Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | | Cast : | Robert Englund, Lisa Zane | | Director : | Rachel Talalay | | Studio : | New Line Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | September 13, 1991 | | DVD Released Date : | September 06, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 18, 2005 | | Summary | "But ya did tell, didn't ya?" | Content
 | Okay. Good job Rob. Okay, filmmakers..... Jump off of a cliff! What happened to the two survivors of Part 5? If Freddy had a daughter how come we never heard of it until now? Why is it so funny! I do appreciate the telling of Freddy's backstory in more detail. (Hopefully when Wes Craven decides to do a prequel we'll know even more.) Apparently all the kids in Springwood are dead now. Which brings confussion! Alice defeated Freddy at the end of Part 5! So i can only assume that Fred came back again between parts 5 and 6 and killed off Alice so he could continue his sick little mindgames. Also, besides for continuity errors, this movie's body count is far too low. It's a slasher movie! They turn Freddy into more of a madman than a butcher. It's as if he hates to kill in this movie, just mentally torture. Also, at the end of the movie, I'm not saying women are weak or anything, but Freddy's beaten way too easily! He's taken on like 20 people at a time but in this film he's just so soft. Close as i can figure he's just being easy on Catherine because she's his kid. Freddy fans should give this a looksee but don't count on it making the top of the horror favorites list. |
| Rating | | | Date | July 11, 2005 | | Summary | 0 STARS: AWFUL!! | Content
| "Freddy's Dead- The Final Nightmare" is a terrible installment to what was a great horror movie series. This movie is a total joke just like the previous two sequels before it...this garbage, a horror movie?? Give me a break!! This movie is not scary...it's ridiculous!! I highly recommend sticking with parts 1-3, which are undoubtedly the only "NOES" movies that should have ever been made. This movie sucks...shame on the people that made this trash. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 08, 2005 | | Summary | The Final Nightmare: Freddy's Finale! | Content
| When 1989's "Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child" failed to live up to the box office standards set by its predecessors New Line Cinema decided to borrow a page from Paramount Pictures' "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" movie. Promising to put an end to Freddy Krueger's reign of terror over the dreams of Springwood's teens once and for all "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" was released in 1991. Directed by "NOES" series veteran Rachel Talalay (a John Waters refugee) and featuring cameos by a slew of celebrities (Roseanne and then-husband Tom Arnold, Johnny Depp in his only 'other' "NOES" appearance besides the original film, Alice Cooper, etc.) "The Final Nightmare" could have been a decent ending to a horror movie series that had gotten progressively less scary and more ridiculous with every passing installment. Instead the powers-that-be at New Line chose to once again travel the well-worn path of comedic overkill that had robbed Freddy Krueger of his menacing aura in "NOES" movies 3-5. Though marginally better than the abominable creative abyss that is "The Dream Child" this sixth and last "NOES" movie is only marginally better than its predecessor.
In part six of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, dream monster Freddy Krueger has finally killed all the children of his hometown, and seeks to escape its confines to hunt fresh prey. He takes the last surviving teenager in Springwood out of his domain and into the real world, in order to recruit his daughter as part of a plan to escape the confines of Springwood, and continue his killing in the rest of the world. However, she discovers the demonic origin of her father's powers and meets Dad head-on in a final showdown.
In the film John Doe, has lost his memory and Maggie believes that only way for him to get back to go back to Springwood. Unknowingly, Tracy Spencer and Carlos are in the back of the van. Maggie eventually discovers that she is the daughter of Freddy Krueger. And once she discovers the demonic origin of her father's powers she sets out to destroy him for good.
Doc has found a way to get Freddy for good. Maggie goes under and tracks him down. She sees what is behind his madness. Being picked on by kids at school. Being abused by his evil stepfather (played by Alice Cooper). She finds him, grabs him, where Doc wakes her up. Freddy appears and begins chasing Maggie. They battle for awhile, where Maggie finally kills him off. Doc, Tracy, and Maggie walk on happily, knowing Freddy is finally dead.
