The Nightmare on Elm Street series is one that is near and dear to my heart. Freddy Kreuger may not always be scary, but he is always good for some laughs and a few jumps along the way. So, naturally when the first A Nightmare on Elm Street, was considered a classic horror film (not the best but definitely one to live in infamy) it made sense to see part two.

The first A Nightmare on Elm Street had likeable characters, a good plot, and a good director. Sadly, Craven opted out of directing this picture, and it shows. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 does not follow the plot of the first movie, other than to say that Freddy returns. The idea, initially, makes sense, but the movie itself comes up a stale interpretation of what viewers expect when they think of Freddy.

In part 2 of the Nightmare installment, we meet Jesse and his family. There is mom, dad, little sister, and Jesse. This unsuspecting family moves into the old Elm Street house, which was originally owned by Nancy (of Part One) and her family. Shortly after the move, Jesse begins having nightmares.

It soon comes to Jesse’s attention that his parents bought a house where terrible things happened. The prior family, Nancy and her mother had some rough times. According to the kids at school, Nancy was locked in her room and watched her boyfriend (played by a young Johnny Depp), die from her window across the street. Soon after, Nancy went crazy and her mother ended up killing herself.

Now, 5 years later, Jesse has to deal with Freddy. I don’t necessarily have a problem with this storyline. It is common knowledge that Freddy haunts the children of Elm Street. When you add in the fact that Nancy’s parents had hid Freddy’s glove in their furnace it makes perfect sense why he seems to like to haunt this house so much. However, this Nightmare feels too much like a sequel that is being made to make money and not to tell a story.

Sure, it is called Freddy’s Revenge, but he does not seem to get the revenge one would expect a notorious pedophile and child murderer would seek. There are a few kills, though the majority of them are lumped together in one scene. The delivery is boring and the actors, while okay for a horror movie, appear tired and uninterested, much like the audience was.

I find it hard to believe that anyone who truly appreciates the, Nightmare on Elm Street series could like this movie. Maybe Wes Craven played too little of a role in the making, or maybe it was a sequel to make a sequel and nothing more. Whatever it is it just did not work.

The Bottom Line – If you love Freddy skip part two and move on to part three. It’s a much better movie and has much better kills. In fact, it is generally far more entertaining, like you would expect the evil yet comical Freddy Krueger to be.

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