Sequels and Reboots In Our Genres

In case you've been living off the grid for the last couple years, you may be aware of a reboot/sequel/threequel that is scheduled for release next month . . . it's related to a 1984 comedy classic that many people in my age group hold near and dear.  Yes, I'm talking about the Paul Feig-directed Ghostbusters starring Kristin Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones. Pretty much since its announcement, there's been a split decision amongst the interwebs and, since the release of its first teaser trailer, Neckbeards and basement dwellers have been putting on their wrinkled NO MA'AM t-shirts in misogynistic protest.

For the record, this is not one of those pieces. 

Hear me out . . . when it comes to Horror sequels and remakes/reboots, why has there always been a problem with casting?  No one could play Freddy Krueger except Robert Englund -- this was proven when New Line and Platinum Dunes tried to remake A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2010.  Poor Jackie Earl Haley, while fine in the fedora and famous sweater, was up against impossibly stacked odds (not to mention a terrible screenplay) of trying to please a nearly thirty year old fan base that had been unequivocally used to only seeing one man portray the character.  Outside of the Horror genre, of course, there's Harrison Ford and the characters of Indiana Jones and Han Solo.  No one else could play either of those characters -- hell, even I was set to belly-ache when Chris Pratt was rumored to be in the running for an Indiana Jones reboot. 

Ultimately, what has both contributed to and, in some cases hindered (like the original Ghostbusters, its sequel and the never-ending stalling of a proper Ghostbusters III) film franchises of almost any genre?  Continuity.  Granted, with Halloween and Friday the 13th, there have mostly always been different guys playing those masked killers, so it's a bit of a no-brainer.  However, with Freddy Krueger, Indiana Jones, Han Solo, and even say, Rocky Balboa, it'd be pretty difficult to re-cast those iconic characters -- but why didn't it happen?  

As much as I love the storyline continuity throughout the eight Friday the 13th movies, why couldn't there have just been sequels picking up in the middle of one of Jason's killing sprees instead of following groundwork already laid out in previous installments?  One could argue that this occurred with Jason Goes To Hell:  The Final Friday and, with that being said, maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

My whole point is this:  why didn't our most beloved franchises -- Horror or otherwise -- follow the James Bond template and either A.) Have the leading character in simply a new adventure for each film instead of painting everything into a proverbial corner or B.) Recast whenever possible?  Imagine the wealth of Indiana Jones adventures that we could've had in the nineteen years between Last Crusade and Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.  This could have easily solved the seemingly endless delays to get a proper Ghostbusters III made.  Of course recasting doesn't always necessarily work out so well as was the case with 2011's dreadful Hellraiser:  Revelations where Pinhead was infamously recast and, well, viewers decided to ultimately pass . . . though the character has again been recast for next year's Hellraiser:  Judgment, so we'll have to reserve our, er, judgment a little longer.

Of course, as I speak of recasting and reboots, I can't ignore the hugely successful Mad Max:  Fury Road, which seamlessly cast Tom Hardy in its title role or the never-ending superhero reboots like Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy or Superman and, to a somewhat less-successful point, Spider-Man.  The loudest criticism was hurled at the late Heath Ledger as soon as he was cast as The Joker; I'll happily continue to eat my own hearty meal of crow once I saw the film and hailed his genius performance!  On the pseudo-failure side, there's Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man which, for my money, didn't really need to be rebooted so closely after Sam Raimi's trilogy . . . though I suspect the failure there may have been more script-based and behind the scenes instead of casting.  Same goes for Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, a fine actor and great performance that ultimately was crushed under the weight of the character itself and fans' expectations.  On the same coin, Henry Cavill has done a fine job in Supes' tights, again with my only complaints coming from the script and/or direction.  With this year's Batman V. Superman, I'd say Ben Affleck as Batman wasn't too bad and, honestly, I'm looking forward to seeing more of Bat-fleck, as having an older big screen take was a refreshing change.

As I pondered possible reasons for why these famous characters were never recast or deviated from their narrative continuity throughout their respective franchises, there was only one that kept coming to mind.  All of the franchises I've mentioned were born (or thrived) in the VHS and cable era where many of us watched them endlessly and, as a result, they endured much more so than a film that we may have only seen a few scant times theatrically during initial release or an occasional re-release.  Maybe that's why the majority of the casting changes and story continuity changes in the Bond franchise were so easy to overlook?  Raise your hand if you literally wore out your VHS of copy of a Back To The Future, Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Rocky, Star Wars, Friday the 13th, or A Nightmare on Elm Street movie from watching it so many times....go ahead, I see you laughing, but it's true! 

