Nightmare on Elm Street 5 (review)


While franchise flicks really aren't my favorites, I still enjoy them. They always go up and down in quality and everyone has their favorite installment of each character, be it Freddy, Jason, Michael or Chucky. And with different directors, often the flicks can have completely different tones. Some more serious with gore and a higher body count and the next flick will veer more towards a black comedy feel. Nightmare on Elm Street is the best example of this. Everyone seems to agree that the first and third are the best of the crop. From there, it gets ugly. Some only like those 2 and hate all the rest, some only like the original flicks and hate the newer one without England and some just enjoy them all and have favorites. I'm in the latter category. I don't hate the new one, yet it's not one I'm going to watch anytime soon. That being said, I like part 5. Is it close to the first 3? No. Does it make much sense? Not really. The plot goes in weird directions throughout. It has a darker tone, which I like. That being said, I've seen the first 3 multiple times and this might only be the 3rd viewing of this flick. I probably didn't understand the plot, with the nun being raped in the mental ward from what looks like a 14th century prison, which may have soured my viewing.

It's not as bad as I may have remembered. Yes, the nun part really makes little sense and probably should have been dropped altogether, but the kills are pretty good. This installment is directed by Stephen Hopkins (Predator 2 & Judgement Night), the only flick in the series he did. The death of Dan (Danny Hassel) is probably the best and one of my favorites in the franchise. Mark (Joe Seely) is the resident nerd of this flick, there's always the nerd character, and his death is pretty good. I don't really like the comic book superhero look of his dream character but him getting shredded was cool. They didn't show his shredded body but we can imagine what was left of him.

Alice (Lisa Wilcox) returns and is an interesting character. Freddy uses her unborn child to make himself reborn. Jacob, as we find out is the boy's name, ends up being the only thing that can stop Freddy as even Alice is helpless against him. While this may not be the best plot, it's still entertaining if you just sit back and enjoy the gory parts, which themselves are pretty tame. I think if Hopkins had directed the 4th one or if they had gotten Harlin back to direct this one, they might have flowed better. Either way, Hopkins did a decent job with what he had.

While far from my favorite of the franchise, it's still a decent watch. I still enjoyed myself. I'd give it 2.5 out of 5. What's your thoughts on this flick? Which is your favorite in the franchise? Who would make a good Freddy now that England has said he's retired from the character? Or do you think he'd don the glove one last time? Should it be Freddy vs. Jason 2? Or should they kill off Freddy once and for all?

Later, ghouls

Dr. Deimos Strigoi


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