A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2:
Freddy's Revenge

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jack Sholder
Produced by Robert Shaye
Written by David Chaskin
Based on Characters 
by Wes Craven
Starring
Music by Christopher Young
Cinematography Jacques Haitkin
Christopher Tufty
Edited by Bob Brady
Arline Garson
Production
company
Heron Communications
Smart Egg Pictures
Distributed by New Line Cinema
Release dates
  • November 1, 1985
Running time
 85 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $3 million
Box office $29.9 million (US & Canada)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge is a 1985 American slasher horror film and the second film in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. The film was directed by Jack Sholder and stars Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. It is the sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street and is followed by A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.

Plot

Five years have passed since Freddy Krueger was seemingly defeated and the Walshes have moved into the Thompsons' former home. The teenaged son Jesse has a nightmare about being stranded on a school bus with two girls being stalked by a violent killer, waking in terror and attributing the dream to the unusual heat in the room. He goes to school with his friend Lisa, who Jesse has a crush on but is too shy to make a move. After getting into a fight with a boy named Grady during gym, Coach Snider punishes them by making them stay after class and they casually become friends. Lisa comes to visit Jesse after school and they discover a diary from Nancy Thompson detailing nightmares she had that were strikingly similar to Jesse's. After various incidents and small fires happen around the house, culminating in their pet birds suddenly going insane and combusting, Jesse's father accuses him of sabbotaging things due to the rumors of murders in the area. Lisa takes Jesse to an abandoned factory where Fred Krueger worked, but they find nothing there.

The following night, Jesse has a nightmare encounter with Freddy Krueger who tells him to kill for him, as the dreams grow more intense, Jesse begins taking methods in order to stay awake, but that doesn't stop him from approaching his sister as she slept with a clawed glove on his hand. The experiences terrify him even further and he finds himself wandering the streets at night. Coming across a gay leather bar, Jesse is caught by Snider when ordering a drink and is made to run laps as detention at school. After sending Jesse to the showers, Snider is attacked by sporting equipment that comes to life in his office, he is bound by a jumprope and dragged to the showers and stripped. Jesse vanishes into the steam and Freddy emerges, killing Snider by slashing his back, leaving him hanging dead, much to Jesse's horror as he sees the glove on his hand. After being escorted home by police after wandering the streets naked, his parents begin to suspect that Jesse may be on drugs, or mentally disturbed. The following night, Jesse goes to a pool party hosted by Lisa and passionately makes out with her in the cabana. But his body begins to uncontrollably change on him, and in panic, Jesse leaves. Lisa's friend Carrie insists she go after him, but she decides to stay. Jesse goes to Grady's house and confesses to killing Snider and he tells Grady to watch him as he falls asleep and stop him if he tries to leave. Grady eventually falls asleep, and Jesse suddenly undergoes a painful transformation. Freddy emerges from Jesse's body to Grady, whose bedroom door jams. Freddy brutally stabs Grady to his bedroom door, killing him and changes back to Jesse who is suddenly there, looking at Freddy's reflection in Grady's mirror. He flees before Grady's parents can get in.

Returning to Lisa's house, Jesse tells her what is going on. Lisa realizes that Jesse's terror is giving Freddy his strength, but he can't stop fearing him and transforms again, locking her parents in their bedroom, and making the pool outside start to boil. Freddy attacks Lisa, but realizes he can't harm her due to Jesse's influence and he escapes. The teens outside try to talk Freddy down as he taunts them and kills them, but they fail. Lisa's father emerges with a shotgun, but Lisa stops him from shooting Freddy who escapes in a ball of flame. She drives to the factory, facing sudden nightmares that she has to control her fear before confronting Freddy. She pleads to Jesse to fight Freddy, but his hold is too strong. Only when Lisa confesses her love for Jesse and kisses Freddy does he begin to fight back. Freddy combusts and turns to ash, leaving a distraught Lisa to watch, but after he dies, Jesse emerges from under the ashes and the two reunite.

Later, as Jesse, Lisa and Carrie are taking the bus from school, Jesse begins to notice similarities to his original nightmare and panics. After Lisa finally calms Jesse down, Carrie says it's "All over" before Freddy's clawed arm suddenly bursts through her stomach. Freddy's laughter is heard as the bus goes driving out into the field as in the first nightmare, and the screen goes dark.

Cast

Production

Reception

Box Office

In 1985, the film opened in just 614 theaters, making $2.9 million in its opening weekend coming in 4th place. Domestically, the film has made $30 million,[1] making it another huge success on a budget of only $3 million.[2]

Critical Reception

The film's critical reception was mixed. Much of the criticism of Freddy's Revenge was aimed at the fact that the film, while continuing the storyline of its predecessor, takes on a completely different direction .

See also

References

  1. ↑ "A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ "A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge". The Numbers. Nash Information Services. Retrieved August 1, 2011.

External links

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