So, while I'm not saying there's absolutely no sexist stance against this summer's Ghostbusters -- because it's quite obvious that there is, especially from the anonymity behind a computer screen -- I'm leaning towards the fact that those original characters and the actors who played them are so ingrained in a lot of fans' minds that it's almost impossible to accept change.  I'm not exactly thrilled about the movie myself, but it's certainly not because of its female cast.  Setting aside my nostalgia for the original and The Real Ghostbusters cartoon and toy line), I'm curious to see how it all plays out and will no doubt be there opening weekend.

And, of course, earlier this week it was announced that Platinum Dunes plans to soldier on and force another Friday the 13th reboot upon the world -- only, this time it will be different because it's going to delve into a part of Jason's origin that we haven't yet seen . . . by introducing his father, Elias Voorhees.  Originally, that character was to make an appearance at the end of Friday the 13th Part VI:  Jason Lives, though it was dropped before filming and the character was only casually mentioned in Jason Goes To Hell.  Listen, I'm all for another Friday the 13th movie but, dammit, why can't we just have a sequel that picks up like a Bond sequel, with Jason (looking cool and not like the haunted hayride knockoff of Freddy Vs. Jason of course) in the middle of a new adventure where he's doing what he does best -- hacking up teenagers?  Is that too much to ask?   My ideal Friday the 13th sequel would be just that with a poster tagline that reads:  "Not familiar with Jason?   Ask your parents to show you the first 8 movies!"  No need to rehash the past and delve into backstory that wasn't originally there in there first place; just give the fans what they want:  Jason hacking up teenagers via squishy practical special effects.

NIGHTMARE 2 Ain't So Bad...from a certain point of view

This is NOT the right logo...signaling that we're in for a very different Nightmare...

For all intents and purposes, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 is frankly, the bastard son of the Elm Street series.  With its seemingly blatant disregard for rules established in the original film, its lack of the famous Bernstein score, and overall lapses in logic throughout its 87 minute runtime, some fans would even put it below Freddy’s Dead!  

Perhaps the biggest complaint about Nightmare 2 is the pool party massacre and how it should be impossible for Freddy to be attacking a bunch of kids who seemingly aren’t asleep! 

Time has been kind to Freddy’s Revenge though, as the film has finally found its audience through its genre-bending “final boy” structure and its blatant homosexual ticks in its characterizations and screenplay.  Fans now seem to embrace the fact that the film’s hero is a boy (who may or may not be struggling with sexual identity issues – it’s really the viewer’s call), a plot choice that was actually pretty daring and bold in 1985, in the height of the “Final Girl” string in Horror.  

Recently, I’ve watched the film through a different perspective and, honestly, it makes for a much better and more entertaining film.  In short, Nightmare 2 is a film where Freddy isn’t actually in it – not quite like the body-hopping of Jason Goes To Hell though – and doesn’t really do any of the killings in it.

Let me explain….

Jesse Walsh is the new kid in Springwood.  Even if one wanted to dig deeper into his struggles for sexual identity and that he’s actually in the closet, another way to view the character is that he’s just trying to find his identity as “the new kid”.  Sure, he’s got a hot girl who’s into him and a solid friendship with the likes of Ron Grady (again, the homosexual angle could go in this direction), but just sticking to the “new kid” angle also works here for the sake of this piece. 

Mark Patton as Jesse Walsh

Freddy has been dead and lying dormant since the events of Nightmare 1, as Jesse has after all moved into Nancy Thompson’s old house.  He’s looking for a way back to power and he’s found the perfect gateway through Jesse Walsh.  Now, don’t get me wrong:  there are nightmares in this film though they’re mostly just affecting Jesse himself and this is the way that Freddy is able to get to him and, ultimately, drive him to murder.

"KILL FOR ME!"

That’s right…Jesse is the killer here.  He killed Schneider, Grady, and everyone at Lisa’s pool-party.  In fact, he even tells Lisa that Freddy tried to make him kill his little sister at one point.  Freddy himself even orders Jesse to “kill for me!” when he offers him the glove in the basement.

Given all the blood on him, it's obvious that Jesse sliced up Schneider.

During the scene where Schneider is killed, Jesse idly stands by in the shower, seemingly watching as the coach is dragged in and strung up before a hilariously fake-looking Freddy (actually a stuntman) wobbles out from the mist to finish the job. In fact, Jesse is overcome by the mist of the shower and “Freddy” emerges.  This explains why this particular Freddy looks so fake (obviously because it’s not Robert Englund), but also because it’s NOT Freddy.  Jesse, wearing Freddy’s glove, kills Schneider.  The appearance of Freddy here is only suggesting that it’s actually him who is doing the killing; under Freddy’s influence, this is how Jesse views himself as he kills….more on this when Grady is killed.

This looks more like a kid in a Freddy Halloween costume than it does Robert Englund!

