I also like the twist Heather has to become Nancy one last time to stop Freddy. Obviously this is ignoring her character's death at the end of Part 3. I felt this stays more true to the source material than most sequels. Clearly one of Freddy's best performances within the movies. I also like the fairy tale reference how the movie ends.
This is not only a great entry for a horror movie but one of the best stand alone movies too. In a weird way you could consider it a sequel since this technically would be following the sixth movie just set in another universe. This movie holds up amazingly well that never truly gets old to keep coming back to it.
8. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Oh hell yeah Freddy vs. Jason is hands down one of the greatest crossover horror movies ever made. I actually got some interesting horror movie history to share. Most early crossover horror movies were done by Universal. The industry went a few decades after the last major one. When they announced Freddy vs. Jason, people freaked out.
It never got a movie sequel but it did receive two comic book sequels with Evil Dead's Ash. At one point before they went in this direction were considering to add Michael Myers to the mix. Now imagine Freddy, Jason and Michael in the same movie. I would pay a few hundred bucks to see that even if they only fight once in the entire movie.
This is following both Freddy's Dead & Jason Goes to Hell but before Jason X. Freddy was greatly weaken among escaping Hell. He knew he needed to bring fear back just enough for him to be able to kill people. He took a risk by rising Jason from the grave to kill a few people. Unfortunately things went sour between the two killers.
I am glad a character in the movie states the obvious. "We aren't safe awake or asleep." Well yeah we have two impressive killers that will do anything to get what they want. All the fight scenes between them are really fun to keep rewatching. Not a lot of people attempted to follow suit after this movie. The only real exception was Alien vs. Predator series.
I like how they brought these two together. They did a great job making it feel like both of their movies are combine into one. The guy playing Jason is officially the tallest to play the character. No offense against the actor, I felt he was one of the best Jason actors. I heavily felt no one nailed Jason better than Kane hodder who played Jason in four back to back movies & now Friday the 13th Game.
Believe it or not I seen this movie several times at a drive thru. Everything was done very well in this movie. They delivered in a huge way on their promise that we would get a blood bath. We would also get two killers fighting each other. In a way this movie pays tribute to all of those crossover movies Universal done.
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
For me this is hands down the bottom of the barrel. Yes even worse than Part 2 for many reasons. I am not about to bash it for being a horror movie remake. I got plenty of great reasons to dislike this movie with a passion. Even Robert Englund made great points why this remake didn't work. For me I did expect a lot better than what we actually ended up with.
They attempted to recreate some scenes from the original movie. I like how some remakes plays tribute to the original films. What I don't like is recreating something we already seen & clearly not done as well. Most of those scenes are Nancy is asleep. Like she fell asleep in a bathtub. I really didn't like how they change his back story.
Originality he was a facility worker & child murder due to his rough child hood. They changed it to a groundskeeper at a school & he likes kids in a way you aren't suppose to. I really didn't care about the new Nancy at all. I really prefer the original Nancy since she confronted Freddy alone. Most nightmare scenes are kinda boring.
One of the few good things about this movie is the guy playing Freddy. He is a great actor, I know him best in Watchmen. Sadly this movie could've been a lot better than this. I was more impressed by some horror movie remakes that did little to no tribute to the original movies. Freddy was close of being scary but changing somethings would've greatly helped that.
A Nightmare on Elm Street remake is easily one of my most hated horror movies. I'm sure many of you seen The Simpsons' parody of it that was way better. This movie focused on all the wrong stuff. The special effects are easily some of the worst I have ever seen in a horror movie. How they went about the characters could've been a lot better.
Do you really wanna know what really kills this movie? No cameo of any kind with Robert Englund. I mean come on he was the very guy that made so many people afraid of Freddy. Why wasn't he offered a cameo in this movie & please don't tell because of his other cameos. Clearly they did state no plans of doing Freddy vs. Jason was possibly the worst thing to say.
Unless plans change another remake of this movie is in the makings. We might get another remake of Friday the 13th. I doubt that will be worth waiting for. I do feel like some underrated horror movies do deserve a remake. A unique concept like this quickly ruined in just one movie. Most Freddy fans agree don't watch this or you could suffer something worst than a nightmare I'm not kidding.
Now I have reviewed all the Freddy movies, it's time to rank them all from worst to best...
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
6. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
4. Freddy vs. Jason
3. Wes Craven's New Nightmare
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
1. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
No comments:
Post a Comment