This was Krueger’s last stand and the end to the
Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Sure, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare came out
later but that one’s more of a meta-trip than a real continuation. Here Krueger
has succeeded in killing every child in Springwood except one. How’s that for
depressing? The one survivor is allowed to escape in order to bring someone
back from Krueger’s past. I’ll avoid the spoiler though it’s kind of obvious.
The first half of this film is pretty bad. It’s a typical ‘80s horror trash,
cash grab (yes, I know it was made in the '90s but it's still stuck in the last decade). Find a bunch of young bad actors that you don’t have to pay a lot.
Use a lot of visual effects as your centerpiece and let your star (Robert
Englund) ham it up. Yet something weird happens halfway through, it starts to
get good. I can’t explain it but once you know the back story and they set up
the confrontation between Freddy and the counselor, Maggie Burroughs, I was
interested again. Our heroes rise to put an end to Krueger’s terror saves this
film from being a complete dud. It’s interesting to note (at least for me) that
this was Rachel Talalay’s directorial debut. She came up with the story as
well. I have to say I actually think she did a good job considering what she
had to work with. I wonder why New Line decided to kill one of their more
lucrative characters. I can only assume Englund wanted out so he could do other
things. After completing this sixth film I can say as a whole this franchise is
pretty weak. It’s mostly a nostalgia flashback. It’s worth celebrating if you
like cheesy, tongue-in-cheek horror films but if you wish to avoid that kind of
style just stick with the first three. Grade: B-
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