Throughout the film, there are some rather odd things that happen in Jesse’s house – lightning striking the toaster, the overwhelming heat from the furnace (i.e.: Freddy’s burning fire increases as his power does), and exploding parakeets being some of the standouts.  These strange occurrences can be chalked up to Freddy’s power; obviously the entire family is not asleep and dreaming when their parakeet bursts into flames.  These events are all courtesy of Freddy’s flexing his muscles and tightening his grip of Jesse throughout the film.  This would also explain the human-face dogs and gnarly-face cat at the power plant during the last reel, too.

Again, Jesse’s struggle with his sexual identity could come into play once he flees Lisa’s pool party and sneaks into Grady’s bedroom.  Grady himself emphasizes this with “…and you want to sleep with me”.  However, for the sake of this piece, let’s again not look at it from this angle; instead just look at as THIS is who Freddy is willing Jesse to kill next – after all, he did try to get him to kill his little sister earlier, but Jesse was able to overcome that urge and win that battle. 

The fact that Grady falls asleep while he’s supposed to be vigilant is what finally brings Freddy out and causes Jesse to kill him.  In this scene, Jesse is wrestling with Freddy’s influence to kill Grady; this why Jesse is in such excruciating pain throughout.  All of the crazy body mutilation that the audience sees happening to Jesse in this scene is what he’s seeing happen to himself in his own mind as he figuratively is becoming Freddy…there’s no other way to explain how Freddy can emerge from Jesse’s mutilated body as if he were dropping a robe!  Grady, of course, is terrified by the way Jesse is acting as he puts on Freddy’s glove and prepares to attack; again, Freddy’s influence has interfered and locked Grady’s bedroom door. 

This is actually Jesse ready to attack Grady, who is terrified by his friend's sudden mood swing!

Once Grady is killed, a bloodied Jesse who is literally wearing Freddy’s glove sees Freddy in the mirror – this is how Jesse sees himself now that Freddy has won and made him kill again.    

It's Freddy whom Jesse sees himself as in his reflection.

One cool thing about Freddy's appearance from this scene on through the end credits is the fact that he's not wearing his glove (because Jesse has it obviously) and instead, has his blades protruding from his fingertips.  Seeing this as a kid always sort of bugged me...but now, I get it in the sense that it's showing Freddy in his most primal, evil form -- not unlike his look in Wes Craven's New Nightmare, where he's got blades coming out of all five fingers.

Back at Lisa’s house, Jesse returns exclaiming “I killed Grady” – because he actually did, which is why he is covered in his friend’s blood.  Like so many times before, he struggles with Freddy’s power and ultimately loses before attacking Lisa and the pool party.   When Freddy stands up in the living room, Lisa is seeing Jesse Walsh under the complete and total influence of Krueger.  She is NOT actually seeing Freddy.  Here, Jesse is again wearing the glove and trying desperately to kill her next!  The audience is only seeing Freddy for the rest of the film from this point on because, let’s face it, we’re watching A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 and we came to see Robert Englund – not some bloodied kid wearing the famous glove.

Jesse shows up, covered in Grady's blood...because he just killed him.

This is still Jesse that Lisa is seeing, but for the sake of entertainment, the audience sees what Jesse sees -- Freddy Krueger.

Freddy’s power manifests itself once more at the pool-party in various forms; locking the door to Lisa’s parents’ bedroom, turning up the heat in the pool, making the hotdogs explode, causing fires to randomly spring up throughout.  But again, it’s 100% Jesse Walsh (albeit covered in blood and in complete possession by Freddy) running around by the pool, slashing and killing party-goers. 
 

Picture Mark Patton running around in this scene, slashing up all these bros!

When Freddy stands in front of the fire, arms extended, and proclaims “you are all my children now”, imagine Jesse saying this.

Easily the most iconic image from Nightmare 2.

In the eyes of everyone at the pool party, Lisa’s dad included, Jesse has broken bad and has been killing everyone in sight!  Lisa’s dad is ready to shoot the kid to end the massacre, but she herself intervenes because of her love for Jesse; this elicits an expression of shock and surprise from Jesse/Freddy because A.) Jesse sees, from within Freddy’s grip, that Lisa may be able to help him and B.) Freddy sees her as an immediate threat to his control over Jesse – to which he responds by casually leaving the scene and heading to more familiar territory where he’ll have the upper hand. 

In short, any time that Freddy is on-screen and interacting with any characters other than Jesse Walsh, imagine that it’s actually Jesse himself.  I’m not sure if this theory has existed in fan circles or not, though it likely has, but it was certainly a new outlook on the film for me!  This perspective opened my eyes and imagination, ultimately resulting in me appreciating it in a much richer light.  It also adds a different and darker element to Freddy’s character – we do see brief hints of him possessing characters like Dan during the climax of Nightmare 5 and Maggie in Freddy’s Dead (the Broke Jay/burnout guy in Freddy vs. Jason doesn’t count though, as that film itself doesn’t count). Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll agree!