The story involves some mumbo-jumbo about the existence of a real-life Freddy Krueger daughter that could potentially be the only person that could kill pizza face for good (hey, wasn't this also the same premise for 1993's "Jason Goes to Hell"?). The town of Springwood could sure use a savior because (a) all the kids have left town in order to avoid dying in their sleep and (b) the adult population has grown catatonic with guilt and shock over the whole Freddy Krueger thing (especially since they unleashed the monster on their offspring by burning alive the child rapist with vigilante justice). Dr. Maggie Burroughs (Lisa Zane) recruits the help of a helpful guy simply known as Doc (Yaphet Kotto, clearly owing someone a favor by appearing in this film) and hightails it to Springwood to investigate. Maggie brings along a bunch of psychotic teens (Lezlie Deane's Tracy, Rick Dean Logan's Carlos, etc.) whose sole reason to exist is for Freddy to dispatch them one by one via some of the silliest set pieces to ever appear in an "NOES" movie. If you thought the Freddy Krueger character had become a caricature of itself in "Dream Warriors," "Dream Master" and "Dream Child" then "The Final Nightmare" pushes the audience's tolerance level for unfunny gags and insufferable situations well past the breaking point.
At one point Freddy becomes a videogame character and beats one of the expendable teens with a modified NES Power Glove (remember that useless peripheral?). Not only is this whole videogame death sequence (a) not funny, (b) not scary, (c) not gory and (c) not particularly well made, but it also follows on the heels of "NOES 5's" similar comic book-inspired death scene. The filmmakers are clearly running low on energy and ideas at this point of the series. How else to explain Krueger dressing up as the Wicked Witch of the East from "The Wizard of Oz"? Or the asinine and pointless 3D ending that (a) explains nothing about Freddy's past and (b) hasn't even been given a proper video transfer for the stand-alone DVD version of "Freddy's Dead"? "The Final Nightmare" didn't turn out to be Freddy Krueger's swan song (two movies have been released since starring the gloved one in quasi-supporting roles) but it ended up being the last "NOES" movie in the original series. What a pathetic whimper of a sendoff New Line Cinema ended up giving what was at one point the company's biggest intellectual property asset! On its own or as part of its venerable slasher series "Freddy's Dead" is an absurd and idealistic stab at keeping a movie franchise sunk deep in a hole of its own making.
Released in September of 1991, "The Final Nightmare" is an amusing bad movie that looks pretty good on DVD. The Widescreen Anamorphic (1:85:1) & Full Screen (1:33:1) Video Transfers are the best yet for a "NOES" movie, upholding the high standards that New Line's Platinum Series DVD's are known for. No compression artifacts, visible flaws or film imperfections will take viewers' attention away from the movie's atmospheric cinematography (a mix of psychedelic colors, shapes and shadows that recall the syndicated Freddy Krueger TV series), serviceable special effects (the Nintendo-inspired Freddy videogame sprite gave me "Comix Zone" Genesis flashbacks!), creative art/set designs and serviceable camera angles. Even though I personally dislike the look of "Freddy's Dead" (especially since it lacks the support for 3D glasses that its counterpart in the Eight-Disc Box Set offers) it certainly holds its own on the DVD format. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 & 2.0 Surround Soundtracks do serviceable justice to the movie's noisy sound effects, music (strident and generic throughout the movie's running time) and beyond-idiotic dialogue are excellent across the board. The 5.1 mix features the best speaker separation and panning effects yet in the series; even the 2.0 Surround audio track is passable (though the 5.1 track is obviously the preferred one).
English Closed Captions are also included, along with a handful of bonus features inherited from the "NOES" Box Set. One of them, sadly, isn't the ability to watch the movie's anti-climactic ending in true 3D. The Theatrical Trailer, 'Jump to a Death' Feature and DVD-ROM Content (screenplay, Cast & Crew information and the sixth of seven Dream World trivia games related to each individual movie's body count, classic catch phrases, etc.). The absence of the bonus features from the Eight-Disc DVD Box Set in "The Final Nightmare's" stand-alone disc would be lamentable if the movie wasn't such an atrocious and ill-conceived ending to one of horror cinema's biggest icons. Oh well, at least this isn't as puke-inducing a waste of celluloid as previous Freddy Krueger disasters like "The Dream Child" or "The Dream Warriors."
