10 Great Performances In Otherwise TERRIBLE Horror Movies

1. Robert Englund - Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

William H Macy Psycho
New Line Cinema

Could it really be anybody else?

One of horror's most revered icons, Robert Englund is the undisputed king of the slashers, and his inimitable performances as Freddy Krueger are legendary for all the right reasons.

The first three A Nightmare on Elm Street films are much-loved classics - in no small part due to Englund himself - but as the sequels kept coming, the quality saw a steep decline. Where Parts 4 and 5 get a pass for their slick production and New Nightmare stands tall as one of the most underrated flicks of the nineties, the other late-era entries really fell short of the mark.

Simply put, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare is the epitome of a poorly thought out sequel.

And yet even in the face of dire scripts and a general lack of focus, Englund's unique brand of chaotic energy could elevate even the direst of scenes. Few actors can be so expressive when smothered in heavy prosthesis but the fury and diabolical relish of Englund's exaggerated performance always shone through, brightening up even the worst films the franchise had to offer.

If only he'd take up the claw one last time.

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Contributor
Contributor

UK based screenwriter, actor and one-half of the always-irreverent Kino Inferno podcast. Purveyor of cult cinema, survival horror games and low-rent slasher films.