The 80's were notorious for the extensive number of slasher films released within the decade. After the success of indie slasher Halloween, many other studios and filmmakers attempted to capitalise on this success as well. This spawned a number of other similar slasher films, which in turn, spawned some of their own sequels and franchises that spanned the entire decade. One such film that spawned a successful string of slasher sequels was Wes Cravens A Nightmare on Elm Street. The film took a unique approach to the slasher formula, following a supernatural killer named Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) who stalked teenagers in their dreams. Naturally, the film spawned a number of sequels that I recently decided to power through once and for all. I felt it was high time I sat myself down and watched the sequels, no matter how bad they got. After several bad puns and dead teenagers, I recently completed the franchise and decided to do my own personal ranking of the films from worst to best. The following list will focus on the Robert Englund films only, simply because I was not arsed to watch that awful looking remake. You can only take so much Freddy.
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
The first, and the worst sequel to Wes Craven's original film, Freddy's Revenge is just plain awful. The film picks up five years after the first and follows Jesse (Mark Patton), the new occupant of the old Thompson's house who comes into contact with Freddy. The main problem with Freddy's Revenge is how much it messes with the logic of the original film. It involved Freddy attempting to posses young Jesse in order to return to the real world. First of all, the idea of Freddy wanting to leave the dream world is just absurd, why would he want to leave a realm over which he is in total control? The whole point of dragging him into the real world in the first film was to make him vulnerable, why on earth would he want to be vulnerable again? On top of that, the characters are bland and forgettable, and some moments are just cringe-worthy. Why does Jesse twerk his drawer shut? What in gods name are those dog things with human faces? The film does have some redeeming qualities to be fair, the transformation scene boasts some excellent practical effects and the shower scene is particularly brutal, but overall this is just tripe. In the years since its release, Freddy's Revenge has been seen as a metaphor for closeted homosexuality and there are some not so subtle hints within the film that support this. Even with that however, there are better ways to present the fears faced by the LGBTQ+ community in horror cinema than in low rate slashers like Freddy's Revenge.
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
This entry is not as awful as Freddy's Revenge, but it's just plain sloppy. The script is weak, the performances are questionable, and even Freddy himself feels like a worn out parody of his former self. Remember Scary Terry from Rick and Morty? Even he feels more like Freddy Krueger than Freddy himself does here. This time he's back yet again by using the dreams of an unborn child, to make things more personal the child belongs to the films protagonist Alice (Lisa Wilcox), the final girl of the fourth installment. I was never a fan of Alice and that's mainly due to Wilcox' rather unconvincing performance, so the fact that she was front and center yet again did not make this film any better for me. Even worse than Wilcox is Joe Seely as Mark Grey, a potentially likeable character dragged down by Seely's bland performance. But the actors aren't all to blame, the overall script just feels weak in comparison to the earlier films. Some of the dialogue is patchy, and Freddy's quips just aren't what they used to be (although I am a fan of 'bon apetit bicth!'), it feels like more of a parody than anything else. The film does have some memorable death scenes however, some of my favourites being the bike scene and 'super Freddy', but not even the enjoyable practical effects can save this film. Nancy Thompson didn't kill Freddy Krueger, The Dream Child did.
6. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
This is the most frustrating film of the franchise. Freddy's Dead has some really interesting ideas, first of all we have a protagonist that we know very little about apart from the fact that he has some connection to Freddy, adding a layer of mystery to the plot. Secondly, the town of Springwood is portrayed as a bizzare, almost dystopian village where there are no children left and the adults act really strange. It's a surreal, almost Lynchian depiction of the town that presented a lot of potential for the film. The first act feels a lot more darker and serious in tone compared to its predecessor The Dream Child, however, things quickly go downhill after that. Instead of building upon the unique ideas of the first act, the film opts for a more formulaic and familiar approach while providing more unwanted backstory for the titular killer. It's such a shame because I really found myself getting intrigued by this film and its unique approach, however, attempting to give Freddy more of a backstory was a bad decision that only succeeds at making him less imposing. As well, the final act just felt extremely underwhelming, especially after the build up and the more epic finales of the previous film. Christ, even Freddy's Revenge had a more enthralling climax, and that had those poxy dog things. Freddy's Dead is an uneven mess, it presents some really promising concepts in the beginning only to fall flat in the final act. Also, it wasn't even the final nightmare after all..
5. Freddy vs Jason (2003)
I'm going to go ahead and say that I actually like Freddy vs Jason. It is a heavily flawed film, but it's a fun experience that captures some of the best qualities of both of the antagonists. With Freddy unable to haunt peoples dreams anymore, he begins to manipulate Jason Voorhees into killing the teenagers of Springwood so that they will believe in Freddy again. However, when they begin to fear Jason more than they do Freddy, the latter decides to face off against is hockey-mask wearing counterpart in a battle of monstrous proportions. It was nice to see Robert Englund having fun with the role yet again, it was clear in Freddy's Dead that he wasn't the same Freddy that he used to be, but here he is both fun and imposing yet again. The film also has plenty of Easter eggs from some of the previous entries in the franchise such as the inclusion of Westin Hills psychiatric hospital and the references to some of the older films. While it does provide plenty of fan service for horror buffs, and while it is great to see Englund enjoying himself as Freddy again, it just doesn't feel too scary. There are some bloody moments for sure, and while it is somewhat darker than some of the campier Elm Street films, there are moments when it feels a bit too cartoonish. Regardless, it was an enjoyable entry to both franchises and a fitting send off to Englund in his final onscreen performance as Freddy Krueger.
