A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge Is One Of The Most Unusual Entries In The Nightmare On Elm Street Series. Jack Sholder’s 1985 Sequel Takes Freddy Krueger In A Different Direction While Delivering Plenty Of Creepy Dream Sequences, Great Practical Effects And A Story That Has Become A Cult Classic.
A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is an interesting follow up to the original because it does not simply try to repeat what Wes Craven did in the first movie. Instead, director Jack Sholder takes the basic idea of Freddy Krueger attacking people in their dreams and changes the rules in some pretty strange ways.
Mark Patton stars as Jesse Walsh, a teenager who moves into the same house on Elm Street where Nancy Thompson lived in the original movie. It does not take long before Jesse begins having terrifying nightmares about Freddy Krueger, and pretty soon it becomes clear that Freddy wants something from him.
Kim Myers plays Lisa Webber, Jesse’s friend and love interest. Lisa is one of the most important characters because she refuses to simply dismiss what Jesse is experiencing. As the strange events become more intense, she starts trying to figure out how to help him before Freddy completely takes control.
Robert Englund returns as Freddy Krueger, and his performance is once again one of the best things about the movie. Freddy is still frightening here, although this sequel gives him more personality and allows Englund to be much more expressive with the character.
The basic plot revolves around Jesse slowly losing control of himself as Freddy attempts to use his body to return to the real world. That gives the sequel a different kind of horror than the original. Instead of simply being hunted in his dreams, Jesse begins to wonder whether he is becoming Freddy.
That idea creates some genuinely creepy moments. Jesse is terrified that he could hurt someone without even realizing what he is doing, and the movie plays with the question of where Jesse ends and Freddy begins. It gives the story a psychological element that makes it different from the first movie.
Jack Sholder directed the film, while David Chaskin wrote the screenplay. The movie has a noticeably different tone from the original, but it still has the dark atmosphere, practical effects and bizarre dream logic that make the Nightmare series so memorable.
One of the most memorable scenes is Freddy’s attempt to physically emerge through Jesse’s body. The practical effects are fantastic in that wonderfully strange 1980s horror movie way. The scene is disturbing, bizarre and visually impressive, which is exactly what you want from a Nightmare On Elm Street movie.
The film also has some great supporting performances. Robert Rusler plays Grady, Jesse’s friend, while Clu Gulager and Hope Lange play Jesse’s parents. Marshall Bell plays Coach Schneider, whose scenes are among the more memorable and disturbing moments in the movie.
Another reason Freddy’s Revenge has developed such a strong following is that there is clearly more going on underneath the surface. The movie has been widely discussed for its themes surrounding identity, repression and sexuality. Even if you simply watch it as a strange 1980s horror movie, those themes are difficult to completely miss.
The movie also has some great atmosphere. Jesse’s new home feels like it should be a safe place, but almost immediately it becomes another location where Freddy can reach him. The idea that Jesse cannot trust his own body makes the situation even more unsettling.
Unlike the first movie, Freddy’s Revenge does not focus as heavily on Nancy and her friends. That gives the sequel its own identity. Jesse is a completely different protagonist, and his struggle with Freddy is more personal and internal.
There is also plenty of dark humor, although Freddy would become much more comedic in later installments. In this movie he still has a threatening presence, and Robert Englund manages to balance the character’s twisted personality with some genuinely creepy moments.
For me, Freddy’s Revenge is a great sequel because it takes a risk. It would have been easy to make another movie where teenagers simply fall asleep and Freddy kills them one by one. Instead, the filmmakers came up with a completely different story about Freddy trying to use Jesse as a way to enter the real world.
It may not be the most traditional sequel in the series, but that is exactly what makes it interesting. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge has memorable characters, strange dream sequences, impressive practical effects and a unique story that has developed a loyal following over the years.
Freddy’s Revenge is now a true 1980s horror classic in its own right. Mark Patton, Kim Myers and Robert Englund give the movie plenty of personality, while Jack Sholder takes the series in a completely different direction. It is weird, creepy and unmistakably an ’80s horror movie, and that is a big part of its charm.
