A Hora do Pesadelo 6: Pesadelo Final, a Morte de Freddy

freddy's dead, jason goes to hell, mikey gets a razor in his candy?

this is the ultimate WTF? film. the beginning alone, with the map, and the computer stuff across the country, WTF?!? no returning characters, WTF? freddy riding a broomstick from wizard of oz, WTF?

some redeeming qualities: i don't like to know too much in horror stories, it's part of what makes them spooky, we learn too much of freddy here, though the flashbacks are well done, like the razor/pain thing

freddy has a daughter and that's why he went nuts, but we haven't heard of it until now, WTF? tom and rosey, WTF? that town is supposed to be where the last 5 films took place? WTF? demon ghost skulls? WTF? 3D (and i still have my 3D glasses from the theater), WTF? cheap excuses to amaze us in 3D??? WTF???

but... alas, it is fun to watch, and ultimately degrades the original and cheapens the franchise, but it is entertaining, a true guilty pleasure flick... though, why does it kill him here and not when nancy does it???

series rating: 2/10 guilty pleasure rating: 7/10

RELEASED IN 1991 and directed by Rachel Talalay, "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" (aka "A Nightmare on Elm Street 6: The Dream Lover") focuses on the last survivor of Freddy's vengeful assaults on the teens of the parents that vengefully killed him in Springwood, OH. The amnesiac (Shon Greenblatt) finds sanctuary at a home for troubled youths where three of the kids plan to escape (Lezlie Deane, Breckin Meyer & Ricky Dean Logan). Dr. Maggie Burroughs (Lisa Zane) takes John and (inadvertently) the three escapees to Springwood to find answers where they discover that Freddy had a child whom he wants to use to continue his murders. Who is his child?

The element concerning the halfway house for messed-up kids is borrowed from "Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning" (1985), but "Freddy's Dead" isn't as effective because (1.) the characters aren't as interesting, (2.) the plot is convoluted, and (3.) the female cast is inferior. Don't get me wrong on that last one, because Lisa Zane is stalwart and Lezlie Deane (as Tracy) is formidable. Deane, incidentally, was a former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader (fired after six weeks for punching a choreographer) and went on to perform with the lipstick-lesbian band Fem2Fem in the mid-90s (big surprise) and, later, Scary Cherry and the Bang Bangs.

In light of the complicated story, this sixth installment might play better with repeat viewings. It's likable and worthy in some ways, but it's (currently) my least favorite of the first six films in the "Nightmare" series.

THE MOVIE RUNS 89 minutes and was shot in Sierra Madre & Los Angeles, California. WRITERS: Michael De Luca (screenplay) and Talalay (story). ADDITIONAL CAST: Yaphet Kotto plays a counselor at the shelter.

GRADE: C+

You may think I'm exaggerating. But I'm not. FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE is by far the worst in the series. Its am big fan of the Freddy movies and this finale to the saga is just plain insulting. I might even call it one of the worst movies not only of 1991, but in cinematic history. It's a mess beyond wildest proportions. The look of the movie is just unsightly. It's acne. It looks like the work of a really low budget student filmmaker. The cinematography is ugly, the whole production design is a junkyard. The plot of the movie is retarded. The characters in the movie have no color and we have no sympathy for them. There just dumb teenage stereotypes. Freddy isn't much of a villain in this movie. His murder sequences are played for laughs, but they aren't funny. We get the odd feeling that Freddy is aging and that he can't be too evil and domineering or else he might get a bad back. He's a wuss. And the special effects. There aren't many in this movie. It's like the director said " OH! WE DONT NEED A SPECIAL EFFECTS TEAM! LET'S JUST MAKE THE LAST TEN MINUTES OF THE MOVIE IN 3-D TO COMPENSATE! " The Freddy-Vision 3-D sequence is laughably bad. I found the Fox TV MOVIE REVENGE OF THE NERDS: NERDS IN LOVE's 3-D sequence more visually stunning. When the main character first puts on the special 3-D glasses that will enable her to enter Freddy's brain, she begins to see everything in 3-D and puts her hand into her face with amazement. Is it just me, but even without her glasses on she'd able to see things around her in the third dimension anyway. OH MY GOD! We're suppose to believe the main character is entering Freddy's thoughts. There is a scene in the 3-D sequence where the Lisa Zane character has to break a circuit in Freddy's head to get into a door...Since when did anyone have electrical fuse box sitting in their brain. it's just gets suckier and suckier..it's depressing. The finale in FREDDY's DEAD when Freddy actually dies is the most disappointing, insultingly dumb ending you'll ever see! He dies in a basement of a youth shelter and he explodes from a stupid pipe bomb. HOW CHEESY IS THAT??!!! I CAN'T GO ON HOW MUCH I HATED THIS MOVIE! IT'S GETTING ME SO MAD..I just feel like strangling the head of New Line Cinema for taking 90 precious minutes out of my life that I will never get back.

I guess I'm part of the silent minority who enjoyed this film. Is it one of the best of the "Nightmare" series? Maybe not, but I had lots of fun with it. Freddy Krueger reaches his evil, wisecracking potential. Since parts 4 and 5 kind of lagged the series down, I felt this so-called final installment ("New Nightmare" is the real finale) brought the series out of its slump. There are some great nightmare sequences, including one where Breckin Meyer plays a stoner who gets trashed, falls asleep and gets stuck in a video game to which Freddy controls. This is both a highly original and hilarious sequence, especially when we see him out of the dreamscape, hopping around like Super Mario. And Freddy belts out the funny one-liner, "Great graphics." And since the movie was made about 10 years ago, it brought back memories when Freddy started controlling the game with the Powerglove. Anyone who remembers the first 8-bit Nintendo remembers the Powerglove.

The cast is superb. Lisa Zane is perfectly cast in the lead. I haven't seen Yaphet Kotto since "The Running Man," and I think the last time I saw that film was about 5 years ago. He's another great, underappreciated actor who possesses a powerful screen presence. And who can forget the cameos? The best one is by Johnny Depp (from the first "Nightmare") playing a spokesman for an anti-drug commercial.

The 3D sequence at the end is really awesome! So for those who are looking to check this film out--please rent or buy it on DVD! Hopefully all the editions come with the 3D glasses, but I'm sure the video edition has the 3D element removed.

I personally didn't see many things wrong with the film. It even elaborated on Freddy's backstory. The film is a great mix of humor and scares, and the gross-out effects are terrific. Could this have given better justice to the franchise? Of course it could have. But Rachel Talalay did a fine job. And finding the perfect conclusion is easier said than done.

And in closing, I loved the montage over the opening credits. Fans of the series will be delighted, and will look at it as a tribute to beloved Freddy.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

I have to give Rachel Talalay credit for this was a decent vehicle for her to make her directorial debut since she'd been affiliated with this series for years before making this movie, but the story couldn't have been weaker. Except for using the character of Freddy, Nightmare 6 bears no major consistency with it's predecessors. We never find out what happened to Alice and her baby. Freddy is starting with a new group of teenagers who aren't relevant to the previous five movies in any way which make them as victims and characters (and, in some cases, as actors) even more forgettable than this movie. Perhaps the only thing that makes this movie watchable is that eeriness that makes Freddy fearsome. The only good thing that can be said about the sequels to this movie is that the eerie element is present in all of them, but is negligible due to overly high body counts, weak stories, and comedy. They shouldn't have used the tagline: "They save the best for last," since I didn't think Freddy's death scene in this movie was a far cry from his previous five.