They saved the best for last, stated this supposedly final film’s bold tagline, but if you listen to the fans they mainly tell you that Rachel Talalay ruined the series.
The ‘final’ film was met with much anticipation and hype in 1991 as fans were dying to see things come to an end, and I for one bought the Fangoria special with the 3-D glasses (I wish I’d kept it).
With Freddy now down to the last Elm Street brat (again) he uses our John Doe to break out of Springwood and start afresh.
John is placed in a centre for troubled teens thanks to his amnesia, and care worker Maggie soon sets about trying to uncover his history, as well as a link between a shared nightmare.
In an attempt to find out the truth, she takes him back to Springwood which is a really bad idea and when they discover that three of the teens had been hiding in the van in an attempt to escape the confines of the shelter, they soon discover that they brought some lambs to the slaughter for Freddy.
The film is obviously best known for its 3-D climax, which saw Maggie enter Freddy’s mind in an attempt to see what makes him tick. As with the previous entries, the effects work was ahead of its time and fans who favour practical effects over computer generated ones will no doubt be more partial to this old school style of filmmaking.
The performances, including an early one from Breckin Myer, were all fine and there are a few star turns from the likes of Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Roseanne and Tom Arnold to watch out for also.
OVERALL SUMMARY
A fitting end to the series is slightly hampered by a weak score and some plot holes, but fans are sure to enjoy watching Freddy off his victims in his usual graphic style.
