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New Line Home Cinema presents

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

"I am forever, too bad you aren't."- Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)

Stars: Lisa Zane, Robert Englund
Other Stars: Shon Greenblatt, Lezlie Deane, Yaphet Kotto, and Breckin Meyer
Director: Rachel Talalay

Manufacturer: WAMO
MPAA Rating: R for Violence, language
Run Time: 01h:29m:11s
Release Date: 2000-08-22
Genre: horror

Style
Grade
Substance
Grade
Image Transfer
Grade
Audio Transfer
Grade
Extras
Grade
C C-A-B+ C-

 

DVD Review

Like most franchise films, the Nightmare On Elm Street series should have hung up Fred's hat long ago. But here we are with yet another in the New Line series and while the tagline for the film states that "They've saved the Best for Last", it couldn't be further from the truth.

In part six of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, Freddy Krueger has finally killed all the children of his hometown except one (Greenblatt), and seeks to escape its confines to hunt fresh prey, recruiting the aid of his (previously unmentioned) daughter (Zane). But when she discovers the demonic origin of her father's powers the blood as well as the bad one-liners start to fly. Throw into the mix a bit about Freddy's past and an admittedly original video game sequence and you have the makings of a typical Nightmare On Elm Street film.

The film would seem fresh if it had something we haven't seen countless times in the previous films. Writer Michael De Luca tries to throw surprises at us including a paternal relationship for Freddy, but none of it works. An Interesting note is that De Luca is now at the top of New Line Cinema and has gone on to develop such great films like American History X, Pleasantville, and Magnolia. Only in Hollywood could someone partly responsible for Freddy's Dead go on to make three of the best films of the 90's.

Freddy's Dead proved to be a career killer for director Rachel Talalay, who has only made two films since�'s dismal Ghost In the Machine, and the 1995 flop Tank Girl. She sprinkles bits of originality in the film including a climactic 3D trip inside Freddy's brain, but there is not enough here to impress. Much like the crew, the cast fails to impress. Both Lisa Zane and Shon Greenblatt are less-than-average as the leads, and Robert Englund looks like he is as tired of Freddy as we are. Supporting performances by a young Breckin Meyer (Road Trip) and the great Yaphet Kotto (Alien) are adequate. Cameos by Roseanne and Tom Arnold, Johnny Depp, and Alice Cooper pop up during the film.



Rating for Style: C
Rating for Substance: C-

 

Image Transfer


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 One Two
Aspect Ratio1.85:1 - Widescreen 1.33:1 - Full Frame
Original Aspect Ratioyes no
Anamorphicyes no


Image Transfer Review:
The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer offered by New Line on this disc is fantastic. Being a horror film, colors aren't evident except in scenes at the shelter but when present they are vibrant. The abundance of blacks in the film is shown with little grain and is generally spot on. A 1.33:1 full frame transfer is also included on this RSDL picture disc. As always, the original aspect ratio is preferred.

Image Transfer Grade: A-
 

Audio Transfer

 LanguageRemote Access
DS 2.0Englishyes
Dolby Digital
5.1
Englishyes


Audio Transfer Review:
Featuring both a newly redone Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack as well as a Dolby 2.0 channel mix, Freddy's Dead sounds great. While mainly a front heavy mix the 5.1 soundtrack does feature a few surround effects. Music and ambient sounds grace the rear channels. Dialogue is clear for most of the film, although I did notice a few moments in the middle of the film where the dialogue sounded a bit muddled. The Dolby 2.0 channel mix a bit more flat than the superior 5.1 mix, but both do the job just fine.

Audio Transfer Grade: B+ 

Disc Extras

Animated menu with music
Scene Access with 23 cues and remote access
Cast and Crew Biographies
Cast and Crew Filmographies
1 Original Trailer(s)
Packaging: Snapper
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: RSDL

Extra Extras:
  1. "Jump to a Nightmare" selection screen
  2. Trivia games for DVD-ROM users
Extras Review:
Like the each installment of the series, Freddy's Dead is a bare bones disc. Extra features are limited to only the original theatrical trailer, cast and crew bios and a "Jump to a Nightmare" selection screen. The disc also has numerous DVD-ROM features that unfortunately will not work with a Mac.

Extras Grade: C-
 

Final Comments

Freddy's Dead isn't the worst film made in the series, nor is it the best. There are some good moments in the film, but new revelations and the completely unnecessary 3D ending make the film go a bit overboard. Recommended only if you are collecting the entire set.

Kevin Clemons 2000-09-28