Video
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: Dolby Digital Mono
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono... (more)
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English: Dolby Digital Mono French: Dolby Digital Mono Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono Portuguese: Dolby Digital Mono Italian: Dolby Digital Mono German: Dolby Digital Mono (less)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 & 3 Blu-ray offers solid video and mediocre audio in this enjoyable Blu-ray release
Freddy's Revenge: A teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by Freddy Krueger who is out to possess him to continue his murdering in the real world.
Dream Warriors: Survivors of undead serial killer Freddy Krueger - who stalks his victims in their dreams - learn to take control of their own dreams in order to fight back.
New Line Cinema | 1985 | 87 min | Rated R | Region A (B, C untested) | No Release Date
Five years later, Freddy Krueger is back in the dreams of a Springwood teen (as he uses the youth to bring him more souls). This sequel adds a psychological dimension to the Nighmare series.
New Line Cinema | 1987 | 96 min | Rated R | Region A (B, C untested) | No Release Date
Often described as the best of the Elm Street sequels, Stigmata is placed in a hospital psychiatric ward with six other troubled teens, who all dream about the same horrible Freddy Krueger trying to kill them.
It just wouldn't be a Horror movie without a sequel. Or two. Or three. Or four. Or five. Or however many the A Nightmare on Elm Street
franchise is up to these days. Nope, sequel-itis is an incurable disease that continues to plague stricken studios and their successful films, but much to
the delight of genre fans the world over. In this pair of sequels, the indelible and un-killable iconic nightmare hacker Freddy Krueger, what else,
harasses a
bunch of innocent teenagers because, well, because that's what the scripts call for, and that's what audiences will pay to see. Neither movie is as good
as the original, of course, but hey, isn't that what sequels are for, inferior products? Dream Warriors does come close to capturing the
same mood and intensity of the original. It's a smart and entertaining picture that's actually a superior second sequel to the admittedly decent but
ultimately
disappointing first sequel Freddy's Revenge, a movie that just feels like a cash-in rather than an intellectually honest
Nightmare movie. Whatever one's
opinions of these films are, they're available together for the first time on Blu-ray, and the results are about as-expected of such a twofer catalogue
release.
Pull my razor.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
Score: 2.5/5
You've got the body, I've got the brain.
It's been five years since Nancy Thompson defeated the dream killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund)
following a grueling
bloodbath that forever changed the fabric of Elm Street. Now, a new family has moved into Nancy's old house, and teenager Jesse Walsh (Mark
Patton) is living in her old bedroom. Jesse's not exactly the most popular guy at school, but he's found a friend -- and maybe more -- in the kindly
fellow student Lisa Webber (Kim Myers). However, a potential strain is placed on their developing relationship when Lisa learns of Jesse's terrible
nightmares. When
she helps him unpack his bedroom, they stumble upon Nancy's old diary and learn that not only are the rumors of deaths surrounding Nancy true,
but Jesse realizes that he's dreaming of the same burned, finger-bladed nemesis -- Freddy Krueger -- that haunted Nancy. Turns out ol' Fred needs
Jesse to act as a
surrogate killer. Despite Jesse's best efforts, the power of Freddy Krueger grows stronger by the hour. Can he -- with Lisa's help -- evade the
temptations and destroy Freddy Krueger before he can turn his villainous attentions elsewhere?
It walks like an inferior Horror sequel and it talks like an inferior Horror sequel. Freddy's Revenge is an all-around decent Horror franchise
vehicle but nothing really more
than that, an inferior Horror sequel. It pales in every area compared to the superior and legendary original. That's to be expected; few Horror
sequels ever live up to the
greatness of the original -- Scream 4 is a recent example to the contrary -- but most of these
sorts of pictures
are little more than the obligatory cash-in that banks on title and character recognition more than plot and novelty to sell tickets. Nevertheless,
Freddy's Revenge is a fair series entry that maintains an air of real Horror and doesn't delve into the absurd Comedy that would define later
franchise installments. The picture lacks a more complete feeling of suspense, and the scares are few and far between. The plot is the weakest link;
it's at best a serviceable story but the lack of superior character development leads audiences to shrug their shoulders at the fates of even the main
cast. The picture is also a bit sluggish out of the gate but picks up a bit of steam once it's lugged its way to the final act. The picture does boast solid
production values and highly effective and involved direction from Jack Sholder. Gore hounds should be pleased with the professional level of
legitimately creepy and gross-out visuals that run throughout, but audiences who care about more than just how a movie looks will likely pay this
one little
attention.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Score: 3.5/5
Sleep. Those little slices of death. How I loathe them.
Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) has moved on and become a new rising star at the Westin Hills psychiatric hospital in the several years
that have passed after
surviving her run-in with the infamous dreamworld killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). She's working to develop a new drug, Hypnocil, which
she believes can save children from dying at the hands of the grossly disfigured killer by hindering their ability to dream. Unfortunately, it won't be
long until Nancy can test her
hypotheses and her drug's effectiveness. The hospital's newest patient, Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette), is believed to be an attention-starved
suicide risk, but her recent
wounds are actually the result of a run-in with Krueger. As Kristin settles in to life at the hospital, she learns that several of her oddball fellow
patients are suffering from
visions of and physical attacks from Freddy Krueger. But it's not until Nancy can intervene -- against the hospital's wishes -- that the patients stand
a
fighting chance against their worst nightmare.
That's more like it. Dream Warriors manages to capture the essence of A Nightmare on Elm Street in a way that Freddy's
Revenge just couldn't. It's not only that this film features the return of first-film lead character Nancy Thompson that makes this one a worthy
follow-up, but also, and far more important, its adherence to chilling
atmosphere, grotesque visuals, hardcore scares, and unrelenting terror, areas that are failures or near-failures in just about every other sequel in
the series. The movie proves far more menacing than Freddy's Revenge, and it's also incredibly atmospheric. Maybe even better still,
it's well-written and strongly acted, even if there's a certain
stiffness to some of the performances. The main cast does well to play its parts with a believable air that makes them feel as if a real part of the
world in which they exist. The disconnect between the real world and the dream world is very nicely realized, and their efforts enhance the sense of
mystery, dread, and doom that the film oozes with almost every frame, whether in the waking or dreaming world. It's certainly not quite as
effective as the original; the novelty of
that film is gone, but a strong story, a no-nonsense approach, and a wonderful atmosphere make this the second-best Nightmare
film of them all.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
Score: 3.5/5
Warner's Blu-ray presentation of Freddy's Revenge is probably about as good as the movie's ever going to look for home mass-media
consumption.
The transfer retains a light layer of grain, accentuating finer details and providing a solid film-like texture. Faces occasionally appear a slight bit pasty
and
the image looks rather flat, but neither prove to be debilitating weaknesses. Colors are neither vibrant nor dull; the neutral palette is nicely
reproduced
on Blu-ray, and while black crush is an occasional problem, darker scenes never truly offend the eyes. The print is in good shape; scratches and dirt
are
practically nonexistent, and major compression issues are a non-factor, even if both movies and plenty of soundtracks have been crammed onto a
single
50GB disc. This is a more than serviceable image. Freddy's Revenge will never look like a brand new movie, but fans will likely be at the very
least satisfied with Warner's efforts.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Score: 3.5/5
Dream Warriors features a 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer that's pretty much on par with Freddy's Revenge. The transfer retains a
natural layer of grain that reinforces a positive film-like texture and ensures that fine details remain. The picture can be a little dark with very slight
crush hindering a few shots, but fine detail remains sturdy all around, particularly as evidenced by some of the more comprehensive gore and makeup
effects that stand out
nicely in 1080p. Colors are fair, a touch dim and dull for sure but this is a movie that thrives on a downtrodden visual tone that emphasizes colder,
uncomfortable shades in the hospital and darker and redder hues in the "action" sequences. There's a bit of a soft edge to a few shots, but
nothing that severely detracts from the overall quality. Maybe best of all, the print appears to be in relatively good shape, and at the same time,
banding, blocky backgrounds, and the like are not causes for concern. Overall, this is a fairly good effort from Warner Brothers.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
Score: 2.5/5
Freddy's Revenge tears onto Blu-ray with a fair but problematic DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. There's an unkempt, rattly, mushy
texture
to the entire track. Sound effects are generally crunchy and grossly underpowered. The rattling and rolling of the school bus trip to hell in the film's
