Tim’s Slasher Tweet Reviews: “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” (1985)

The Nightmare continues at Slasher Studios as our resident twitter reviewer Tim Schilling takes a look at “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.” Forgetting many of the rules of the original, this sequel takes the franchise into a dark area many of the future sequels were afraid to touch. The film was even more successful at the box office than it’s original but received a bit of a mixed reaction among fans of the series.

Thoughts before the film:
Marathon continues! Haven’t seen part 2 in a while.

Thoughts while watching:
0:08 The weirdest looking people are in this movie…
0:09 Hahah, why would he even think of pulling his pants down? That’s just weird.
0:17 How did they get the snake out of the cage without ANYONE noticing?
0:22 This diary thing would have been better if it was hinted in the first one.
0:29 Those poor birds! Either it’s REALLY hot in the house… Or Freddy is an asshole.
0:33 I bet the coach is just pissed Jessie found him at a gay bar.
0:55 I can’t tell if Jessie and Grady are friends or not.
0:59 These effects are so much better than anything CGI can do. I like cheesy.
0:59 The shot when Jessie’s mouth was open and you could see Freddy’s eye… So cool.
1:07 Freddy is such a party pooper.
1:10 For getting attacked by a crazy killer and seeing all their friends die, these kids don’t look too scared.
1:12 Those mutant dog things were freaky.
1:17 You gotta have some balls to kiss Freddy. He’s a nasty one.

Final Verdict:
I thought #ANightmareOnElmStreet2’s story was a great continuation of the first while still different to be its own. Lots of, um, subtext in the movie that kind of stalled Freddy’s character development and instead showed more of the characters we will probably never see again.

To follow Tim on twitter: https://twitter.com/schillingt
To follow Slasher Studios on twitter: https://twitter.com/slasherstudios

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Tim’s Slasher Tweet Reviews: “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (1984)

Are you ready for a week filled with “Nightmare on Elm Street” goodness slasher fans? Of course you are! It’s one of the best horror series around with innovative deaths and a wonderful grotesque performance by Robert Englund who returned for ALL of the Nightmare sequels. Today we bring you the first installment of the tweet by tweet reviews from Tim Schilling for the original classic. I consider it one of the best horror movies of all time but does he…

Thoughts before the film:
Gonna do the whoooole series over the next week or so, I know y’all are excited for this. First, the original! 1, 2, Freddy’s coming for you…

Thoughts while watching:
0:07 I wish Johnny Depp didn’t turn into the tool he is today,he’s so much better in this than the crap he does now.
0:11 Over acting sex scenes are funny.
0:14 When Freddy makes like an imprint on the wall, that’s still such a creepy scene.
0:22 This guy is a total greaser. He’d fit right in The Outsiders.
0:25 Fuckin hall monitors! I’ll never trust you again.
0:27 Freddy likes self mutilation a little too much.
0:30 These cops are pretty stupid. How would the guy drag Tina’s body to the ceiling?
0:32 First time I’m watching this movie in a while and I realize how many iconic scenes it has.
0:37 Nancy is kinda a tease but mostly a bitch.
0:44 Why do you never listen to us kids?
0:47 After 2 people died, and everyone having nightmares, NOW you have an idea who is killing everyone?
1:03 Nancy is prepared in the coffee department.
1:08 And the best death scene ever goes to….
1:20 I’ve jumped twice because of this movie, that never happens. I don’t know what’s with me tonight.
1:22 Freddy is gettin fucked up.
1:29 Geez Freddy stop trollin everyone.

Final Verdict:
#ANightmareOnElmStreet is one of those movies that gets better every viewing. This is probably only my fourth time watching it but I liked it way more than the other times. Creepy scenes, Freddy is freaky, andI even liked the acting. Also, great music (GO 80’s!).

To follow Tim on twitter: https://twitter.com/schillingt
To follow Slasher Studios on twitter: https://twitter.com/slasherstudios

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Death of the Day–Glen Gets Sucked Into Bed in “A Nightmare on Elm Street”

The death of Glen is one of the most remarkable scenes in Elm Street history. After dozing off, Glen meets his gory demise as Freddy pulls him into the emerging hole. With an over-load of blood gushing up from the bed, Glen falls victim to Freddy and as Nancy looks on. The amount of blood and the unique imagery makes for a memorable and amazing death.

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Death of the Day: Debbie Turns Cockroach in “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master”

We have been so busy with Flashback Weekend and working on finishing Blood Brothers, we haven’t had much time for a really good Death of the Day here at Slasher Studios. Don’t worry slasher fans, the feature is back and we have a great one for you today. Hate bugs? Who doesn’t, right? Well our Death of the Day is Debbie from the underrated “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” turning into a cockroach. Yuck! This is the death that used to give me nightmares as a child. I am not a fan of bugs so just imagining turning into a bug just gives me the willies. Freddy gives some of the best death scenes ever and this one truly is the best of the best.

