Review Detail

I already liked the theatrical cut of this except for the ending, but this is still a shelf-replacer. Most importantly, the random, out-of-context sequel tease that wraps up the film is gone! And not that there's a lot of fat to cut in this film, but a few bits of clunky dialogue, and a couple of lines by Freddy that feel like a half-ass nod to his previous, hamming-it-up portrayal are also gone. The film moves lightning-quick now at 81 minutes and it has the effect of you just never really knowing when you're in a dream sequence. This is again partly due to some clever writing, where they work in the real science of "micro-napping" as an evolution of the "don't fall asleep" methodology that had become rather old hat in the Nightmare series to this point. The film still never really tells you how any of this is possible, but overall it's a strong movie that feels legitimately terrifying and pretty refreshing, two things I've never said about a Nightmare film since the first one. The editing is seamless, looks and sounds great, and I never really missed anything that was cut, except for perhaps the bathtub sequence, which seemed like such a tease. The only thing I'd recommend would be a slow fade out at the end to give it more of a sense of "wrapping up". Maybe start the music on a bigger beat to help with that, too, as the last line isn't really delivered with that feeling so you need a bit of editorial help. Overall, a great edit that I highly recommend.