New Line Cinema, 1985

starring: Robert Englund, Mark Patton and Kim Myers

directed by: Jack Sholder

the plot: High schooler Jesse Walsh (Patton) and his family have recently moved into a house on Elm Street. Pretty soon, strange things start happening: every room is always swelteringly hot, the family’s pet bird goes berserk and explodes in a burst of flame, and an unplugged toaster catches fire. Oh, and Jesse starts having dreams about a certain someone. Surprise, it’s Freddy Krueger! Only Freddy (Englund) doesn’t want to kill Jesse; instead, he wants to take over Jesse’s body and use it to slash up teens in the real world. Jesse’s ability to hold Freddy at bay weakens, and it puts his family, his love interest Lisa (Myers) and his best friend Grady in danger. 

why it’s good: Hoo boy. Where to begin? Many people love to hate this particular offering from the “Nightmare” series. And, sure, it’s easy to understand why. For one thing, Freddy is onscreen for less than a third of the movie. For another, it’s pretty well known that Wes Craven refused to work on this film because he never wanted “A Nightmare on Elm Street” to have sequels. Plus, some were put off by the film’s strangely homoerotic overtones. But, you know what? Even if it doesn’t qualify as a “good movie,” “Freddy’s Revenge” is enjoyable if you approach it the right way. Just let yourself relish all the atrocious 1980s fashion, including the awe-inspiring greasy mullet sported by Lisa’s best friend Kerry. Laugh at how Grady inexplicably yanks Jesse’s pants down before wrestling him in the dirt over a gym class baseball game (bonus points for Kerry’s impressed utterance of “nice ass” as she looks on from the archery range). Stare in wonder through the “unpacking the room” montage, in which Jesse suggestively dances to “Touch Me (All Night Long),” rhythmically pushes a drawer closed with his rear end, postures on his bed with a pop-gun at crotch level, and then fires it when Lisa walks into the room. And, even with all the camp and insanity, “Freddy’s Revenge” still manages to sneak in some stuff you can appreciate on a direct level. For example, the first movie is referenced with some nice continuity in the form of Nancy’s diary. And there’s Robert Rusler’s portrayal of Grady, which has some surprising nuance to it (when asked why he has been grounded, Grady responds with complete sincerity and a hint of boredom, “I threw my grandmother down a flight of stairs”).

why you should own it: There’s no way to have the entire “Nightmare on Elm Street” series without number 2, is there? And, hey, New Line put out a cheap two-DVD set with all eight of the “Nightmare” movies, so that’s a good deal. Heck, each movie even has a “jump to a nightmare” feature, so you can get right to the gruesome murders.