Forty Years Later, Freddy’s Revenge Remains A Dull, Pointless Mess

Image Courtesy of New Line Cinema

By Luis Zonenberg

With Halloween season in full swing, many people are already amassing their horror movie watch list to celebrate the occasion. The iconic horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street, marked its incredible 40th anniversary last year with a brand new 4K remaster from the original film negatives. This year, however, marks the 40th anniversary of the film’s first sequel in the franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge! Since it’s the Halloween season, I figured I should take another look at how this movie holds up all these years later. 

The story focuses on Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) having recurring nightmares of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) after moving into the former house of Nancy Thompson from the first film. The line blurs between dream and reality until Jesse seemingly winds up murdering his abusive gym teacher, Coach Schneider (Marshall Bell). He finds out Krueger was responsible, using Jesse as a human vessel to cross over into the real world. 

The overall story has some unique concepts and creative flair but lacks the compelling characters and structure to make this work. It feels choppily paced, almost as if it’s stitching scenes together to create an edited monstrosity of a story. If anything, the story feels half-baked, almost as if it were a television pilot stretched out to a feature-length film. The film also leans heavily into some good 80s cheese, creating a more campy atmosphere short on actual scares. 

The film is perhaps more well-known for its queer undertones, even becoming a cult film for gay audiences. The casting of Patton was probably intentional, since he was gay but closeted at the time, which is clearly reflected in his performance. One scene in particular has him fleeing shortly after making out with his girlfriend, seeking help instead from his male friend, Grady (Robert Rusler). The film is not too subtle about this, even having his character, Jesse, encounter his gym teacher at a gay bar at one point in the film. This undertone offers a more interesting viewing experience, which can create unique tension and make the film more rewatchable as time goes on. 

Unfortunately, most of the cast falls flat with their performances, with that nowhere more evident than Mark Patton’s portrayal of Jesse. Patton cannot help but come across more as an angry child rather than a traumatized teenager, though I cannot fault him much for such odd directing choices made. Thankfully, Robert Englund still remains highly entertaining to watch all these years later, making the most of the film with his intimidating appearance and bone-chilling delivery. 

The editing especially does not help much, creating a more choppy presentation when compared to its predecessor. Some shots or scenes were clearly repurposed from earlier scenes in the film, creating a huge disconnect between the pacing of the film and the audience watching it. It cannot help but draw audiences out of the film, creating a disoriented viewing experience that will not keep people interested in watching the remainder of the film. 

Luckily, the cinematography does breathe some life into the more mundane aspects of the film. The film is more vibrant than most other horror films, with some very impressive camerawork that intentionally leaves the viewer disoriented or feeling tense during the more terrifying scenes. It also complements the practical effects as well, showcasing some brilliant VFX for the time. 

The sleek camerawork and brilliant VFX still hold up well, though it’s not enough to save the movie from its choppy editing and dull narrative. These aspects would probably be fine if the characters weren’t so underdeveloped, with most of the cast failing to leave much of an impression on-screen. Forty years later, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge remains a dull, pointless entry anchored by its thrilling VFX and intriguing sexual undertones.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is available to purchase from digital retailers.

Rating: ★ ½ of five