This review refers to the edition found in New Line Cinema's "The Nightmare on Elm Street Collection" boxed set.

THE WHO'S WHO: Starring Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox, Kelly Jo Minter, Danny Hassel, Erika Anderson, Nick Mele, Joe Seely, Valorie Armstrong, Burr DeBenning, Clarence Felder, Ted Nugent, George P. Wilbur (Stunts). Score Composed By Jay Ferguson. Co-Produced By Robert Shaye. Directed By Stephen Hopkins. (R) For Mild Violence, Very Mild Gore, Profanity, Brief Nudity and Very Mild Sexual Content; 89m.; 1989.

WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?: Alice Johnson (Lisa Wilcox) thought she had rid Springwood of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) for good after their climactic showdown in the abandoned dream church. But now the dreams have started to come back, although they've taken a new form. Alice is surprised to find she doesn't have to be asleep to witness the rebirth of Freddy. It seems that Freddy has invaded the dreams of her unborn child. Now, almost completely defenseless, Alice and her newly graduated friends have to face the terror and find a way to ensure Freddy won't harm anyone else. While this is a good entry into the long running series, things did begin to fall apart. Robert Englund returns to the role he made famous and it's clear he still relishes portraying Freddy. He's seen once again without the Krueger make-up as well, this time as one of the asylum inmates in Alice's first dream. The new teenaged cast members play their parts admirably, but they can't hold a candle to the ones from either "Nightmare 3" or "Nightmare 4". Erika Anderson seems a bit distracted in her role as Greta Gibson. Kelly Jo Minter doesn't have the screen presence or the acting chops to successfully play such a pivotal role as Yvonne. She's just not believable enough as Alice's best friend and confidant (although she does fill out a swimsuit quite nicely). Joe Seely is the best of the new bunch, playing the half sarcastic, half sweet comic book artist Mark. Other new cast members include Beatrice Boepple as a young Amanda Krueger, but she's nowhere near as convincing in the role as Nan Martin was as the aged Amanda in "Nightmare 3". It's unfortunate that such a bland actress plays such an integral part in this film's bizarre finale. Then there's the youngster of the group, child actor Whitby Hertford, who plays Alice's unborn son Jacob. He turns in a fine performance but other child actors have shown much more promise, including Miko Hughes who would play Heather Langenkamp's son in "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" five years later. Returning actor Danny Hassel hasn't grown in his role of Dan Jordan which leaves the viewer feeling a little cheated when compared to Lisa Wilcox's brave, deepening understanding of her character Alice. Another hindrance to the film are the death scenes. There seem to be fewer of them and they're spaced dramatically farther apart than they were in previous "Nightmare" movies. They're too over-the-top to be fully enjoyable, ostensibly the filmmakers were trying to out-do previous entries and weren't concentrating on creating solid entertainment. One death scene, however, is a great mock-up of "Nightmare 4"'s comic book approach to the series. The specific death scene actually transports one of the teenagers into a real life black and white comic book. A final drawback to the film are the overly symbolic sets and the lack of Freddy's innate brutality. Too many religious and birth-related designs and an exceedingly talkative Freddy hurt "Nightmare 5" more than anything else, but at least it doesn't denigrate itself to the level of "Freddy's Revenge". On the plus side, Jay Ferguson delivers a wonderful score that remains true to the dark underpinnings of its source material and Stephen Hopkins' direction keeps things at a brisk pace. Trivia buffs take note: there are two noteworthy happenings in Mark's room over the course of the movie. The first one finds the camera passing a television which is showing an interview program. One of the people waiting to be interviewed is rock star Ted Nugent. The other occurrence arrives when the camera pans across a line of comic books on the floor, which create a trail leading to a stretched out Mark. Look very closely and you'll see that one of the comic books has a fiery orange cover with a brown monstrosity on it. It appears to have been the inspiration for the "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" video cover. Overall, this sequel weakens under its attempts to be bigger and better than its two predecessors. Fortunately, there are still enough stylish moments to warrant a few repeat viewings and true Freddy fans will relish the opportunity to see their favorite slasher hacking his way through another sequel.

