Why A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 Is So Different

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is the black sheep of the franchise, and this is why Freddy’s first sequel is so different from the rest of the movies. Rushed into theaters less than a year after the debut of the first film, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 was made explicitly to capitalize on the breakout success of the 1984 horror classic.

Instead of playing it safe with a simple rehash of the first, Freddy’s Revenge is wildly different from its predecessor. Eschewing the nightmares and dreamlike logic of the original, the sequel opts instead for a possession storyline involving a teenage boy who becomes the unwitting vessel for Freddy’s return to the real world. The movie was greeted with largely negative reviews upon release.

With less Robert Englund and almost nothing familiar from the first movie, audiences and critics alike were left scratching their heads. Freddy’s Revenge was immediately abandoned when A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors was released in 1987, and it was quickly reduced to a mere footnote in the long history of the beloved slasher franchise. In the decades since, a new appreciation has grown around the film.

Though Freddy’s Revenge has gained deserved cult status thanks to its homoerotic themes, it is still a pretty baffling sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street. It is so wildly different that it is practically unrecognizable, and could easily exist as its own thing outside the larger franchise. Changes in sequels are inevitable, but why did A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 go in such a strange direction?

The First Sequel Took Big Risks With Freddy’s Lore

One thing that A Nightmare on Elm Street did perfectly was establish Freddy Krueger’s lore, and clearly explain to the audience how the nightmare killer worked. Freddy’s Revenge decided to throw most of that established lore out the window, which is the biggest reason that the first sequel is radically different from anything else in the franchise. Freddy isn’t killing kids, he’s possessing one kid and turning him into a murderer.

While it isn’t a bad idea on paper, it certainly abandons a lot of what made the first movie so fun. The dream sequences were surreal and weird, distancing Freddy from the slashers who existed in the real world. It makes Freddy overly reliant on a physical body, something he didn’t need in the first movie. Those changes might seem baffling in retrospect, but they make more sense with some context.

After only one movie, Freddy wasn’t quite the horror icon he is today. Freddy’s Revenge tried (and failed) to inject new ideas into the fledgeling franchise, something nearly every early sequel must do in order for the series to survive. Dream Warriors would cement Freddy’s lore, thus making the second film look like a weird mistake. If Freddy’s Revenge was better received, the lore changes likely would have stuck.

Unfortunately, Freddy’s Revenge was just too jumbled to ever work as a follow-up to A Nightmare on Elm Street. Wes Craven didn’t return, and Robert Englund almost didn’t reprise his role as Freddy. The story was passed around without much of a clear vision, which is why the final product feels somewhat incomplete. One of the biggest reasons the sequel is so different is that it is the least focused of the whole franchise.

Freddy’s Revenge Is A Lot Better Than You Remember

With all that being said, Freddy’s Revenge is better than most remember. While the film’s status in the A Nightmare on Elm Street canon is questionable, it is still a decent ’80s horror flick. Some of the visuals are supremely spooky, and it’s the final time that Freddy appears before he assumes his over-the-top persona. It’s also the only Elm Street movie to have significant subtext.

A lot has been said about the movie’s homoerotic themes over the years, and they give the film an added layer of intrigue that most horror films don’t have. It’s fun to read into what A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is trying to say, even if it’s a lackluster installment overall. Other Freddy sequels would be guilty of being formulaic, but the first follow-up is anything but boring.

Release Date

November 1, 1985

Runtime

87 minutes

Director

Jack Sholder