The month of October is always my favorite. Not only does it have one of my favorite holidays in Halloween but, it’s a celebration of all things horror related. This month I took on the horror theme with a series review of A Nightmare On Elm Street. I had intended this to be a video review but, my schedule was booked that prevented me from working on it, so I decided to go with the written ranking instead. I had a lot of fun working on this project as Freddy Krueger is my favorite horror villain.
The films have been ranked in my opinion from worst to best. If you have a different opinion on them that’s great! If you agree then great! That’s why we are here is to have these discussions and see what other people think. I’m not going to go in super depth of why because I have already done full length reviews that I will include links to in this article.
Saying you saved the best for last in the so called final outing of the franchise should be the very best. Instead we get a horrible story that comes with terrible acting. Freddy is at the opposite of what he was when Wes Craven created him, and the film tends to go with more laughs than scares at this point.
A remake that had so much potential to it that it comes off flat. With today’s technology you would think the gloves would be off and new and improved dream sequences would emerge. Sadly, that isn’t the case but, the saving grace from this being a total disaster is the performance of Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy. It’s biggest crime thought is that Freddy has nothing to do here.
The one fan film that fans of both franchises wanted to see. When it gets to Freddy and Jason squaring off the film starts kicking. We must sit through quite a bit of horror cliché characters to get to that point. It has an interesting premise with Freddy controlling Jason but, it might be a better Friday The 13th film than a Nightmare one.
6. A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
While this one is considered a black eye on the franchise, there was a lot of stuff that I did like. It has some creative dream sequences and deaths, the stuff between Freddy and his mother is well done, and the overall storyline has promise lead by a tremendous performance by Lisa Wilcox. While Freddy is almost at his worst, at least Robert Englund is having fun with the role. Its biggest crime is that there wasn’t much time to work on it and it’s rushed.
5. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
While this film certainly has its problems and over the top moments, we still have a decent film. If the script wasn’t like it was it wouldn’t be as memorable as it is today. Freddy is still dark, and I do like the plot of having him control someone to do his bidding as it brings a different perspective on the character. It also has a great effect of Freddy coming out of Jesse’s body.
A more main stream friendly film from action director Renny Harlin. It gives a bold beginning and the effects are and dream sequences are memorable. While Patricia Arquette is missed, the new characters and Tuesday Knight are fine in what they do. Freddy still has a killer’s edge but, this is where his turn is beginning. The end sequence with Freddy is one of the most creative in the franchise.
Memorable and likeable characters and Freddy is at his peak. It was hard for me to put his at this spot because of everything about this film is great. It’s one of the best horror sequels out there and it’s a treat seeing Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon back in their roles from the first one. Throw in a script co-written by Wes Craven and you have a highly enjoyable film.
I enjoyed the heck out of this film and it’s a straight up true horror film. Wes Craven returns and brings us a dark and freighting visually fantastic film. Freddy goes back to his dark roots and is upgraded to look even more menacing before. Heather Langenkamp gives her best performance in the franchise and the whole cast is on their A-Game.
The one film that started it all and one of my personal favorites. I try to watch this film around every Halloween time. Its originality brought a much-needed refresh on slasher films at the time and Freddy Krueger is a cultural icon. If Wes Craven never came up with this, we would never of had a fantastic and influential film that has been viewed and loved by many.
Have you seen all of films? What would your rankings be? I’m excited to see what you have to say! I had a great time doing this series review and stay tuned for the next one!
Henry's Movie Reviews 