A Nightmare from Friday to Halloween: Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

The three most prominent American horror franchises (Halloween, Friday the 13th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street) have influenced American cinema even beyond the horror genre. As of 2021, there are exactly 31 movies across all three franchises, and I am going to attempt to watch all of them, for this Halloween, one per day.

When I reviewed this for my marathon of horror films directed by women, I think I was a big more harsh on it than I should have been. Sure, this movie is much more comic and self-aware. And I also don’t think it’s particularly scary. However, the cheesiness that comes from trying to be “hip to the kids” is pretty typical of the series, especially starting from Dream Master (where “Are You Ready for Freddy?” made its debut). I also think this is miles more creative and interesting than most Halloween and Friday the 13th sequels even if a lot of this movie has serious “Poochy” energy. I still kind of cringe when Freddy toys with Breckin Meyer’s character by putting him in a video game, clearly cashing in on a then-current fad. I would actually like to see this in 3-D, not that I think it would actually enhance my viewing experience, but because I think it would be a fun nostalgia trip back to a time that I don’t really remember, but I can pretend I can.