A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

Director: Jack Sholder

Starring: Robert England, Mark Patton, Kim Myers

A teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by Freddy Krueger who is out to possess him in order to continue his murder spree in the real world.

Freddy is back, but wants to use a teenager’s body to kill for him. Why? Freddy is a killer in his own right, having his vengeance on the Elm Street parents who burnt him alive, so what does he have to gain by using a teenager’s body?

The teenager in question is the nerdy, insecure Jesse (Mark Patton). This is probably why Freddy chose him as his vessel, because he is vulnerable and susceptible. Jesse also lives in the house on Elm Street Nancy used to live in. Freddy says he needs Jesse because Jesse has the body, and he – Freddy – has the brains. Jesse never kills anyone, though; it is always Freddy doing the killings, so I guess he uses Jesse to lure his victims. It still didn’t entirely make sense why he needed a host, but it does allow for some excellent scenes in the form of make-up and prosthetics.

Jesse is seeing Lisa (Kim Myers – who, by the way, looks so much like Meryl Streep in this movie!). I found her a really nice character, who was caring and considerate. She is also a very strong character, who stands by Jesse.

This sequel might not be as good as the original, but it is a worthy entry in the series with some great kill scenes, a constant creepy atmosphere, excellent makeup, an awesome party scene, and a great performance once again from Robert England as Freddy. I also thought Mark Patton was really good portraying the troubled and confused Jesse. In general, this is a highly entertaining supernatural horror slasher.

‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge’ earned $30 million on a $3 million budget.

Would I watch it again? Yes.