Tuesday, January 2, 2024

Best and Worst Films of 2023

I saw some amazing movies and some absolute trash in 2023, but that can summarize the film scene of any year. Regardless, these are my picks and mine alone. If you see a movie you didn’t like in the #1 spot please don’t pitch a hissy. This is only my opinion featured here and not the final word on the subject.

Additionally, I have not seen every movie released this past year (believe me, I tried).

Also, I rarely base my opinions on how well made or "important" a movie is. I go by how much I was entertained by or moved by a particular film (and for those that know me well, I really just want to be "entertained" by a film). So here we go...

Geektastic Film Reviews’ Top Ten Films of 2023:
10.
Barbie
9. Talk to Me
8. The Creator
7. A Disturbance in the Force: How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened
6. Godzilla: Minus One
5. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
4. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
3. Saltburn
2.
Oppenheimer
1. The Holdovers

Honorable Mentions:
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, The Last Voyage of the Demeter, The Marvels, Mortal Kombat: Cage Match, Gran Turismo, Saw X, Totally Killer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Meg 2: The Trench, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning, Part 1, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Flash, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Fast X, Air, Evil Dead Rise, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, John Wick 4, Cocaine Bear, M3GAN
 
Geektastic Film Reviews’ Ten Worst Films of 2023:
10. Hypnotic
9. Five Nights at Freddy's
8.
80 for Brady
7.
Asteroid City
6.
Strays
5. The Nun II
4. The Exorcist: Believer
3. Pet Sematary: Bloodlines
2. There's Something Wrong With the Children
1. Expend4bles

Dishonorable Mentions:
Freelance, A Haunting in Venice, Thanksgiving, The Boogeyman, Insidious: The Red Door, Sisu, No Hard Feelings, Blue Beetle, Renfield, 65, Shazam!: Fury of the Gods, Knock at the Cabin, Scream VI, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Legion of Super-Heroes, Aquaman and The Lost Kingdom, Silent Night
 
Most Anticipated Films of 2024:
10. Beetlejuice 2
9. Borderlands
8. Ballerina
7. Deadpool 3
6. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
5. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
4. MaXXXine
3. Mortal Kombat 2
2. Dune: Part Two
1. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Least Anticipated Films of 2024:
10. Kung Fury 2
9. The Last Train To New York
8. Twisters
7. Road House
6. Gladiator 2
5. Salem's Lot
4. Wicked
3. Kraven the Hunter
2. Joker: Folie à Deux
1. Madame Web
 
Well, there you have it. It was hard picking some of these movies for each list as there were so many to choose from, but these are my final choices. Feel free to share your favorite/least favorite films of 2023 in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

Best and Worst Films of 2022

I saw some amazing movies and some absolute trash in 2022, but that can summarize the film scene of any year. Regardless, these are my picks and mine alone. If you see a movie you didn’t like in the #1 spot please don’t pitch a hissy. This is only my opinion featured here and not the final word on the subject.

Additionally, I have not seen every movie released this past year (believe me, I tried).

Also, I rarely base my opinions on how well made or "important" a movie is. I go by how much I was entertained by or moved by a particular film (and for those that know me well, I really just want to be "entertained" by a film). So here we go...

Geektastic Film Reviews’ Top Ten Films of 2022:
10.
Prey 
9. Nope
8. The Black Phone
7. Top Gun: Maverick
6. Everything Everywhere All At Once
5. Avatar: The Way of Water
4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
3. The Fabelmans
2.
The Batman
1. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Honorable Mentions:
Pearl, Uncharted, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Kimi,
Tár, Fresh, Chip N Dale: Rescue Rangers, Enola Holmes 2, Devotion, The Menu, Violent Night, The Whale, Bodies Bodies Bodies, The Woman King, Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind, Black Adam, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, In Search of Tomorrow, Terrifier 2, Barbarian, X, Not Okay, The Princess, Hellraiser, Bullet Train, Jackass Forever, The Good Nurse
 
Geektastic Film Reviews’ Ten Worst Films of 2022:
10. The Bubble
9. Jurassic World: Dominion
8.
The Munsters
7.
Old People
6.
Cheaper By the Dozen
5. Nanny
4. Firestarter
3. Torn Hearts
2. Significant Other
1. Halloween Ends

