Freddy's Attention Whore portrayal is Truth in Television for many real-life serial killers, who tend to either boast about their crimes after they're caught, or sometimes feign remorse, as long as they get the attention they think they deserve.
The film puts a new spin on the police bungling the case against Freddy by having him antagonize Russell into striking him and then burning the tape with his confession. Given how Freddy asks for that one cigarette and says he'll use it when the time is right, setting the police up to fail may very well may have been his goal from the get-go.
The poster not only homages Freddy's depiction in the first film's iconic poster, it riffs on it. Notice how his right hand's fingertips are slotted? Seems the police confiscated the blades...
