Review of Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) by Corrado D — 08 Sep 2010

Okay, so it's not masterpiece theater. It's not as good as the first, but then again, what sequel is? On top of that, it's made 7 years after the original. There will be some differences. The first was an epic unique horror. This one.... isn't. It's hard to be unique or different, or groundbreaking in a sequel, and I'll reiterate, this is the 6th in the series.

This is not the worst in the series, in my opinion. Freddy's Revenge holds that honor in my book. This might not be scary enough to be a true horror like the first, but it has other things going for it. You really have to separate it from its genre and series in order to really grasp its charm. The creativity in the kills is above par in my opinion. The special effects and camera tricks are brilliant and really add to the anything goes rules in the dreamscapes. It's legitimately funny too. Great one liners. So corny it makes you laugh out loud on occasion, or at least makes you smile.

With that said, it's still pretty bad. Lets run through our list, shall we?

1. The John Doe kid, Shon Greenblatt. Terrible actor. The, " I Don't Know!", outburst is just so comical to watch, it really takes away from any seriousness that scene tried to have. I just think he over acts too much. Maybe it was his attempt at being erratic from lack of sleep, but it didn't come through for him on screen.

2. Lisa Zane as Maggie. She's on the opposite end of the bad acting scale. She is lifeless at times, just blah acting. She has her good moments, and there are several, but overall, it's a muted performance. There just wasn't enough continuity in her emotional character.

3. Overdubbing. The voices are too present for some of the characters. 20 feet away from camera, in high winds and you can hear them whispering. Why? Because it sounds like they are talking right into the boom mike and into your ear at full volume. It just sucks when you do it to some characters and not to others. Regular voice, BOOM VOICE, regular, BOOM, etc. Do it for the whole cast, or for no one. Don't play favorites.

4. Too much corny comedy. It sounds like I'm negating myself, but hear me out. In Dream Warriors, when Freddy kills Zsa Zsa.

On the tv, that was humerous in a black comedy sort of way. This movie uses comedy that doesn't mesh well with the horror/slasher genre, like slapstick. That type of childish humor undermines Freddy I feel, and is inappropriate to the genre in question.

5. Not the best writing in the series. Let's be honest, that title is reserved for the first movie, then for New Nightmare, in that order. The whole scene at the Carnival in Springwood was ludicrous. Tacked on plot points are exaggerated and go into the supernatural, and feel just way too absurd in some cases.

Still, with all that being said, I still like it. I don't know, maybe it's because it was made in 1991. I love the 90's. Maybe because of the way they approach horror with humor. Maybe its because Freddy was SUPPOSED to die in this one, and I wouldn't have to sit through other rotten sequels, but we all know how that story goes. I can't put my finger on why I like it so much. Maybe it's because it's just plain fun, and the last fifteen minutes are in 3D!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's so obsurd.....

Anyway, I give it a C. For creativity, comedy, and not being boring. Hooray for being entertained. It's still rotten though. Oh yeah, rotten enough to give you nightmares. It's really junk food for the brain, but my mind has a sweet tooth, a soft spot, and a hard on for this movie. Borrow it for a laugh. Spend more than five bucks on it and you're throwing your money away. Save it for a copy of the first, or better yet, buy the set. You get every type of horror movie under the sun. A well written classic, a few duds, a couple comedies, and a drama, not to mention an Encyclopedia.

In other words, don't get it alone. It's not worth it by itself. To fully appreciate its value, you'll have to see or own the rest. Wait. Didn't I say you have to separate it from the others to see its value? I did didn't I? Well, I guess the one thing I can really say before considering buying this movie by itself is... sleep on it.