opening minutes never gives listeners much to work with and certainly doesn't immerse them in the moment. The barrage of sporting equipment as
heard in the attack on the gym teacher in chapter eleven is also lacking in clarity, directionality, and power. It's a jumbled cacophony of sound that
gets
the point across but fails to deliver a more satisfactory presentation. Music delivery is fair, adequately spaced and suitably clear, but there's nothing
here, either, that will draw in audiophiles or have longtime fans of the film hearing new, distinct notes for the first time. Fortunately, dialogue is
grounded in the middle and clear throughout. Like the video, this is serviceable track that gets the job done but accomplishes little else.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Score: 3/5
Dream Warriors' DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack represents a slight improvement over that of Freddy's Revenge, but there's still
no room for outright bragging rights. This is a rather indifferent sort of track. It enjoys good clarity and adequate spacing in music, a fair bit of
surround use,
and tip-top dialogue reproduction, but it's not really all that at the end of the day. Many of the film's primary sound effects are mushy and lack clarity,
but then again, it's not as if this was ever a painstakingly mixed soundtrack to begin with; expect jumbles of somewhat distinguishable noise in the
action scenes, most of which only make absolute audible sense thanks to the accompanying visual context clues. The track does rock a solid low end
in
the final act as the warriors enter Freddy's industrial, hellish nightmare world to engage him on his own turf. This is an adequate track that's good
enough on the surface, but there's nothing here that's going to sound new to longtime fans of the film.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
Score: 2/5
Heroes and Villains (480p, 6:22): Robert Shaye, Director Jack Sholder, and Wes Craven discuss the film's origins and the varied styles of
Horror, notably within the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise context.
Psycho Sexual Circus (480p, 3:26): Production Assistant Rachel Talalay, Director Jack Sholder, and Actor Robert Englund bluntly
discusses the film's problems, the identity of the main character, and the film's homo-erotic undertones.
The Male Witch (480p, 2:46): Director Jack Sholder and Special Effects Artist Kevin Yagher discuss Freddy's makeup and appearance.
Freddy on 8th Street (480p, 5:28): Director Jack Sholder, Publicist Jeffrey Wells, and Actor Robert Englund Wells discuss Freddy
mania
Theatrical Trailer (480p, 1:27).
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Score: 2.5/5
Behind the Story (480p): A grouping of featurettes focusing on various aspects of the production. Included are Fan Mail (0:45),
a look at the cost of fame; Onward Christian Soldiers (9:01), a piece that looks at the evolution of the project; Snakes and Ladders
(6:04), a recounting of the making of some of the film's special effects props; Trading 8's (4:09), a piece that examines some of the film's
famous lines and scenes; That's Showbiz (2:00), a supplement that recounts life on the set with Robert Englund; Burn Out (3:38), a
piece featuring the cast speaking on returning to work on part three; and The House That Freddy Built (0:38), a brief examination of the
series' success and its impact on New Line Cinema.
Music Video (480p, 5:05): Dream Warriors by Dokken.
Warner's two-pack of Freddy films is sure to delight fans. Neither film is as good as the original, but they're two of the better sequels in the lengthy
A Nightmare on Elm Street canon. Dream Warriors is the structurally superior of the two, but Freddy's Revenge is not be be
entirely discounted, either, for it's a passable genre flick that's entertaining, warts and all. As to the nitty-gritty of the Blu-ray releases, neither movie
looks or sounds brand new, but that's to be expected. On both, the video proves superior to the audio, and both feature a fair amount of extras, though
neither includes what is these days, it seems, obligatory commentary tracks. Recommended.
One, two, Freddy's coming for you. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced the wide Blu-ray release of the five-disc, seven-film A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection, currently available as a Best Buy exclusive and from third party sellers. Freddy ...
This fall, Warner Home Entertainment will release three franchise-themed double features on Blu-ray. Available on the September 27th street date will be budget-priced collections of Nightmare On Elm Street 2 & 3, Matrix Reloaded/Matrix Revolutions , and Oceans ...
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 & 3 Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