For more info on Nightmare 2, check out Mark Patton's upcoming documentary Scream, Queen!  My Nightmare on Elm Street  

RIP Wes Craven 1939-2015

2015 has been a rough year to be a Horror fan, hasn't it?  We've lost way too many of our heroes this year and, unfortunately, we just lost another Great yesterday.

Wes Craven passed away from brain cancer at the age of 76.

When I saw the news dropped in as a comment on a Facebook thread, my heart sank.  After googling Wes to confirm my worst fear, I was immediately heart-broken and am still having a rough time dealing with his loss.  As I typed out a quick acknowledgement on Facebook last night, legit tears streamed down my face.  Some celebrity deaths are met with a sigh and a frown, but this one hit me really hard. 

It's no secret how important Freddy Krueger and the entire A Nightmare on Elm Street phenomenon has been in my life, but the first time I actually remember seeing Wes Craven speak on-camera about it goes back to when I was at least 5 or 6 years old.  The moment was part of an interview segment on the Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors VHS documentary where Wes, along with Robert Englund, was seen on-hand signing autographs for eager fans and talking about the then still relatively young beast that he had birthed only a couple of years earlier.  

While I still have my original VHS, this copy is actually my wife's.

Wes, discussing the surreal nature of the Nightmare films.

On that initial introduction to the man -- and to this day -- I didn't think he looked like the type of guy who made Horror movies.  In fact, given his past career as an English teacher, he always reminded me of one of my own favorite professors.

I could watch and listen to a Wes Craven interview for hours, just to hear the man talk and wax philosophical about the genre I love.  As far as I'm concerned, Wes was the Thinking Man's Horror Filmmaker.  He brought depth and, quite frankly, the discussive nature to the genre.  

Recently on Twitter, Wes tweeted out these words of wisdom to aspiring filmmakers:  

"Take the 1st job you can in the industry you want to get into. The job doesn't matter, getting your foot in the door does."

From what I've read about his early interest in film, he took his own advice, getting his foot in the door with rougher and cruder (in every sense of the word) fare before making the leap to mainstream success with A Nightmare on Elm Street and eventually becoming a household name with the Scream series.  It's worth noting that he made a helluva an impact in 3 separate decades with his work -- Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes struck nerves in the 70s, Nightmare pretty much defined the 80s, and Scream revitalized a genre that was almost on life-support in the 90s.  That's three generations that his work reached!

Back in 1995, my parents took me to my first ever Fangoria's Weekend of Horrors convention in Manhattan.  As a 13yr old kid, I was mainly there to see and meet Ken Foree from Dawn of the Dead, though the bill also had Angus Scrimm, Heather Langenkamp, Clive Barker (apparently...though I don't remember that at all, but I just saw a flyer for the show today on Facebook), and of course, Wes Craven.  It goes without saying how starstruck I was meeting Ken Foree, so it's no surprise that I couldn't muster up the courage to meet anyone else at that show, even Heather and Wes!  Although, I do fondly recall giving a wave to Wes as he was out in the hallway, signing for courageous fans . . . and he waved back.

Finally, even though I've shared this pic on Facebook, it deserves to be shared here.  A couple of years ago, my wife and I did a joint Halloween costume as Freddy and Nancy.  Kudos go to Wife for her level of detail in creating her Nancy costume, which I'd like to think got some attention on Instagram from Wes . . . 

Even though my pic was probably one of hundreds he saw that day on Instagram, the fact that he took a second to not only take a look, but also"like" it . . . incredible!  The closest I've come to holding court with the man.  Speaking of the presence that Wes had on Instagram, I will really miss his posts, dropping little hints as to where he currently was or was on his way to in the world.  His photos were humorous, often sharing silly memes or showing off his animals.  The man also had some great Throwback Thursday photos that he'd tease his followers with to guess what the film was!  In short, his posts were always a great time!

In a couple of weeks, Horror Hound Weekend will be celebrating one of the largest Nightmare reunions ever, gathering members of the Nightmare family from the original and all its sequels in Indianapolis.  I look forward to sharing Nightmare memories with fellow fans and the alumni who will be there that weekend!  It's ironic that I just saw someone requesting Wes to be added to the guest list, literally, on Saturday . . . he'll be there with us for sure.

With that said, it deeply pains me to bid farewell to someone who has helped shape me and my interests ever since I was a little kid.  He leaves behind an incredible legacy of fear, scares, chills, and laughs.    

Sleep peacefully, sir.  RIP Wes Craven.

It's Just A Dream....a review of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Looking back at the early entries in the Nightmare series, one might argue that Wes Craven's original was comparable to, say, Metallica's Kill 'Em All record in that it was the rough, unpolished blueprint for an entire new genre. Although groundbreaking, it was still considered underground and independent -- certainly anything but mainstream. Those who were fans knew it by word of mouth and spread the gospel to their friends alike.