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Picking Favorites: Ranking the “Nightmare on Elm Street” Films

My love for the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series holds no bounds. It is a series that I grew up on and that I regularly watch. I can’t remember the last month that went by without me popping in a movie from the series as comfort food. Well, today I have decided to “rank” my favorite slasher series. Starting with the best and ending with the worst, the following are my selections. Please note that I will NOT be including either the remake or “Freddy Vs. Jason” into this list. Let’s say hello to Freddy! Pleasant dreams…

1) Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
Convoluted? Pretentious? Overly meta? Shockingly, no. “New Nightmare” is that rare horror film in which everything works. The performances are pitch perfect, lead by a tour-de-force performance by the amazing Langenkamp. The script is full of twists and turns and the movie is quite possibly the best looking of the entire series. What starts out as a maze of mirrors becomes something much more than your typical nightmare. The film examines the role film plays on those who watch it. Something that Wes Craven’s “Scream” would play out to great effect two years later. I really can’t say enough about this film and homages to the original are expertly placed. It is my favorite horror film of all time and a modern classic.

2) Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Wes Craven’s definitive classic. Bet you can’t guess what it is. A Nightmare on Elm Street is an unbelievably original, terrifingly realistic, and overall terrifying that, despite a weak ending, is one of the best horror flicks of the quarter of a century. The film deals with a deceased child molester who now lives only through the dreams of the children of those who burned him alive. Robert Englund is truly frightening as Freddy Krueger. Wes Craven delivers a surprising amount of tension that still holds up today.

3) A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
If ever there was a horror sequel that screamed the 1980’s, it would be “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors”. Crazy punk chick? Check. Wheelchair Dungeons and Dragons obsessed geek? Check. Zsa Zsa Gabor? Check. Dokken theme song? You better believe it, check! Dream Warriors is both a faithful to sequel to original masterpiece as well the rare sequel that actually advances the story without just being a carbon copy reboot of everything that made the first film great.

4) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
Truth be told, “Dream Master” is probably the most fun a viewer can have with the series. The deaths are completely imaginative, the special effects top notch, and the acting is solid on all accounts. It is also probably the most quotable entry of the series. It is entertaining as hell. Nonetheless, part of me wants Freddy scary again. As cool as the deaths are (Debbie’s cockroach death being the highlight death of the entire series for me), something here is missing that made the third installment so special.

5) A Nightmare on Elm Street Part II: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
For those of you who haven’t seen this film, I don’t really know what to say besides the fact that it is very, very homoerotic. From the gym coach that Jesse finds at a gay bar (???) while sleepwalking to the gym coaches’ bondage death to the love scene between Jesse and Lisa in which Jesse can’t “perform”. Everything about this movie screams gay…and I haven’t seen talked about the dancing bedroom cleaning scene. It’s all funny, campy, over-the-top and “oh so 80’s.” haha

But the problem with Nightmare 2 isn’t the film’s gay themes, it’s the fact that it breaks too many of the rules laid out by the original. Why would Freddy want to be in the real world when the real world is the only thing that can kill him? How does Freddy make the parakeet explode if no one is dreaming? It doesn’t make scene. I will give this film some credit. The imagery is imaginative, the acting solid, and Freddy is pretty damn scary. It just doesn’t feel like a Nightmare movie. This is both it’s greatest weakness and it’s greatest fault.

6) A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
The biggest problem with “Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child” is the same problem that exists in “Freddy’s Revenge”: it breaks the rules of the series. Why would Freddy want to live on in the real world when the real world is the only thing that can kill him? Add in some hokey mother moments and an “in the womb” Krueger and you get a pretty dreadful sequel. The cinematography is top notch and the actors do what they can but, by this point in the series, who really cares? This isn’t a terrible entry but just a middle-of-the-road one. By this point the series was starting to show its age.

7) “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare” (1991)
If “New Nightmare” was the rare horror sequel in which everything worked than “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare” is that rare horror movie in which nothing works. It sure as hell isn’t scary and the cameos by Johnny Depp and Roseanne come across as more desperate than funny. The deaths are awful as well. Killed by a robot hearing aid, killed by Freddy’s “power glove”, fallen from a parachute onto spikes placed by Freddy? Is this a Nightmare movie or a Looney Toons cartoon. Not only this, but Freddy himself doesn’t even get a cool or original death. They take the ending of the original and cheapen it and we are all worse for it. This film is a grim insult to Freddy fans everywhere.

To buy the box set from Amazon for under $30: Nightmare on Elm Street Collection

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