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A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

Play trailer Poster for A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge R Released Nov 1, 1985 1h 25m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
42% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 33% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) moves with his family into the home of the lone survivor from a series of attacks by dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). There, Jesse is bedeviled by nightmares and inexplicably violent impulses. It turns out Freddy needs a host body to carry out his gruesome vendetta against the youth of Springwood, Ohio. While Freddy gains influence, Jesse and his girlfriend, Lisa (Kim Myers), race against the clock trying to figure out what's going on.
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A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

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Critics Consensus

An intriguing subtext of repressed sexuality gives Freddy's Revenge some texture, but the Nightmare loses its edge in a sequel that lacks convincing performances or memorable scares.

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Critics Reviews

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Jason Bailey Flavorwire The sequel is clunky, sluggish, poorly cast, not funny, and worst of all, not scary. And it all but dispenses with what made the first film scary to begin with. May 3, 2016 Full Review Kim Newman Empire Magazine Possibly the lamest of all the sequels, although Five and Six later set the bar particularly low. Rated: 1/5 Apr 5, 2010 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Episodic treatment is punched up by an imaginative series of special effects. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy It basically chucks out the rules established in the first film and seemingly makes things up as it goes along. Rated: 1.5/4 Oct 20, 2024 Full Review Cody Dericks them. The ridiculousness of the dialogue and Patton’s shrieking performance make this a perverse camp classic. Oct 27, 2022 Full Review Cody Leach Cody Leach (YouTube) A significant drop in quality. The goofiness of the script and some baffling visuals makes this a strange experience. As a confusing contrast, the portrayal of Freddy is perhaps the darkest in the series. Rated: 2.75/5 Aug 20, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Khaliel P This installment of the franchise is a one-shot, largely disconnected from the others, with Freddy interacting outside of dreams for the first time and Nancy’s fate left ambiguous. Written by David Chaskin and produced by Robert Shaye, it was originally offered to Wes Craven, who refused due to the “ridiculous” possession concept and the diminished horror of Freddy in the real world. Robert Englund was briefly replaced by an unknown actor for budget reasons, only to be rehired after two weeks. Directed by Jack Sholder, the film often feels like a TV movie, with off-screen murders and awkward everyday scenes limiting its scare factor. It is also notable for exploring the main character Jesse’s homosexuality—a rare theme in 1980s horror—through his interactions with a teacher and the protective bond with his friend Ron. While not a bad film, its radical changes make it a “peculiar cousin” in the franchise, different yet intriguing. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/21/25 Full Review Eric W. Wow, the community standards are almost prejudiced. It never occurred to me that the sequel was about a teen being ‘rescued’ by the woman that loves him. Aside from that, the FX were very inventive. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/13/25 Full Review Joshua H. This movie doesn’t hold up to the original but it does have some redeeming qualities ..the villain Freddy Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/03/25 Full Review Stephen C Meant to scare me in 1 hour and 25 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $29,900,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/04/25 Full Review Korra N Far better than the remake & half of the other sequels. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/27/25 Full Review Jean R Its alright I did like the pool scene tho Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/02/25 Full Review Read all reviews
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

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A Nightmare on Elm Street 94% 84% A Nightmare on Elm Street Watchlist TRAILER for A Nightmare on Elm Street A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 30% 31% A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child Watchlist A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors 68% 68% A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors Watchlist Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare 22% 32% Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare Watchlist Wes Craven's New Nightmare 76% 67% Wes Craven's New Nightmare Watchlist TRAILER for Wes Craven's New Nightmare Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) moves with his family into the home of the lone survivor from a series of attacks by dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). There, Jesse is bedeviled by nightmares and inexplicably violent impulses. It turns out Freddy needs a host body to carry out his gruesome vendetta against the youth of Springwood, Ohio. While Freddy gains influence, Jesse and his girlfriend, Lisa (Kim Myers), race against the clock trying to figure out what's going on.
Director
Jack Sholder
Producer
Robert Shaye
Screenwriter
Wes Craven
Distributor
Image Entertainment Inc., New Line Cinema, Media Home Entertainment
Production Co
New Line Cinema
Rating
R
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 1, 1985, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA)
$29.9M
Runtime
1h 25m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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