 

So, by this rationale, Nightmare 2 would be the equivalent to the Ride the Lightning record; a follow-up that was certainly up to the challenge of not only being in the same league as its predecessor, but also possessing the intent of trying to surpass it in some way. Obviously the first Nightmare sequel had its fans and naysayers alike for various reasons (believe it or not, there are folks who abandonded Metallica after the first record), however it still brought the series that much closer to the mainstream and, in doing so, set events in motion for Freddy Krueger to become a household name.

This notion, of course, leads to the inevitable comparison of Nightmare 3 to the Master of Puppets record; easily at the top of the indie scene, breaking sales records, growing in popularity, and bringing the mainstream closer to the series and Freddy as a whole . . . all from just outside the fences of not quite being a household name. 

Released in 1987, Nightmare 3 begins my favorite story arc in the entire series -- the last of the Elm Street children -- while also continuing the continuity of the original film by bringing back Nancy Thompson and her father Donald.  Speaking of continuity, this is one of the aspects that I've always felt set the Nightmare series apart from its biggest contemporary, Friday the 13th.  Throughout the entire Dream Trilogy started by Nightmare 3, close attention to detail is paid to the characters who come in and out of each film.  There's also, of course, the haunted version of 1428 Elm Street that makes its first appearance in this sequel, continuing through the remainder of the series (of course, with little continuity on the interiors of the house, but that's another matter in and of itself).

Also worth noting this time around is the return of series creator Wes Craven, receiving story and screen-writing credit along with Frank Darabont and director Chuck Russell, among others.

This time around, the last of the Elm Street children have been institutionalized after their parents deem their attempts to stay awake as some sort of suicidal group psychosis.  Naturally, the adults in the film don't believe the kids and aren't phased in the least that they were all dreaming of the same boogeyman long before they met eachother. 

Freddy returns to the screen, once again, chasing the film's heroine Kristen Parker (played by Academy Award winner Patricia Arquette in her first role) without skipping a beat from the mixed reviews of Nightmare 2 two years earlier.  After a particularly rough nightmare, Kristen is admitted to the institution where the rest of our story takes place.  Once there, of course, she's introduced to the rest of the Elm Street children and, with the help of Freddy's greatest foe Nancy Thompson (with Heather Langenkamp returning once again to give Freddy the ol' one-two), they all become the titular Dream Warriors.

Speaking of the kids, there's short-fused Kincaid (Ken Sagoes), mute Joey (Rodney Eastman), aspiring TV starlet Jennifer (Penelope Sudrow), puppet maker Phillip (Bradley Gregg), wizard in training Will Stanton (Ira Heiden), and of course, everyone's favorite badgirl, Taryn White (Jennifer Rubin).  Also along for the ride as skeptical adults are Craig Wasson, Priscilla Pointer, and a young Laurence Fishburne.

As Freddy invades the dreams of and stalks the Dream Warriors, this is where the series really came into itself and became known for its outlandish special effects sequences!  Everything from a phalic-looking giant Freddy snake to a TV that kills, and even a tribute to Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animation is thrown at the viewer!

In the special effects department, you've got Kevin Yager returning for the make-up duties (creating what is pretty much the definitive look for Freddy) and pioneers like Mark Shostrom, Greg Cannom, and Screaming Mad George contributing to some of the outlandish special effects sequences.  Some of the standout sequences include the aforementioned Freddy Snake and killer TV set, along with a character having his veins and ligaments ripped out as Freddy controls him like a marionette!

Going back to, what I consider the definitive Freddy look, this was actually the very first time I'd seen Freddy, so this one is special.  However, there's also a plethora of promotional photos for Nightmare 3 that were used on merchandise, posters, packaging, everything from the time of the film's release right up to the present day.  My favorite image, of course, is the promo poster that I've talked about on here before...it's just simple, effective, and so damn cool! 

Most Nightmare fans consider this to be the best of the sequels and I can't say that I disagree!  It's got some of the most memorable sequences and one-liners (that are still effective, cruel, and not completely corny like some of the later sequels), a great cast of likable characters to root for, and it perfectly sets up the next film in its final reel.  Along with the new characters to root for, Nightmare 3 also sees the return of Nancy and her father from the original film; when it comes to Horror heroines, Heather Langenkamp is easily right at home next to Halloween's Jamie Lee Curtis or Friday the 13th's Adrienne King.

All in all, Nightmare 3 is a roller coaster ride of a sequel . . . it brings back familiar characters, expands on a story that we think we all know (adding the depth of the Bastard Son of 100 Maniacs), and leaves the door open for yet another sequel!

 

 

It's Just A Dream....a review of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is an odd ball film. Much like our anti-hero Krueger, it’s the bastard son of the entire franchise, quickly dismissed and ignored for everything that is wrong with it (of which, there is a lot). But what about what it gets right?