Dishonorable Mentions:
The Adam Project, Turning Red, Death on the Nile, 5cream, Ambulance, The Lost City, Moonfall, Dog, Metal Lords, Beavis & Butt-Head Do the Universe, Crimes of the Future, Prey for the Devil, Ticket to Paradise, Beast, Elvis, Strange World, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio, Don't Worry Darling, DC's League of Super Pets, Troll, Clerks III, A Christmas Story Christmas, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Grimcutty, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Smile, Morbius, Black Crab, Lightyear, Spiderhead, Day Shift, Orphan: First Kill, They/Them, The Gray Man, Thor: Love and Thunder, Sonic The Hedgehog 2  
 
Most Anticipated Films of 2022:
10. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania
9. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
8. Renfield
7. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
6. Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse
5. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
4. John Wick: Part 4
3. Cocaine Bear
2. Dune: Part Two
1. Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning, Part 1

Least Anticipated Films of 2022:
10. Gran Turismo
9. The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
8. Scream VI
7. Haunted Mansion
6. The Marvels
5. Kraven the Hunter
4. The Expendables 4
3. The Nun 2
2. Barbie
1. Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist

Well, there you have it. It was hard picking some of these movies for each list as there were so many to choose from, but these are my final choices. Feel free to share your favorite/least favorite films of 2022 in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!

 

 

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Best and Worst Films of 2021

I saw some amazing movies and some absolute trash in 2021, but that can summarize the film scene of any year. Regardless, these are my picks and mine alone. If you see a movie you didn’t like in the #1 spot please don’t pitch a hissy. This is only my opinion featured here and not the final word on the subject.

Additionally, I have not seen every movie released this past year (believe me, I tried).

Also, I rarely base my opinions on how well made or "important" a movie is. I go by how much I was entertained by or moved by a particular film (and for those that know me well, I really just want to be "entertained" by a film). So here we go...

Geektastic Film Reviews’ Top Ten Films of 2021:
10. Candyman
9.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
8. 
Don't Look Up
7. I Onde Dager (The Trip) 
6. Free Guy
5.
Jakob's Wife 
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
3.
Dune
2.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
1. Zach Snyder's Justice League

Honorable Mentions:
A Quiet Place - Part II, The Suicide Squad, Dynasty Warriors, Fear Street - Part 1: 1994, Fear Street - Part 2: 1978, Fear Street - Part 3: 1666, No Time To Die, Army of the Dead, Black Widow, Malignant, Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed, Jungle Cruise, The Protege, The Tomorrow War, The Matrix: Resurrections, The Manor, Jolt, The Unforgivable, Wrath of Man, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Blood Red Sky, Mortal Kombat, Godzilla vs. Kong, Without Remorse
 
Geektastic Film Reviews’ Ten Worst Films of 2021:
10. 8-Bit Christmas
9. The Ice Road
8. Gunpowder Milkshake
7. Red Notice
6. Voyagers
5. Infinite
4. Awake
3. Cosmic Sin
2. Spiral: From the Book of Saw
1. Halloween Kills

Dishonorable Mentions:
F9: The Fast Saga, No One Gets Out Alive, There's Someone Inside Your House, Kate, Val, Reminiscence, The Night House, Outside the Wire, Injustice, Being the Ricardos, Resident Evil: Welcome to Racoon City, Eternals, Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, Till Death, Army of Thieves, Chaos Walking, Night Teeth, The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
 
Most Anticipated Films of 2022:
10: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
9. Clerks III
8. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
7. Thor: Love & Thunder
6. The Batman
5. The Flash
4. Mission: Impossible 7
3. Everything Everywhere All At Once
2. Uncharted
1. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Least Anticipated Films of 2022:
10. Super Mario Bros.
9. Downton Abbey: A New Era
8. The Lost City
7. Morbius
6. Ambulance
5. Moonfall
4. Dog
3. Jurassic World: Dominion
2. Lightyear
1. Hocus Pocus 2

Well, there you have it. It was hard picking some of these movies for each list as there were so many to choose from, but these are my final choices. Feel free to share your favorite/least favorite films of 2021 in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!

 

Tuesday, January 12, 2021

Best and Worst Films of 2020

I saw some amazing movies and some absolute trash in 2020 but that can summarize the film scene of any year. Regardless, these are my picks and mine alone. If you see a movie you didn’t like in the #1 spot please don’t pitch a hissy. This is only my opinion featured here and not the final word on the subject.

