Synopsis:

A teenage boy begins having nightmares about supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger, who wants to possess the boy so he can continue his killing spree in the real world.

Intentions:

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 is a guilty pleasure for many, including myself. What the film lacks in logic, it more than makes up for in its haunted atmosphere and strong performances. This was one of the last films in the series I ever saw due to its poor reputation at the time, but its utter bizarreness made it an immediate favorite. My intention for this edit is to eliminate some aspects that would later not align with the "rules" set by future films in the series. For example, it always bothered me that after Coach Schneider's death, Jesse is returned home without any suspicion or consequence to his presence at the scene of the crime. Instead, I end the sequence with Jesse waking up from a nightmare upon Schneider's death. This change accomplishes two goals - one, to not make Jesse an immediate suspect, and two, to reinforce that whatever happens in Freddy's nightmares happens in reality. Making this and other minor alterations helps to keep the film more consistent with the others in the Elm Street series, and to strengthen the film's own internal logic, all the while allowing the film to maintain it's zanier aspects (like the exploding bird)

Change List:

- Replaced the opening title cards - Condensed the time it takes Jesse to discover Freddy in his second dream - Condensed the time it takes Jessee to discover Freddy's glove - Trimmed around the bird explosion to make the cut appear more natural - In Jesse's next dream, I cut the sequence of him walking downstairs and seeing lightning hitting his family's drying dishes. Instead, I moved up the sequence where Jesse, wearing the same clothes, dreams of his sister jumping rope and singing the Freddy nursery rhyme (as per the Cinema Snob's suggestion) - Cut the cops returning Jesse home after Coach Snyder's death, allowing the sequence to play as if it was a nightmare and not actual events - Removed Jesse asking his dad why the house took 5 years to sell (in my headcanon for the edit, the start of Nancy's diary was from 5 years in the past, but the later entries are much more recent, closing the gap between the first two films) - During the party sequence when Jesse and Lisa make out, I replaced the music with Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me Round" - Cut the beers in the wagon popping open by themselves - Heavily edited Freddy's attack on the pool party - I think that beyond the flimsy concept, the execution is poor. Freddy isn't as intimidating in a crowd as he is in a one-on-one encounter. Jason Voorhees has the stature and physical prowess to take on a crowd, like he did at the cornfield party in Freddy versus Jason, but not Freddy. Anyway, I condensed the pool party sequence to only the main shots featuring the mayhem and casualties that Freddy cause. Cutting shots of him within large crowds and shortening the overall sequence helps to make the scene more visceral and impactful. Also, retaining the sequence allowed me to keep the famous line, "You are all my children now" - When the one teen tries negotiating with Freddy, cut his line, "It's gonna be alright, nobody's going to hurt you" - Removed the demonic dog, rat, and cat creatures when Lisa ventures into Freddy's factory - Replaced closing song with "Mr. Sandman" by Emmylou Harris