Let’s get something out of the way right now: yes, there’s an undertone to the film’s story about homosexuality and dealing with one’s inner struggles; the scene of Freddy fully coming out of Jesse’s body being a not too subtle punch right in the nose. At the same time though, Nightmare 2 wants to be just like all the other popular Horror releases at the time and have a higher than normal body count, showing the one true instance of a Nightmare film trying to edge its way into Slasher territory.

Writer David Chaskin openly admits that he intentionally added the gay undertones into the story focusing on new kid young Jesse Walsh and his struggles to fit in at school after having just moved into Springwood’s most famous haunted house. By basically flipping the script and swapping the traditional “final girl” character for a “final boy”, Nightmare 2 challenges its audience on many levels, not willing to just be your average, run of the mill pseudo-Slasher. The fact that the name “Jesse” is sexually ambiguous lends more credence to the notion of swapping sexes of all the main characters. 

Chaskin’s gamble on the story elements of Nightmare 2 and director Jack Sholder’s passé handling of the material may have been intended to do something a little bit different, ultimately the audience didn’t really care. As a result, Nightmare 2 has fallen into the same company of misunderstood sequels like Halloween III, in search of vindication from fans. 

But, what does the film do right that most fans tend to miss? For starters, there’s Robert Englund’s performance as Freddy. As far as I’m concerned, this is the film that shows the true birth of the Freddy we all know and love. Many of the mannerisms that have become associated with the character – the maniacal laugh and the pose immediately come to mind – are evident in this film. It’s worth noting that New Line execs initially started filming without Englund, feeling that any stunt player could portray Krueger and the audience would be none the wiser. This, of course, is the first mistake the film makes, with it being painfully obvious during the shower murder of Coach Schneider, as the stunt man in a Freddy mask hopelessly waddles out from the steam with all the presence of a white piece of paper.

This is the film where Englund completely takes ownership of the character! 

Later on, there’s the pool party scene which has divided Nightmare purists to this day since it breaks all the rules established in the first film. But it’s this scene where Englund really shines for me as he struts around the party after causing havoc and killing a few teens. Sure, this scene is a blatant attempt to add a body count, but I’m willing to forgive it for just how cool Freddy is in it! 

Make-up effects artist Kevin Yagher took over the design of the character this time, infusing a sort of witch-like appearance with a hooked nose and more pronounced chin. This is also the first time that Freddy’s sweater has the stripes down the sleeves and features the frayed wrists, neck and hemline; in short, the look everyone knows! Just look at his first appearance in the film on the bus in Jesse’s nightmare; as he’s slowly stalking back towards the frightened teens, the blades on his glove slicing up the bus seats . . . that’s pure, sadistic evil right there!  

As a kid, I remember not really being too into the fact that Freddy doesn’t even wear his glove for the 2nd half of the movie after emerging from Jesse’s body. Now, as an adult, I can’t really say I’m any less not into it, but I kind of understand it and appreciate it. Having the blades come right out of his fingers kind of a cool look I guess.  

In terms of his character, fans should be more appreciative of Freddy in Nightmare 2 specifically because it’s the last time we really see him before he became the jokester/game show host type in later sequels. He’s still a seriously evil dude and quite scary, but he’s got some solid one-liners as well; some standouts being “You’re all my children now”, “You’ve got the body…I’ve got the brain” and my personal favorite, “Help yourself, fucker!" 

Another interesting statistic that make Nightmare 2 stand out from the rest of the series is that it’s the last film where the kills are (somewhat) grounded in reality in that Freddy’s slicing and dicing and not getting cartoony with his methods of knocking kids off. During that pool party scene alone, there are some seriously vicious glove attacks on some of the kids!  

Plus, since I first discovered Nightmare 2 on VHS, I've got to mention the cool cover art here.  For me, that is the artwork for the film.  In fact, when I first saw the original poster art of Jesse holding Lisa in front of a mirror, with Freddy staring back, it just felt wrong compared to what I'd grown up with.  A few years later, I'd collect a poster for Nightmare 4 that featured the original photo used for this piece (albeit obviously reversed for the VHS cover).  Freddy just looks so cool on this cover and it certainily played a part in wrangling me in as a fan.  Next to the VHS artwork for Dawn of the Dead, I'd say this is a prime example my belief that artwork does matter; if it looks cool, is put together well, and completely catures your attention, then it's certainly a Win in my book!

The bottom line about Nightmare 2, though, for me is that it’s just another stop along the Elm Street series. Whether or not fans dig it is completely subjective. At the worst, it’s not as good as the original film, but at the very least, it’s not as bad or silly as some fans feel the later sequels are. If you’ve been overly dismissive of Nightmare 2 over the years, give it another shot . . . you might just be surprised.

It's Just A Dream . . . A Nightmare On Elm Street retrospective Part 2

Picking up where we last left off, I feel it's only appropriate to cover the next phase of my Freddy Fandom and dive headfirst into some of the crazy stuff that was going on and being marketed to impressionable young minds like mine!  At that particular point in time between 1987-1991 or so, Freddy was pretty much king as far as I was concerned and his popularity world-wide was definitely at its peak.