The last movie in the original "NOES" lineage before the spin-offs ("Wes Craven's New Nightmare") and knockoffs ("Freddy Vs. Jason") took the series in a whole new direction, "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" not only lies in its title. It also fails to give one of cinema's best horror icons a sendoff worthy of the character's wasted potential. Technical specs are solid but the bonus features (including a gimmicky use of 3D for its underwhelming ending that ISN'T included in this stand-alone version) continue to leave a lot to be desired. If you want to own this movie bad enough then you might as well spring for the "NOES" DVD Box Set and the envelope with the 3D glasses that upgrades "The Final Nightmare's" ending from terrible to laughably terrible. Here's my rating of Freddy's Finale.
PLOT: The story was actually quite good, it invovled Freddy's daughter destroying him once and for all. Overall, I found the Freddy's Dead storyline to be quite entertaining. The only problem I found with it was that a bit too comical, and it therefore took out a lot of the intensity and suspense that a final sequel should have. 7/10
GORE: By far this film has the silliest and most comical death sequences in the whole series. A guy getting sucked into a video game after smoking weed, and latino boy who explodes from a demonic hearing aid. The death's in this film are as ridiculous as they come, but their still entertaining to watch. Overall, the death scenes did have some gore, but not a whole lot. 7/10
BODY COUNT: The same body count as the previous film, only three people get killed by Freddy Krueger. Freddy's comical approach to killing teens was brought from the previous film "The Dream Child". 5/10
NUDITY: There is no nudity in this film
OVERALL RATING: 6/10
Well there who have it folks Freddy's Finale, ENJOY!!
|
| Rating | | | Date | June 03, 2005 | | Summary | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) | Content
| In 1991, director Rachel Talalay had directed the sixth installment to the whole NIGHTMARE series entitled, FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE. This maybe the least popular and possibly the worst NIGHTMARE in the series.
Ten years after Alice's second battle with Freddy Krueger, all the children in Springwood have been killed, leaving the adults to be temporarily insane. The only Springwood kid that is left doesn't even know who he is. He had another nightmare about FREDDY KRUEGER (again played by Robert Englund). He continues to travel into the next town, and stumbles onto a children's clinic.
A woman named MAGGIE BURROUGHS (played by Lisa Zane) works there. Three kids are part of Maggie's group. The three kids are CARLOS (played by Ricky Dean Logan), SPENCER (played by Breckin Meyer) and the tough a**, TRACY (played by Lezlie Dean). Tracy has had a hard life, since her father sexually abused her. Maggie meets with the last Springwood kid. They call him now, JOHN DOE (played by Shon Greenblatt), since his name is a mystery them, as well as him. Maggie has been having some pretty nasty dreams, as well, pretty similar to John's. They both see a little girl, brunette pigtails.
Maggie decides the only way to help him get his memory back is to drive to Springwood, see if anything is familiar. While on the way there, Tracy, Spencer, and Carlos stellowayed in the back. They pull into Springwood, where Maggie and John search, as the others try to find their way back. But Freddy has them going around in circles for hours. They decide to spend the night in a house, and pick up in the morning. The house they spend the night is...1428 Elm Street. Carlos meets his demise by Freddy. Spencer is too busy smoking a joint. Tracy sets out to find Maggie, who is now exiting an orphanage. They had found that Freddie had a kid. The kid's name began with a K, but they don't know if the kid was male or female. John assumes he is the kid, because Freddy keeping him alive is the only logical reason.
John and Maggie go back to 1428 Elm Street with Tracy. Where Spencer is now gone...gone into a nightmare, where Freddy uses him in a video game. They see Spencer being flipped and flopped around. Tracy and John enter his dream and try to stop him, but Freddy kills him off a little early.
The three head back to the clinic, where John is killed. Turns out that Freddy didn't have a son, but a daughter. Who is her daughter? We don't know yet. Maggie explains to her boss what had happened to Carlos and Spencer, but her boss has no recollection of the two. Carlos and Spencer hadn't just been killed, they have been erased. The clinic's psychiatrist, DOC (played by Yapphet Kotto) is aware of what is going on and is willing to help Maggie and Tracy out.
That night, Maggie has another nightmare, where Freddy appears. Maggie is the daughter of Freddy himself. Maggie's real name is Katherine. She was adopted after Freddy killed her mother, his wife. Once she was adopted, her name was changed. Tracy is having a dream too. She dreams of her father doing what he did best, but he turns right into Freddy, where Doc and Maggie wake her up.