Additionally, I have not seen every movie released this past year (believe me, I tried) so this isn't a complete representation of 2020.

Also, I rarely base my opinions on how well made or "important" a movie is. I go by how much I was entertained by or moved by a particular film (and for those that know me well, I really just want to be "entertained" by a film). So here we go... 

Top Ten Films of 2020:
10. The Dark and the Wicked
9. Bill & Ted Face the Music
8. Greenland
7. Bad Boys For Life
6. Fatman
5. The Invisible Man
4. The Hunt
3. Promising Young Woman
2. Soul
1. Tenet

Honorable Mentions: Sonic the Hedgehog, The New Mutants, Birds of Prey, Possessor, The Old Guard, Da 5 Bloods, Underwater, Freaky, Love & Monsters, Color Out of Space

Ten Worst Films of 2020:
10. Wonder Woman 1984
9. Hubie Halloween
8. The Witches
7. Train to Busan presents Peninsula
6. The Grudge
5. Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
4.
Buddy Games
3. Iron Mask
2. The Doorman
1. Jiu Jitsu

Dishonorable Mentions: Onward, The Craft: Legacy, Get Duked!, Ava, Enola Holmes, Bloodshot, Spencer Confidential
, Honest Thief, The Lovebirds

Most Anticipated Films of 2021:
10. Uncharted
9. Matrix
8. The Suicide Squad
7. Free Guy
6. Fast & Furious 9
5. Death on the Nile
4. Justice League: The Snyder Cut
3. Eternals
2. Black Widow
1. Dune

Least Anticipated Films of 2021:
10. Jungle Cruise
9. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
8. Top Gun: Maverick
7. Cruella
6. Candyman
5. Wicked
4. Halloween Kills
3. Space Jam: A New Legacy
2. Tom & Jerry
1. In the Heights

Well, there you have it. I feel that is was a lackluster year for movies in general (thanks Covid). I look forward to what 2021 has to offer! Feel free to share your favorite/least favorite films of 2020 in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!

Thursday, January 2, 2020

Best and Worst Films of 2019




I saw some amazing movies and some absolute trash in 2019, but that can summarize the film scene of any year. Regardless, these are my picks and mine alone. If you see a movie you didn’t like in the #1 spot please don’t pitch a hissy. This is only my opinion featured here and not the final word on the subject.

Additionally, I have not seen every movie released this past year (believe me, I tried).

Also, I rarely base my opinions on how well made or "important" a movie is. I go by how much I was entertained by or moved by a particular film (and for those that know me well, I really just want to be "entertained" by a film). So here we go... 

Top Ten Films of 2019:
10. Midsommar
9. Shazam!
8. Ford v Ferrari
7. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
6. Bombshell
5. Avengers: Endgame
4. Knives Out
3. 1917
2. Doctor Sleep
1. Alita: Battle Angel

Honorable Mentions: 6 Underground, The Aeronauts, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Dark Phoenix, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Hobbs & Shaw, Terminator: Dark Fate, Jumanji: The Next level, Hellboy, Iron Fists & Kung-Fu Kicks, Batman: Hush, Dolemite Is My Name

Ten Worst Films of 2019:
10. Klaus
9. The Lion King
8. The Curse of La Llorona
7. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
6. Serenity
5. Joker
4. Cats
3. Black Christmas
2. Charlie's Angels
1. Pet Sematary

Dishonorable Mentions: 
Glass, Captain Marvel, Us, It: Chapter 2, Ad Astra, Always Be My Maybe, Rambo: Last Blood, The Dead Don't Die, Men in Black: International, Iron Sky: The Coming Age

Most Anticipated Films of 2020:
10. Tenet
9. Antebellum
8. Free Guy
7. Fast & Furious 9
6. Death on the Nile
5. Coming 2 America
4. Wonder Woman 1984
3. Black Widow
2. Dune
1. Bill & Ted Face the Music

Least Anticipated Films of 2020:
10. Jungle Cruise
9. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
8. Top Gun: Maverick
7. Onward
6. Candyman
5. The Call of the Wild
4. Halloween Kills
3. Scoob
2. Dolittle
1. In the Heights

Well, there you have it. I feel that is was a great year for movies in general. I look forward to what 2020 has to offer! Feel free to share your favorite/least favorite films of 2019 in the comment section below. I would love to hear from you!

