Welcome back. Sorry for the long absence between Part 4 and Part 5 of this Retrospective. I've been dealing with some things that have been popping up. Rest assured, we will be concluding our look at the Elm Street franchise.
Now when someone usually talks about the Elm Street films, they may say they peaked with 3. "Everything after 3 just was the downfall of the franchise.". Typically, I may have agreed with them in the past. However, I don't see it like that anymore. This rewatch allowed me to change my perspective.
With the success of 4, Freddy continued to prove that there was still gas in the tank. People had turned up for what I'd consider the James Bond blockbuster take on Elm Street. If that could happen, how else could Freddy be reinterpreted?
Well, it's safe to say that Stephen Hopkins had a lot to try and overcome. A looming release date was something that overshadowed the production. Everything had to be done and completed in roughly a year. That is a huge issue.
I definitely appreciate what Hopkins was going for with this installment. The idea of Freddy getting to his victims through the dreams of an unborn child. That's really frightening. And it's something that continues the themes of the films. It also gave the film a different tone compared to 4. Less blockbuster fluff and more cerebral to an extent. I mean ya can't really take the concept of Super Freddy that seriously.
With this rewatch, I did notice that there were a few similarities between 4 and 5. Take a look at the group of characters. Outside of Dan and Alice, the characters in 5 feel similar to characters in 4. Greta feels like in the vein of Debbie, just more of a rich girl. Mark feels like he's close to Rick, just a comic artist instead of a martial artist. And Greta's dream sequence felt similar to Debbie's. I can definitely chalk up the quick production to this.
Robert Englund continues to deliver a fantastic performance. That's one of the high points with this franchise - with each installment, Robert's performance just helps make the film fun. By this point, Freddy was a little less darker than before. That's definitely thanks to Dream Master being a pop culture film.
The Dream Child could be seen to some as a solid finale to this timeline. It manages to wrap things up in a decent way. Unfortunately none of the characters would be revisited in the next film.
Now this brings me to Freddy's Dead.
This is a film that was supposed to put the nail in the coffin. It was supposed to lay Freddy to rest. The films were running their course and people weren't exactly thrilled with The Dream Child. So, New Line was ready to do what Paramount had attempted with The Final Chapter.
It was something that was an event. I mean if you can look at the pop culture around this time, you'll see lots of things labeling this as Freddy's end. But honestly this isn't an Elm Street film. It lacks the proper title to tie it in.
No, this is a film that could be seen as a one off that separate from the previous five entries. It's something that could be considered a natural endpoint, especially considering that Freddy had mostly wiped out the children of Springwood save for one.
Nah, this is the Looney Tunes of the franchise. It's a complete parody of what it once was. I mean come on, Freddy as Wicked Witch on a broom. If thats not a Bugs Bunny approach, I don't know what is. This was an installment that I rented a lot while I was growing up. Looking back, this was an entry that seemed to always be available. So I'd always watch this and Dream Master back to back.
Seeing this film again, the issues are a bit more prevalent. It's very clear that there was no understanding of where to go following Dream Child. This was a direct response to fans asking for more. You want more, then you'll get more. This gave us glimpses into how Freddy became what he became. This could be interesting if we weren't seeing such a light hearted take on the character outside of the flashbacks. Hell, it's something that could work a little better now. Unfortunately, it leaves the film feeling like a fluff piece to me.
The characters are mostly one note. Especially given Maggie. This was a character the whole film builds up to. Freddy had a child. Who is it? John? Nah. This just felt like the story running around not knowing where to go next.
While this may have been one of my favorites growing up, sadly doesn't hold up well.
Dream Child: 3.5 out of 5.
Freddy's Dead: 3 out of 5.
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