Doc has found a way to get Freddy for good. Maggie goes under and tracks him down. She sees what is behind his madness. Being picked on by kids at school. Being abused by his evil stepfather (played by Alice Cooper). She finds him, grabs him, where Doc wakes her up. Freddy appears and begins chasing Maggie. They battle for awhile, where Maggie finally kills him off. Doc, Tracy, and Maggie walk on happily, knowing Freddy is finally dead.
I was not impressed with this one at all. It picked up the pace by the middle of the film on out, but it was not like the other films. But I'm not gonna speak for anybody, since you all have opinions and I want you to see it for yourselves. So go on ahead, Freddy dares you. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 15, 2005 | | Summary | Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (Three Stars) | Content
| This review refers to the edition found in New Line Cinema's "The Nightmare on Elm Street Collection" boxed set.
THE WHO'S WHO: Starring Robert Englund, Lisa Zane, Shon Greenblatt, Lezlie Deane, Ricky Dean Logan, Breckin Meyer, Yaphet Kotto, Roseanne Arnold, Tom Arnold, Alice Cooper, Robert Shaye, Johnny Depp. Co-Casting By Jane Jenkins (C.S.A.). Co-Casting By Janet Hirshenson (C.S.A.). Score Composed By Brian May. Co-Produced By Robert Shaye. Story Written and Directed By Rachel Talalay. (R) For Violence, Mild Gore, Profanity, Drug Use and Very Mild Sexual Content; 89m.; 1991.
WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?: The population of Springwood, Ohio, has decreased rapidly in the last ten years. In fact, it has decreased so rapidly that only one teenager remains in the entire town. Now, the evil dream stalker Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) is sending that teenager out into the world to bring him back a way to escape his Springwood boundaries and invade the nightmares of teenagers everywhere. Right off the bat, viewers venturing into this film get a different feel to it than prior entries in the series. Long time series' collaborator (and former producer) Rachel Talalay takes over the reins as director for this installment and brings with her a wealth of Freddy knowledge. However, all that knowledge can't make this film more than what it is...a nice attempt to finish off the series that amounts to nothing more than wasted opportunities. The production is adequate enough, while the late Australian composer Brian May (not the legendary guitarist for the band Queen) delivers an average score as the backdrop. The haunting original "Nightmare" theme only appears once in the latter half of the presentation while the rest of the music seems quite tame by horror movie standards. The cast is where this production really starts to come apart. Robert Englund returns as Freddy for the sixth time, but even he can't save the show. He's more of a ham in this film than he's ever been. Those who thought the teenagers for "Nightmare 5" were taken from the bottom of the barrel had yet to see the ones acting in "Freddy's Dead". Lezlie Deane is too uptight in her role as Tracy, using only two different facial expressions throughout the film. Ricky Dean Logan is too ineffectual as Carlos and Breckin Meyer (as Spencer), while entertaining enough, barely exhibits any of the promise that would turn him into a classic comedy star almost a decade later (in "Road Trip"). Shon Greenblatt tries hard to make his John Doe role the central focus of the film, but he doesn't have enough talent to do so. One of the major flaws in choosing these actors lies in the script itself. All of the teens have deep seated parental issues. Tracy was molested by her father, Carlos was permanently impaired by his mother, Spencer has an overbearing father who wants his son to follow his exact footsteps. The filmmakers made short-sighted casting choices, apparently deciding to use teens who looked nice on film, not ones who could actually bring the angst and heartache of their characters to life. Unfortunately, these casting choices also applied to Lisa Zane. She brings as much charm to the role of counselor Maggie as she can, however the pivotal role is beyond her grasp as an actress. Only veteran actor Yaphet Kotto truly understands what's going on and his character Doc doesn't get half the screen time he deserves. Another problem with the script, one carried over from "Nightmare 5", are the death scenes. Instead of going for scary, the filmmakers went for comical and tried to literally blend the lunacy of Freddy Krueger with the off-the-wall antics of "Looney Tunes". The only scene it works in is the one where Spencer gets sucked into Freddy's video game. The brightest beacons of hope come in the form of the uncredited guest stars. Producer Robert Shaye has a brief role as the bus clerk who gives John his ticket out of town. "Nightmare 1" alumnus Johnny Depp pops up in a commercial ("This is your brain, this is your brain on drugs...") before being whacked in the head by Freddy's frying pan. Most notably, however, is metal god Alice Cooper's too brief portrayal of Krueger's stepfather. The only miscalculation is the inclusion of Tom and Roseanne Arnold. They provide what can only be considered the most irritating comic relief in the history of horror. It's even hard for the three teenagers who share the screen with the Arnolds not to laugh at their miserable acting abilities. Overall, this film tries to add new twists and epigrammatic humor to what was quickly becoming a tired series. Some parts of the story work, but most will only get on viewer's nerves.
