How did I never get around to this Meta Sequel? Dunno.
This is Wes Craven's New Nightmare, the 1994 Film that attempted to revive the Franchise. After 6 Films, was there anything left to do?
Well, the answer was to bring the original Director back. Duh.
The Plot involves the Star of the Original (and third) Film playing a version of herself, alongside her fake Husband and fake Son.
Freddy turns out to be real...sort of as Wes Craven (playing himself) writes a new Film.
Even if this didn't actually revive the Franchise, is it good?
To find out, read on...
It attacks the three Special Effects guys, but...
It was all a dream!
Heather Langenkamp plays a fictional version of herself who doesn't want to be associated with the Films after a Stalker harasses her.
What she doesn't know is that her Husband- who was also an Effects guy IRL- is working on said Film and now has cuts on his hand like in the dream!
She doesn't believe it...but then who sliced up the Dinosaur?!?
Weird things involving the kid and the phone calls make Langenkamp ask her Husband to come home early.
He does that, but starts to fall asleep along the way back and then the glove attacks him!
The Cops think that his massive stab wound is just from the accident. Right...
The kid, meanwhile, is getting weirder and I'm getting The Ring flashbacks...but this came out years before Ringu. It is even a year before The Ring- Kanzenban, the original TV Movie Adaptation.
So is this just based on the Book OR sheer coincidence?
The kid continues to freak out and he's clearly not sleeping.
Let's get Lin Shaye (before James Wan made her a Star again) to help him out.
Heather goes to see Wes and he explains that he's writing what he sees in his dreams. Apparently he did that with the original...while also apparently basing it on strange cases in the U.S.
He's our Exposition Dump- well, he is the Writer- and he tells us that Freddy is just the latest form of some deep, immortal evil and only the Films being popular/relevant keep him in check.
Like in Part 5, Freddy seems to want the kid (who is at least born this time). Why?
 |
| 'Who wrote this nonsense? Oh...right.' |
Unclear.
He kills people to get to him and then keeps him alive via vague bs powers he now has.
The darker, angrier Freddy eventually gets the kid, so Heather goes into his dreams to save him.
It involves some dated special effects, a second case of Robert Englund and a killer tongue & burning the guy up in an oven...in the Dream World.
It's weird, but we're almost done!
Back in the real World, Heather than reads...the Script to her Son?!?
The End.
A Film that works on many levels- hopefully ones that you relate to.
This Film is all about Family, Motherhood and responsibility.
To be fair, Freddy has strong opinions on pregnancy- especially in teens.
In a way, this makes sense- this is the Franchise aging up with their Audience. In the 10 years since the first Film, it is easy to imagine young people having a kid (or two).
As such, this one- based on Heather's real life- could hit close to home.
The Meta aspect of the Film is very weird and I don't know if it is for everyone. There is also more teases of Horror than actual killings, so understand the slower pacing.
All of the things that make this Film feel so weird and interesting are the same things that make it a weird sell to many.
I'm a fan, but I see the issues.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to tell John Saxon that his Script for an Elm Street Sequel is never going to be made (and actually just sold on eBay) ...
 |
| For the sake of the joke, this was done sometime before 2020. |
Next up, I turn my focus to Ghosts and their ilk. Should I do a famous Comedy or a serious Drama? Stay tuned...
No comments:
Post a Comment