In the tri-state area of New Jersey/Pennsylvania/New York, we had a chain of department stores called Clover.  Now, I have many, many fond memories of going to several Clover stores as a kid, but none of them were as cool as the one outside of Easton, PA at the Palmer Park Mall.  For me, that store was the first and best one and, whether it was with my parents or, especially, my grandmother, I always seemed to get a cool toy whenever we were there . . . I'll never forget the day we walked into the store and saw this gem . . . 

The perfect Christmas gift for EVERY kid!

Just try and imagine the excitement that poured out of me when I saw this incredible Freddy doll -- that talked!! 

By now, I'm sure you're familiar with the legend of this doll; Matchbox, a toy company known primarily for toy cars that competed with Hot Wheels, for some strange reason decided to do a string of Freddy merchandise.  Naturally, marketing the bastard son of a hundred maniacs to kids (least of all, Freddy was a child murderer!) was bound to raise a few eyebrows and piss off some parents.  So, almost as soon as these dolls hit toy shelves, they were pulled due to mounting pressure from parental groups.  But, I got one . . . actually, I had two!

For whatever reason, the first one I got didn't quite work as it was supposed to.  The doll has the old pull-string mechanism on its back to make it talk and, no doubt due to too many tugs of the string, the mechanism ultimately wore out.  This resulted in a chipmunk-voiced talking Freddy which, given the phases he says, was somewhat hilarious, but ultimately frustrating for a 7yr old!  Being that my Mom is the coolest mom on the planet, she took me to various other Clover department stores in search of a replacement (exchange) and we ended up in one outside of Allentown, PA.  This is the doll I still have to this day!

Although he's got his chimpmunk voice from years of abuse, he's still a badass.

...how I've managed to hold on to this thing for all these years (with his hat!) and not have defaced him or destroyed him in any way aside from my minor dings and scrapes, is beyond me.  In tribute to the Freddy puppet in Nightmare 3, this doll hung on my bunk bed, with this little hollow plastic feet banging along the metal frame.  This doll was, of course, reissued and sold at Spencer's Gifts in 1994; though it was the same style of doll and same plastic molds for the head, hands, and feet, the talking mechanism was replaced with a push-button in his chest.  The paint scheme, sweater pattern, hat, and phrases were done differently as well.  Just found the one I'd had in its original box and gave it to my nieces (who were absolutely thrilled) since we have the original and my wife has one of the reissues.

Cool sidenote on the subject of Matchbox talking dolls...anyone remember the Pee-Wee Herman and Ernest talking dolls?  Both had similar builds to Freddy (ie: hollow plastic heads, hands, feet and they also feature the pull-string mechanism).  Along with the talking Freddy, I also had the Pee-Wee Herman doll; I vividly remember having him wear Freddy's hat and pretending that he was Indiana Jones!

Another cool bit of Matchbox merch that I actually stumbled upon at a flea market is the Maxx FX Freddy action figure.

Brilliant concept and killer box art here!

This first figure was designed to be a pilot for a new line of "dolls" aimed at boys based around movie make-up techniques.  Think of it as MEGO doing a toy based off of the SyFy Channel's Face-Off series!  In fact, the back of the box even advertises the rest of the line including, Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and even the ALIEN!  Sadly, these were never produced as this Freddy figure fell victim to the same angry parental fury that limited the shelf life of the talking doll.  Hell, I don't even remember seeing this in stores, as the only one I ever saw as a kid was at a flea market, like I said, and the dude wanted $50 for it, which seemed like a ton of change to me back then.  Although he's the greatest dad on the planet to this day, Dad wouldn't get it for me that day, which I'm actually grateful for, because I doubt this would've survived the way the larger doll did.

However, shortly after I first moved to Chicago in 2008, I was checking out the local comic shop which always had a stockpile of great toys and action figures I'd grown up with.  One day, while visiting on my way home from work, I spotted the Maxx FX Freddy figure, mint in the box!  I couldn't believe it and figured it would be commanding the same insane prices I'd seen at Horror conventions over the years . . . no way, it was actually under $10!!  You bet your ass it came home with me that very day!

Just pretend that Robert Englund is actually in the make-up and that his hat actually fits.

The figure itself is more clunky and fragile than it looks.  Since all of the "special effects" have to fit over the 6" doll that comes with it, the pieces are oversized and make Freddy much taller than any similar figures.  In fact, it was actually really difficult to fit his feet into the KISS-like boots!  How little girls manage to put Barbie's feet into all those crazy shoes, I'll never know!  Since he is pretty fragile, these days, he's just been chilling on top of the entertainment unit in the Crypt, surrounded by other action figures. 

