"Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" - Zach's Take

Let's get this clear right at the start: they really should have stopped at A Nightmare on Elm Street. Though it's not a perfect film, a lot of the ideas (and most of the execution) in Wes Craven's original flick are really interesting and fresh, even to this day. That's especially true after seeing the hideous remake (man, that's becoming a theme on this blog) which actually made me appreciate the original all the more.

However, since they didn't stop, we were graced with five direct sequels, two ancillary sequels, and the aforementioned cinematic war crime of the remake. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare was originally claimed to be Freddy's swan song (as the name suggests) but who knows how sincere New Line's Bob Shaye was at that proclamation, considering Wes Craven's New Nightmare followed only three years later. But taken as the "true" finale to Krueger's legacy, Freddy's Dead disappoints.

Let's start with what we all go to slasher films to see: the body count. What's the tally for Freddy's Dead? Surely, as the final entry to the series, the producers wanted to really go out with a bang. Give Freddy reason to believe he would succeed forever by having him slash his way through swaths of victims.

Final body count: four.

Yep. Four. That includes Freddy.

Now, the Nightmare films were never about body counts. Instead, they focused on unique and clever means to kill their victims: sucked into a bed, ligaments pulled out and used as puppet strings, even bursting through someone's chest. So maybe instead of focusing on quantity for this film, they decided to go with quality, right? Sound reasoning. You should be a movie producer! But that's exactly what the filmmakers didn't do. They are by far the lamest and most boring deaths in the entire franchise. Breckin Meyer (yeah, that guy) falls down the stairs into a pit. Another guy falls on the ground. A deaf kid's head explodes from sound waves. Yeah, I know that last one is pretty cool, but that should have been one out of many.

That aside, the plotting of the film is at once economical (read: it cuts out the usual bullshit, pardon the parlance) and utterly idiotic. The two main characters never even initially learn who Freddy is, they go from being completely unaware of his existence to tracking down his child. There's no moment of disbelief or skepticism. Which is a problem from a storytelling perspective, but from the viewpoint of a seasoned horror film fan, I appreciate not having to see characters learn who Freddy is for a sixth time.

The real problem with the film is that it kind of flirts with some neat ideas, but it is so utterly shallow that your interest is never piqued. Conceptually, the town of Springwood going completely insane from every single child being murdered by Freddy is really cool and would make a great backdrop for the story. Unfortunately, that idea is never really explored and is only used as a plot device to awkwardly convey information to the main characters.

I know I'm tearing this film apart (deservedly so) but I do have to mention how much I adore Robert Englund in the role. Even though the Nightmare sequels only served to make Freddy less and less scary, he's still a fun character to watch. Englund is an extremely gifted physical comedian, and he is consistently funny in this movie. He makes the whole experience bearable. Unfortunately, the movie as a whole is such a sad, clumsy affair.

Ultimately, Freddy's Dead is for fans only. It also does extreme disservice to the fan's loyalty, feeling like a rushed hack job completely undeserving of the character. Luckily, we were given a truly fun and perfect send off to the character in 2003's Freddy vs. Jason. If you're looking for some good, slasher-y fun, definitely watch that instead.