Thursday, October 17, 2019

A Nightmare on Elm Street Retrospective

It’s Halloween, therefore everyone is in an ooky, spooky mood and are dying to watch some horror flicks. Myself included. So much so that I was in the mood to discuss some of my favorites. I’ve already done reviews of every entry in the Halloween franchise, the Leprechaun series as well as a retrospective about all the Friday the 13th films combined. What is there left to talk about?

How about my favorite horror franchise of all time – A Nightmare on Elm Street!

I love me a gory slasher film, but the Freddy films hold a special place in my heart. Not only do they give horror fans the blood-soaked goods, but each film shows off a different visual aesthetic and tone. Sure, some are better at it than others, but they all take full advantage of the “anything can happen in a dream” motif. Tons of creativity mixed with the general creepiness of Krueger really went a long way with me. It still does.

So I will do a quick synopsis of each film followed by a short review beginning with the original film and ending with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (You can ready my review of the 2010 remake here).

Let’s get started…

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Plot: A group of teenage friends are haunted by nightmares of a burned man armed with a glove tipped with knives who wants to kill them all when they are the most vulnerable – while they sleep.

Review: Wes Craven created a juggernaut of a teen horror flick with the original A Nightmare on Elm Street film. It has a little of everything people were craving from their slasher flicks back then – gore, a great villain, likable characters, creepy visuals, cheesy synthesizer music and big hair. But one thing that sets this film apart from the glut of other slasher flicks of the era was the fact that the killer can only kill you while you sleep. And while that’s a cool concept, what makes the film great from an audience perspective is the way Craven masterfully handles the dreams of its characters mingling with the real world. There are some times where it’s difficult to ascertain if what you are watching is in fact happening in reality or in someone’s head. The likable cast is easy to root for even when they act like morons. I especially loved Heather Langenkamp as final girl Nancy Thompson. She may look bookish and timid, but she doesn’t put up with any shit and takes matters into her own hands without hesitation. Johnny Depp also is a standout in one of his first roles as Nancy’s doofy boyfriend Glen (he gets it the worst out of everybody). But these types of movies are only as good as their villain, and Craven created one of the greatest of all time – Freddy Krueger. Played by the dorky looking Robert Englund, he made a character that is essentially a ghost haunting these teenager’s dreams into something absolutely terrifying and equally thrilling to watch in action. The burn make-up is creepy, the simple costume used to make him look like a non-threat is genius and his modulated voice is creepy beyond belief. And the kills! The gloriously gory kills! I can go on and on about this one all day and night. It’s considered a classic in the genre for good reason. In a couple of areas it is a little dated, but for the most part it still holds up and is just as fun as it was back in the mid-80s. An all-time favorite.

4.5 out of 5

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
Plot: When the teenage Jesse’s (Mark Patton) family moves into Nancy Thompson’s old house, he begins to realize that a person stalking him in his dreams is attempting to possess him in the real world for some nefarious purpose.

Review: Freddy’s Revenge is one of the most controversial films in this franchise. Why? Writer David Chaskin decided to take a different route when creating the story by introducing LGBTQ themes into it. Some people hated it, others embraced it. I think it makes the movie unique and yet another interesting angle to set itself apart from the pack like its predecessor. Is the movie good? I find it entertaining, if not a little slow paced and boring at times. The acting isn’t all that great either. But the make-up effects really stand out here and are shockingly graphic. Especially the classic scene where Freddy literally rips his way out of Jesse to kill one of his friends. The score by Christopher Young is odd, featuring the songs of whales and subtle sound design in place of an orchestra or synths. The main gripe I have with this entry is the fact that it is shot in an extremely generic way, almost like a television movie. Where Craven went hog wild with the visuals in the original, director Jack Sholder didn’t seem to put much thought into it at all because the film looks flat and dull. But when something of note happens the film does tend to come alive in the best ways. Some of the imagery is creepy beyond belief (the dogs with human faces), sometimes it’s just flat out dumb (the family’s parakeet going on a rampage). It’s an uneven film that was trying to do something different, and while it succeeded in that department it didn’t make for a completely successful sequel.

