Most of the film is played for laughs rather than scares and differs wildly from the previous segments as Freddy becomes basically the main character and is used to move the film along from one creatively staged kill to the other, rather than focusing on the story. Everything about how to kill Krueger is thrown out the window, all the allusions toward his mortality, all of the mysticism and religious tools are gone in favor of mere hack and slash tedium that ends in a stick of dynamite a la Chuck Jones. It's a shame that such a powerful and interesting character like Freddy Krueger is reduced to simple Wile E. Coyote physics to be stopped, as much of the film is void of the atmosphere presented within the previous series installments with a hazy mood that fails to muster up any chills or spooks. At the end of the day, "Freddy's Dead" is the official end to the series and a film that is so bad it's absolutely good, and I'll watch it any time with a giddy smile.

Turning Freddy in to the clown prince of pranks once and for all, "Freddy's Dead" is an admitted guilty pleasure and one that delivers the corn ball gags by the dozens. For forgiving horror buffs willing to let it slide, "Freddy's Dead" is a tolerable and occasionally entertaining final entry of the series.