THEY SAY THEY'RE SPECIAL BUT...: As with other entries in New Line's "Nightmare on Elm Street Collection" boxed set, this film has a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer. This one is a bit darker than its predecessor, but that doesn't make it any less clear or enjoyable. Though slight remnants of grain appear from time to time, the cumulative effect is stunning. The color tones for this film are more reminiscent of those used in "Nightmare 3" which adds to the artistry of the film. The accompanying 5.1 surround sound is less veracious than the classic "Nightmare 4" surround sound. Instead of being all encompassing, it feels more like an afterthought. Its booming tension seems to have very little resonance, serving only to deafen rather than define. This disc also includes the original stereo audio track for the film and easy to read English subtitles which are placed within the frame of the movie. New Line had an affinity for paper cases in the early years of DVD and this title is no exception. The front cover is a miniature version of the original theatrical poster. The rest of the case is devoid of any artwork. The inside of this case displays a list of the special features and the twenty-three chapter stops for this ninety minute movie. The DVD itself has been painted with a backlit photograph of Freddy Krueger holding up his razor-tipped glove. Special features include the now standard "Jump to a Nightmare" option. There's also an in-depth cast and crew section taken from the original theatrical press kit. DVD-ROM users are also treated to an interactive screenplay, the fifth installment in the "Dream World" trivia game and up-to-the-minute weblinks.

THE YOLK'S ON YOU: New Line Cinema has packed their boxed set so well that they don't need to place hidden easter eggs on the separate discs. You're more likely to survive a reading of the "Nightmare From Hell" comic book than you are of finding easter eggs on this one.

THE LEWD AND NUDE ALERT: In the opening moments of this film, we are treated to Alice Johnson's character nude behind a glass shower door (which partially obstructs the view). Unfortunately, the body doesn't belong to beautiful Lisa Wilcox, only to good-looking body doubles. Although, fans of Lisa's beautiful buns will be pleased to see she spends the majority of the film in tight fitting jeans with ample camera angles devoted to displaying her delectable derriere.

THE GORE REPORT: In an early dream sequence from the film, Freddy uses some bad champagne to burn his arm off. He then uses that detached limb as a seatbelt in Dan Jordan's truck. To go along with that fairly gory moment, there are only three potentially intriguing death scenes. Sadly, they're all overblown and don't feature anything that would qualify as substantial gore.

SAY AGAIN: "It's a boy!" - Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) upon being reborn.

THE FINAL SAY: Yes, I recommend buying this DVD. As a part of the "Nightmare on Elm Street Collection" boxed set, it's a welcome addition. Separately, there's still enough titillation for horror fans to get their rocks off. While it will never equal the legacy of the original film (or parts three and four), this is still a valid entry in the series.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM: "Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter" Performed By Bruce Dickinson. "Heaven in the Back Seat" Performed By Romeo's Daughter. "Can't Take the Hurt" Performed By Mammoth. "Savage" Performed By W.A.S.P. "Now I Lay Me Down" Performed By Samantha Fox. "Let's Go" Performed By Kool Moe Dee. "Word Up Doc!" Performed By Doctor Ice. "Livin' in the Jungle" Performed By Schoolly D. Soundtrack Available on Jive Compact Discs, Cassettes and Records. Score Available on Varese Sarabande Compact Discs, Cassettes and Records.

The fifth entry in the venerable Freddy Krueger franchise shows our bad guy starting to seem tired. It's understandable in some ways: How can we bring Freddy back this time? And how do we send him off this time? And how many more imaginative ways can we kill off the teenagers? Stephen Hopkins (Ghost and the Darkness, Under Suspicion) is the director, and to his credit, he does give us a surrealistic, dreamlike feel. Unfortunately, the script is a little garrulous and the acting of some of the supporting characters (most noteably Mark, the comic book freak) is not up to the movie's previous standards. Lisa Wilcox tries gamely to continue the heroic efforts of Alice, but she becomes whiny and self-centered at times. Danny Hassel is back as the sensitive jock Dan, but not for long, folks. Even Robert Englund seems a little disinterested, and his one liners aren't as fresh as they had been up to this point.
THE NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise is a powerful one in the horror genre; but by this time, it started to become repetitive, derivative, and not as entertaining. There's only so many ways to kill in dreams, and the resuscitation gimmicks to bring Freddy back were starting to get more preposterous. I've watched the first five in a row, and with only two more to go, I'm hoping that they can find some of the grotesque brilliance of the first four.

Putting into play that this movie is a sequel means that this movie is actually well done and acted. Lisa wilcox reprises her role as Alice, and does a great job of acting as the character. The chill factor of this movie has somewhat come back into the series. ALthough it is more of a surreal kind of chill than an actual scary kind of chill. A definate see for all Nightmare on elm street fans and a few people who actually prefer a horror movie over any other kind of movie.

we all know that during the 80s they made a whole bunch of slasher flicks. this is part five so when i was at the video store i wasnt sure if i should get this i got it and it turned out to be fun freddy is not as funny as part three and part four he really is creepy. i liked part three better but still a fun movie.

some laughs
some quite horrific scenes
glad I got this on dvd
give it a try
Freddy is just as terrifying as the Wishmaster, and other sick bad guys in horror movies