3 out of 5

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Plot: A group of troubled teens being held in a psychiatric hospital realize that the reason they have been locked up is because they are all being stalked by a killer in their dreams – Freddy Krueger.

Review: Dream Warriors is my favorite film in the franchise. Not only does it introduce a group of highly likable and relatable characters for the audience to root for, writer Frank Darabont and director Chuck Russell wisely decided to take Freddy out of the shadows and make him the main attraction this time around. He’s the reason people flocked to these movies in droves, why not give them more of what they want. And more was what we got. And boy howdy does Robert Englund look like he’s having the time of his life playing everyone’s favorite frizzle fried serial killer! Bringing Heather Langenkamp back as Nancy was another masterstroke after she was left out of the previous film altogether. But the main reason I love this film as much as I do – it’s just flat out fun. Sure there are gory deaths and all that, but it is a fast paced and breezy slasher film filled with humor, great characters, amazing effects work, outstanding performances and a lot of clever surprises. The first time I watched this gem of a horror flick I was taken aback by just how much of the plot I didn’t see coming in advance. When I first saw this I was relatively new to horror films, but in a short amount of time I was able to figure out all the genre’s clichés. This one kept me guessing and on my toes. The introduction of the dream powers was another thing I adored about this film. Darabont added some comic-booky wish fulfillment into the mix and it fits like a glove (pun intended!). Everything about it is top notch and creative in ways the second film wasn’t. It’s also highly ambitious for a low budget slasher flick. Russell had some balls back then and was constantly innovating even though he barely had the money to do so (not something you can say about his modern day work). I have to watch this entry at least once a year and I still find it as fresh and entertaining as I did back in the day.

5 out of 5

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
Plot: The three remaining Elm Street kids are being picked off by a newly resurrected Freddy, and he needs to use the dreams of a withdrawn girl in order to move on to a whole new slaying ground.

Review: This is where the series started taking a nosedive. Due to the overwhelming success of Dream Warriors all the remaining films in the franchise were designed to mimic that film’s outline. Everyone has a dream power, Freddy does nothing but crack lame jokes and the deaths get more bizarre and complicated. Everything that worked in the previous film is amped up to 11 here, only now they are 100% more annoying and gratuitous. Sure the film is extremely fast paced and visually it looks like a late 1980’s Mötley Crüe music video, but director Renny Harlin puts all of his focus on the way things look instead of making sure the characters are likable and fleshed out. We get barely any insight into the players, so when they are taken out by Krueger we don’t feel anything for them. The movie is nothing but a non-stop cacophony of pop songs, visual effects and horrific dialogue. I do enjoy this entry in the series a little bit. Even though it’s shallow as hell doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. It’s like junk food. You like it even though you know it’s bad for you. I did have a huge crush on Lisa Wilcox, who plays the new final girl Alice in this film and the follow-up, so I did watch this one many, many times due to her involvement. This is the highest grossing movie in the franchise because it appealed to the MTV generation in every way, and that approach definitely worked. It also diluted these films from here on out.

3.5 out of 5

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Plot: When Freddy returns to stalk Alice (Lisa Wilcox) and her friends she realizes that he is using the dreams of her unborn child to do what he does best.

Review: I really do not like this film. Where The Dream Master was a supremely fast paced music video, this one is dour, slow and worst of all boring. Sure the subject matter of teenage pregnancy is a serious one, but did the film have to be such a downer? Freddy is barely in this entry, and when he is he’s annoying and acts like an old man. Writer Leslie Bohem follows the template laid out by Dream Warriors to a “T”, except that all the characters that fill her script are so badly written and unlikable that you kind of want Freddy to kill them so the movie would just end. This is also one of the driest films in the series. Only 3 characters are offed and the death scenes are so dumb and overly complicated, not to mention heavily censored, that they are a mess and hard to make out what is going on. There’s also a lot of dumb filler added into the mix to pad out the runtime, like a subplot about Dan’s parents wanting to take Alice’s baby away from her once it’s born. Ugh. At this point the franchise was starting to show its age, just like Freddy in the film. Pumping out a new film each year was not allowing the filmmakers and screenwriters enough time to come up with new and interesting stories to tell. They just kept settling for repetition. Sure director Stephen Hopkins has a great eye for interesting visuals, but he was the wrong fit for this franchise. He did move on to bigger and better things, but it still surprises me to hear that based on the strengths of this movie he was offered the job directing Predator 2. Go figure.