THEY SAY THEY'RE SPECIAL BUT...: There is a 1.85:1 widescreen presentation for this film which is marginally enjoyable, however it's nothing special when compared to other entries in the series. Some of the outdoor locations appear a little hazy and there are slight moments of grain which pop up here and there. For the most part, color levels are even and the definition is sharp. The accompanying 5.1 surround sound, on the other hand, is a grand return to the powerful rumblings of the surround heard on "Nightmare 4". Gone are the insignificant, toneless boomings of part five, replaced by sharp, crisp digital sound that will shake the earth beneath your seat. Lightning storms are unusually startling. This disc also includes the original stereo audio track for the film and easy to read English subtitles which are placed within the frame of the movie. New Line has packaged this disc in a paper case that features a miniaturized replica of the theatrical poster on its cover. The rest of the case is devoid of any artwork. The inside of this case highlights the special features list and the twenty-three chapter stops that make up this ninety minute movie. The DVD itself is painted with a photograph of Freddy Krueger displaying his razor-sharp claws on a slightly yellowed background. Special features include the obligatory "Jump to a Nightmare" option. There's also a fairly informative cast and crew section taken from the original theatrical press kit. DVD-ROM users can also access an interactive screenplay, play the sixth "Dream World" trivia game and view up-to-the-minute weblinks. However, the best special feature on the entire "Nightmare on Elm Street Collection" boxed set is housed on this DVD. It's the inclusion of the original 3-D ending to the film. Viewers can still watch the ending in a normal viewing mode, however those who watch the 3-D version are treated to a supreme novelty that never wears thin and actually bolsters the enjoyment level of the movie. True, it can be a bit distracting in places, but it's a fresh and innovative way of seeing Freddy. However, to my knowledge, only the DVD included in the "Nightmare on Elm Street Collection" has the 3-D viewing option. Those sold outside of the box do not.
THE YOLK'S ON YOU: New Line Cinema has packed their boxed set so well that they don't need to place hidden easter eggs on the separate discs. You're more likely to beat Freddy at his own video game than you are of finding easter eggs on this one.
THE LEWD AND NUDE ALERT: The film falls short in this department. There's virtually no stimulation whatsoever in this film and that's rare for the "Nightmare" series. Usually, you can find one shining beacon of sexuality in the films, but not in this one.
THE GORE REPORT: There's a scant trace of gore when amnesiac John (Shon Greenblatt) confronts his physical memory in one of his dream sequences but it's nothing glamorous. One teenager's head explodes but there's surprisingly little gore. One of the teenagers drops out of the sky and falls on a bed of spikes. That's about the bloodiest moment in the movie.
SAY AGAIN: "I'll get you, my pretty and your little soul, too!" - Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)
THE FINAL SAY: Yes, I recommend buying this DVD. This is a perfect definition of a "hit or miss" affair. While it falls flat on most accounts, fans of the "Nightmare" films will still want to own this slice of cinematic history. Let's face it, it's not as abysmal as the "Freddy's Revenge" bomb and those who own the 3-D version encased in the boxed set own not only the film, but a piece of silver screen history. "Freddy's Dead" was the last big screen horror movie (to date) that utilized the 3-D format.
PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM: "Why Was I Born? (Freddy's Dead)" Performed By Iggy Pop. "You Know What I Mean" Performed By the Goo Goo Dolls. "Two Days in February" Performed By the Goo Goo Dolls. "I'm Awake Now" Performed By the Goo Goo Dolls. "Hold Me Down" Performed By Johnny Law. "Treat 'Em Right" Performed By Chubb Rock. "Remember the Night" Performed By Johnny Law. "Everything Remains the Same" Performed By the Junk Monkeys. "Give Me a Beat" Performed By Young Lords. "Nothing Left to Say" Performed By Fates Warning. "In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida" Performed By Iron Butterfly. Soundtrack Available on Metal Blade Compact Discs, Cassettes and Records. Score Available on Varese Sarabande Compact Discs and Cassettes. |
|