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
The highest grossing film of the franchise, excluding Freddy vs Jason, The Dream Master may not be the scariest film of the franchise, but it is definitely one of the most fun. Picking up after the third installment Dream Warriors, the film follows Freddy as he sets off to kill the remaining Elm Street kids once and for all. Freddy is out in full force in this entry and Englund is clearly having a lot of fun in the role yet again. The kills are all equally as inventive as the last, each one being personalised to their respective victims. A fitness-obsessed girl has her arms decapitated while bench pressing, before being turned into a bug, while an asthmatic girl literally has her breath sucked away. Each death is as ironic as it is disturbing, and are all topped off with one of Freddy's signature one liners (some of the best being 'how's that for a wet dream', and 'wanna suck face?'). It's the type of film that makes you look forward to each death scene simply because of how fun they are. At the same time, I can't help but feel a bit of resentment for The Dream Master. For one, it takes away any sense of triumph found at the end of its predecessor Dream Warriors. It also introduces Alice to the franchise, one of the most irritating final girls ever and a terrible replacement for the likes of Nancy and Kristen. Worst of all however, I feel as though this is what brought about the downfall of the franchise. The fun and campy atmosphere that it introduced did not translate so well into later installments and ultimately weakened them. It's a shame because it's such an enjoyable film, yet you can't help but blame it for the decline in quality of the later films.
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3. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
After Freddy died and seemingly took the franchise with him back in 1991, the original films director Wes Craven stepped up to the plate to bring Elm Street back to its roots. Instead of making a follow up to Freddy's Dead, Craven essentially penned a quasi reboot of the franchise as well. This film follows Elm Street alum Heather Langenkamp, playing a fictionalised version of herself as she faces off against Freddy Krueger who has somehow made his way into the real world. The campy atmosphere and cheesy one liners were dead and gone, this version of Freddy was much more ferocious and serious than in previous installments. Here, Englund shows us that Freddy can still be scary, and this iteration of Krueger is as scary as you can get. Sporting an updated look that includes a much more grotesque appearance and a black trench coat, Freddy is a true visual nightmare once again. As well as that, the film takes a much more psychological approach, taking into question what's real and what's not real. It's a truly refreshing film that not only makes Elm Street scary again, but also reunites cast members Langenkamp and John Saxon with director Wes Craven once again. Craven even has an acting role as himself in the film. The meta approach to horror made for a truly unique film that looks at horror cinema and the effects it can have on the real world, something Craven would revisit with the Scream franchise. Not only is New Nightmare one of the best Elm Street films, but its also one of Craven's best films as well.
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
'ONLY NUMBER 2??' I hear you scream, before you slaughter me for this, allow me to explain. I adore A Nightmare on Elm Street. At a time full of similar and formulaic slasher films, Wes Craven dared to try something new by creating a villain who killed you in your dreams. It's a truly terrifying concept that is brought to life with such menace by the great Robert Englund, that moment where he extends his clawed hand and proclaims that 'this is god' will forever live on as one of the most iconic moments in horror cinema. This is Freddy before he truly came out of his shell, he's mysterious, he's scary, and he never comes across as silly. Englund truly is terrifying in this film, and his performance is matched by the supporting cast that includes veteran actor John Saxon and a young Johnny Depp. Craven's direction managed to create this extremely eerie atmosphere throughout, with the use of shadows and that spine-chilling score, this is the film in which Craven's nightmare world was made real. While it isn't the scariest film of all time, when you compare it to the sequels it may as well be. A Nightmare on Elm Street is a fantastic horror film with a genius concept, woven together by the late, great Wes Craven.
1. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
...However, I have to say after much thought, I personally think Dream Warriors is the best Elm Street film. This is Freddy at his Freddiest. Englund finds the perfect balance between horrific and charming, being playful, but never campy enough to take away from Freddy's unsettling onscreen presence. Dream Warriors has some of the best kills of the franchise, the television scene, and the scene where Freddy turns a character into a human puppet before walking him off a roof. The kills are personalised and unique to each character, but they are unsettling and never too over the top. It proves that Freddy can be fun while still being scary. The film also boasts a number of strong characters that we can easily empathise with, from the wheelchair-bound Will (Ira Heiden), to recovering addict Taryn (Jennifer Rubin), each character has their own unique personality and none of them feel like mere disposable teens. Front and center is a young Patricia Arquette as the protagonist Kirsten, a girl with the ability to pull people into her dreams and the leader of the eponymous dream warriors. She is aided by the original Elm Street survivor Nancy Thompson, who acts as a consultant at the psychiatric hospital in which the teenagers reside. It essentially acts as the bridge between the first film and the later installments, teaming up the protagonist of the original film with a new generation of dream warriors. It takes all of the best aspects of the franchise and combines them into a fantastic horror film that is as exciting as it is unsettling. This is the true follow up to the first film, and arguably an improvement over it in my opinion. If the franchise had have ended here, I would have been perfectly happy with that.
Also, look out for a young Laurence Fishburne as a friendly orderly named Max.
So that's my ranking of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. While some of the films were just plain awful, I have to say it was an enjoyable experience binge-watching these films, made all the more enjoyable by Robert Englund of course. I'm glad I finally got around to watching all of the sequels and viewing the franchise as a whole. Now if you'll excuse me, it's time to get through the rest of the Friday the 13th films..
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