1.5 out of 5

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Plot: Freddy Krueger finally meets his match when he comes face to face with his own child, the only person who can bring him into reality and kill him once and for all.

Review: I may have disliked The Dream Child, but I intensely loathe Freddy’s Dead. This once creative franchise had fallen so far that it had to resort to an outdated gimmick like red/blue 3D to get butts in the seats. Yes, The Dream Child didn’t do too well at the box office, so New Line Cinema decided it was time to quit while they were still ahead and end their flagship franchise with film #6. So what do they do to make sure the series goes out with a bang? They give the reigns to Rachel Talalay, a production manager who had been slowly working her way up the New Line ladder with each film in the franchise. This was her first film as a director and it shows (thankfully she went on to become a fantastic director) because there is no visual style, no energy to any of the scenes and the big finale where Freddy is finally killed for all time is lackluster and underwhelming in the extreme. The acting is craptastic across the board, Robert Englund looks like he’s ready to throw in the towel and the gore is like something you’d see in a television movie. I’ve seen made for SyFy Channel films that are nastier than this. Guillermo del Toro was originally hired to write the script (which sounded very creative and interesting), but it was scrapped for Michael DeLuca’s boring ass Twin Peaks rip-off instead. Everything about the film is ugly and cheap, from the special FX to the musical score which is heavily influenced (aka stolen) by “Night on Bald Mountain”. The jokes Freddy vomits out are all eye-rollingly horrific and the big twist as to who is really Freddy’s child was predictable from frame 1. And to top off this shit sandwich, the 3D, which was kind of a big deal at the time as no other movie was really using it anymore, doesn’t work at all. Even the film was heavily edited when it came to home video to liven up the pace. What in the hell was New Line thinking when they gave the thumbs up to all these choices?! So the big finale was nothing but a big dud. I saw it opening weekend and was disappointed beyond belief and had no problem telling everyone how much I hated it. I still do to this day. Way to go New Line Cinema.

0 out of 5

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
Plot: Actress Heather Langenkamp begins receiving threatening phone calls from someone that sounds like fictional character Freddy Krueger. What at first looks like a series of pranks becomes increasingly sinister as it appears Freddy is attempting to cross over from the world of celluloid into reality.

Review: While at first the idea behind this pseudo-sequel to the Nightmare films seemed a little silly and dumb to me, it turned out to be so interesting and creative that I wondered why New Line Cinema never went with this approach sooner! It certainly would have been a better sendoff for Krueger than Freddy’s Dead, that’s for damn sure. I guess new Line was looking to take advantage of their cash cow one last time and gave Wes Craven free reign to do anything he wanted for one final Freddy feature. He definitely did not disappoint. The conceit that Freddy is some ancient evil that was held captive by the Nightmare films, and without them to contain him he is free to do as he pleases, including going after the people involved in the films that imprisoned him, is like I said a bit goofy. But it is presented in such a fun and meta way that it’s almost like watching a warm up for Craven’s own Scream a few years later. Langenkamp plays herself, Craven plays himself, Englund plays himself, New Line owner Bob Shaye plays himself… it’s weird but it works. And Freddy is made extremely creepy once again! This version of himself is in a more pure form of evil and he doesn’t really crack jokes or get all playful like the last few films. He’s all business and brutal as fuck. Craven even manages to inject a couple of legit action scenes now and then into the mix. It’s a strange film that plays with reality in ways the first film did, obviously a Craven staple, and I am thankful for that. The only real complaint I have is how the finale does get a little hokey with Freddy’s goofy wagging tongue scene and the overboard acting. It hits all the right notes, throws a little fan service our way and expects the audience to be able to keep up. It really works and it’s a lot of fun to boot.

4 out of 5

So there you have it! My review of the entire A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise (not counting Freddy vs Jason as that’s not completely a Nightmare flick). Take my opinions as you will. Everyone’s will be different and that’s great. I still watch these films to this day (even the bad ones) and find new things to like about them each time. A sign of a true series of cinematic classics (some more than others).

So what franchise should I take on next? Let me know in the comments below!

The entire A Nightmare on Elm Street series gets:
3 out of 5