Year of Release: 1985
Director: Jack Sholder
Starring: Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler, Clu Gulager, Hope Lange, Marshall Bell, Robert Englund, Sydney Walsh, Christie Clark, Lyman Ward, Tom McFadden, Melinda O. Fee, Donna Bruce
Genre: Horror
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 3
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Synopsis and Review:
Following the success of the first "A Nightmare on Elm Street", New Line Cinema quickly went into production on this sequel, which came out a year after the original made its debut. With Wes Craven no longer involved in the story, this incarnation of Freddy Kruger takes some detours from the mythology established by the original, something that would be reinstated with the third film of the series. This time around the narrative focuses on Jesse Walsh, a high school senior who has moved to the dreaded house on Elm Street, alongside his parents and sister. The family is unaware of the events that took place in the house, until Jesse starts having terrifying nightmares, where Freddy makes his appearance, but this time around, threatens to take over Jesse's body, in order for him to live once again. These nightmares, and the aftermath of those take a toll on Jesse's life, much to the despair of his loving and supporting girlfriend, Lisa. As they enjoy an evening party, alongside their friends, Freddy escapes the dream world into reality, wreaking havoc and forcing Jesse and Lisa to a final confrontation.
Jack Sholder who at the time had directed "Alone in the Dark", was selected to tackle this sequel to the iconic "A Nightmare on Elm Street". However whereas Wes Craven created a progressively ominous and threatening world for its leading hero, this film bypasses a lot of that world creation, and places its leading character in the middle of a threatening scenario, which he has no idea how he got in, or for that matter, how to get out. The script substantially changes the dynamics of the first film, however where it ends up faltering the most, is the lackluster character and mood definition, something that Wes Craven smartly played with in the first film. It's a film where the director for the most part illustrates the narrative without bringing a distinct point of view, or nuance for that matter. The iconic Freddy becomes something else, and loses much of its impact, since all that made him memorable, the dream sequences, and the unexpectedness of his presence (perpetuating the question, is it real or a dream), are toned down quite substantially. While branching out in a different direction, the film loses much of the uniqueness of its original. It's not a complete toss, but it doesn't add much to the iconic character and series.
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