Up next in the toy department, enter LJN Toys.  Now, if you grew up in the 80s and early 90s, you may remember LJN for creating some of the worst (best?) and most frustrating Nintendo games for titles like Friday the 13th, Jaws, The Karate Kid, Back to the Future, and of course A Nightmare on Elm Street among many others.  LJN also produced toy lines for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Gremlins, and their most famous lines Thundercats and WWF Wrestling Superstars (you know you cracked a few of your friends over the head with one of those hard, rubber Hulk Hogans).

In 1989, LJN took full advantage of their Freddy license, releasing a Freddy Squishem (similar to a stress reliever), a Freddy Fright Squirter (nothing more than a giant Freddy head that spit water), and a "Monster Squirt" squirt gun shaped like Freddy himself.  Not from LJN, but a yo-yo company called Spectra Star, there was even a Freddy yo-yo, depicting our hero with his glove on his left hand...even as a kid, I was weary of stuff that didn't get it right!  None of those toys sparked my interest though, as I went for their hard rubber statue-like doll . . .

Freddy says "how about that Ghost band, eh?

This guy has been in my collection ever since and sort of stood guard by my VCR and DVD player, hidden away behind a stack of unlabeled VHS tapes on a shelf.  Again, I'm amazed I still have it in the great condition that it's in.  Some years ago, I touched up his glove with some silver paint on his blades and to simulate solder scarring.  Although the pic might say otherwise, his boots are actually black. 

Another cool LJN item that crossed into another Horror franchise was Spitballs.  I remember finding these at a K-Mart when they came out; I instantly had to have both Freddy and Jason, though I'm not sure at this point if I'd been allowed to see any of the Friday the 13th movies.  Each was sold separately on a blister card, packaged with a "victim" spitball.


Jason has seen better days in terms of paint (note the red I added to his axe wound).  I've no idea where their victims went though.

The earliest Freddy-related toy I had is probably a cheap, dime store "stick-up" made by a no-name company in 1988.  I remember Mom buying one for me at a local Mini-Check 5 & 10 store and I was pretty stoked since this was the first official Freddy action figure I had.

Garfield and 'Baby On Board' window clingers be damned!

You can see by the package artwork and motif of the figure that it's based on Nightmare 3, though as a kid, I'd no idea why Freddy was wearing a trench coat on the card art.  My fondest memory of all this merch coming out at this time was the great promo photos on the packaging, all seeming to have come from a photo shoot for Nightmare 3.  Actually, I had at least two of these little Freddy guys . . . I've seen a variation that is barefoot and has a slightly different sweater, but I can't remember if I had that one or not.  Somewhere, I'm sure at least one of them survives in the boxes and storage bins my parents have been awesome enough to hold onto from my old bedroom and our attic when they moved recently!

Another cool piece that my parents saved for me is The Freddy Game, a 3D role-playing board game that I've had since its release in 1988 by Cardinal/Victory Games.  Set in "Freddy's house", in an almost Clue style, players would work their way through a 3D setting (complete with pop-up walls resembling a maze) trying to survive . . . the only catch was that one of the players really was Freddy!  To be honest, I don't think I ever actually played the game; instead, I just played around with the settings of the house, using it like a playset.  Regardless of that, I'm glad to have it in our collection of vintage board games!




In the upper left corner, you can see I tried to sell this at a yard sale for $1.00!

 

Something seems a little off about this guy...

One last piece of merch I'd like to cover is a sticker book that was released by Comic Images in either late 1987 or early 1988.   While I can't find an exact release year, it's definitely before Nightmare 4 in '88 as the book only covers the first three films.  You'd buy the book and then have to buy individual sticker packs that were about the size of trading cards -- though I can't remember if they came with bubble gum or not.  Surprisingly, the sticker book and stickers suddenly started popping up at Hot Topic stores back in 2005/2006 again! 

 

Kinda looks like those airbrushed t-shirts from the Jersey Shore, eh?

The most intriguing thing about this book, for me at least, is the cool, original artwork on the cover.  The book itself loosely covers the first three films in the series through a series of photos; I remember the photos on the spreads of each page being black and white and the stickers were in color.  There may have even been captions either in the boxes where the stickers would be placed or on the wax backers for the stickers. 

 

While I'm tempted to grab one of these books on eBay, I'm almost certain that my original book is still tucked away in a storage bin from my old bedroom.  Although I'm not 100% positive, I think I had most of the stickers in my book, though it was probably nowhere near complete.

 

Of course, this article is in no way near a comprehensive piece on all ANOES merch (I could do an entire blog just focusing on the merchandising angle of the series!).  In time, I might check out some of the more recent items that have come about -- it's worth noting McFarlane Toys' contribution with the original Movie Maniacs line, no? -- but I just wanted to focus solely on the stuff I grew up with.

 

Stay tuned for another edition of It's Just A Dream....