Nightmare for Elm Street "Where are you, boy?" Let's go learn English!
© Fred(d) and Kruger
Repeatedly, I heard that my second homeland was found in the USSR during the period of Perestroika, and then, respectively, in the post-Soviet space. It seems that the statement is quite true, since not only the pirate voices of the first five Nightmares are recalled, but also the Alien (Our Horror) series from Yeralasha, as well as a parody in the Russian TV show Big Difference. However, in 1992, a short film was released in post-Soviet Belarus, which, if I am not mistaken, is still the only full-fledged Russian-language project with the participation of the famous maniac. Whose name is what? . .
Judging by the title of the film, Fredy, with one "D". At the same time, the characters still pronounce correctly - "Freddy", and when the English inscription is shown at the end, there are two errors - "Freddi Kruger", although correctly "Freddy Krueger". Ironically, the plot of “Keschki and Freddie” is based on learning English. Well, let’s say that in 1992, the director did not have a single “Nightmare” in high enough quality to read the name of the character in the credits. But you know what? Freddy Krueger is quite an interesting character, so I would love to learn English with him. Stop, though. It is important to clarify: with the real Freddie, from the first six Nightmares, since the local Kruger is not so cute.
Another important clarification: The events of Keshki and Freddie take place in the real world, where viewers know and love to watch Nightmares on Elm Street. It turns out that the events take place in the same universe as the events of the seventh Nightmare, although I am surprised that in 1992 we still show pioneers with characteristic ties. Kesha and his friends are junior high school students, and the main character has a problem: he has too strange appearance, which makes the film difficult to take seriously. And he doesn't know English well. So bad that it is for this reason that Freddie finds him, appearing, apparently, from the fourth Nightmare, which is shown in the video salon. It’s not even fair that Robert Englund isn’t mentioned in the credits, because he plays better than the actor portraying Freddie in the movie. Authors should be praised for the impressive voice of Freddie, but here is the movement of the character some clumsy, slow. It is hard to imagine that this is the same maniac who pursued Nancy, and later even fought Jason Voorhees. Well, at least the Belarusian Freddie canonical sweater, and the glove with blades also turned out very spectacular.
But still there is an important omission: makeup actor. Let me remind you that Freddie’s frightening appearance is caused by the fact that he has numerous burns. This can be seen even on the poster of the film, past which Keshka and friends pass. But here's Freddie looks like he's been smeared in street mud or in stool. In addition, his mouth does not open, and when Kruger speaks, his lower jaw is motionless. For comparison, Freddie’s makeup is much better in The Big Difference. The show, of course, was created many years later, but I honestly don’t understand why the make-up guys screwed up so much with Keshka. By the way, in this film there is one very controversial and even offensive scene in which urine pours on Freddie. Firstly, it is surprising that it pours from a dead body, and secondly... the director wanted to humiliate Freddie? Well, here I am, as a lover of horror, resentful.
But the highlight and the main absurd detail of "Keshki and Freddie" is not an unsuccessful makeup and not even a funny villainous "deceived" but how Keshka defeats the owner of Elm Street. Do you think it’s hardness of character or, at least, prayer? If only! I do not understand the reaction that authors with an already irrelevant communist ideology expected. It could be presented as a comedy, and comedy black, but somehow I don’t really feel the humor in this scene. Are we seriously being told that Freddie is powerless against communism? Objective lies, since the source of inspiration for the first “Nightmare” were articles about the mass deaths in dreams of immigrants from South Asia, including communist Vietnam. Therefore, the idea of “Freddy vs. Lenin’s followers” fails completely.
I definitely can’t say that Keshka and Freddie is a good movie. But at the same time, I don’t want to scold him too much, because it’s a bizarre and slightly thrash product of its era. This is the only Belarusian film I know of. It is a pity that Russia and Belarus did not release full-length films with the participation of Freddie, even parody. But the more curious are such works as “Keshka and Freddie”. Keshka, by the way, appeared in several short films, but there are no famous characters.
5 out of 10
P. The English teacher here is quite a bright character, something even resembles the antagonist from the second “Terminator”.