Another year, another MASSACRE MARATHON, another sequel in a classic franchise. A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master takes the series further into bizarre territory. Freddy is back and he is (you guessed it!) killing high-schoolers again. He is targeting the remaining teens who shut his shit down in the previous film and won’t stop until they are all dead.

Out of all of the classic slasher killers Freddy Krueger has always been the class clown of the bunch but at this point in his career he has already become much too cheesy. I do love a good one-liner every once in a while, but in Nightmare 4 Freddy puts the jokes first and the horror second and that is pretty unacceptable to me. If you watched the first film and then this film back to back you would think Nightmare 4 was a fan made parody. I mean what kind of movie is this trying to be, Society?

A few of the kills were somewhat interesting, including a throwback to the bed kill from Freddy’s debut, but a lot of Krueger’s methods are absurd and the movie is extremely formulaic. Freddy tricks a kid into the dream world, then he kills them. Freddy tricks a kid into the dream world, then he kills them. Freddy tricks a kid into the dream world, then he kills them. Freddy tricks a kid into the dream world, then he kills them.  I know just reading that was starting to piss you off, but can you imagine how that translates to movie-form? I’m hoping when I eventually get around to watching New Nightmare that it brings forth some interesting story elements, because I’m assuming the two sequels in between won’t have much to offer.

2 sleepy time dying youngsters out of 5

★★☆☆☆