Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, John Saxon, Johnny Depp, Nick Corri, Amanda Wyss

Director: Wes Craven

Synopsis: A group of teens vaguely discuss the concept of nightmares, then one of them dies having one and the rest are hunted by the same deformed killer when they go to sleep.

They say if you die in your dreams, then you die in your bed, and what makes A Nightmare on Elm Street great is that it may be fantasy driven, but there’s a realism to it that makes it utterly terrifying. If you’re being chased in a neighbourhood or an isolated farmhouse, there’s a slim chance you’ll escape whoever or whatever is following behind, but how do you escape a killer when they’re coming for you in your dreams and can pop up from absolutely anywhere?

Wes Craven wastes no time from getting right into it. We’re instantly transported into the world of this scarred figure who is crafting his weapon, a glove with razors on the fingers. Craven includes everything necessary to create scary atmosphere for the viewer: eerie music, darkened lighting, maniacal laughter and a jump scare that brings Tina (Amanda Wyss) out of her nightmare, only for her concerned mother to alert her now ripped nightgown. There’s no doubt about it, there’s something strange happening on Elm Street.

We don’t learn who this murderer is until an hour in where his name is revealed to be Fred Krueger (Robert Englund), who was burnt to death by parents in the neighbourhood because he was taking their children down to a boiler room and murdering them. Freddie’s revenge is completely unrealistic, but there’s a frightening reality to this reveal and the background of this murderer.

Until we learn the identity of Krueger, we’re shown more than enough of him and his paranormal abilities that include transporting from place to place and walking through prison bars. We also get a good idea of how inhuman he actually is, as he slices his own fingers off, lengthens his arms excessively and slices his stomach open to reveal grim gooey green blood where maggots are crawling around inside his guts. Craven doesn’t stray from making this film graphic.

We essentially have no idea why Kruger’s after these four hormonal teenagers: Tina, Rod (Nick Corri), Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) and Glenn (introducing Johnny Depp in his debut role) until the reveal by Nancy’s mother, all know is that they’re having nightmares and that all they involve him. The acting of the four teens is fine. There’s nothing to really suggest any of them would ever be superstars in the acting world (Johnny Depp wasn’t a household name in a day), but at no point did their acting ruin the film for me even though Rod was an intentionally irritating character.

Given these nightmares lead us into another world of darkness, what works to Craven’s benefit is that he’s able to use the daytime freely throughout the film to allow the teens to discuss their dreams. It also helps that Nancy’s awareness of dreaming leading to meeting Krueger and her fight to stay awake sees her fall asleep during the day, meaning any character can find themselves in the darkness of Freddie’s world regardless of what time it is. There’s also something quite unsettling about seeing children dressed in white playing skipping-rope while singing the infamous “One, Two, Freddie’s coming for you” nursery rhyme in the middle of the day, though in modern-day this nursery rhyme isn’t as harrowing as I imagine Craven wanted it to be back in 1984.

In 2018, the use of synthesisers and the heavy use of drum machines may appear to some viewers as a fine indication of Nightmare being an outdated product of its time, but I think the use of these as part of the music score throughout the film is really cool, with the synth in particular conveying the slasher theme similar to the likes of Halloween, while the drum machines conveniently help to build tension and replicate the pulsing heartbeat of a nervous viewer.

One recurring theme of this film I really like is the religious imagery interpolated by Craven. Tina putting the crucifix back onto her wall and later showing Nancy grab her own in fear of Krueger and in hope of protection from God above is relatively minor, but it’s perfect given how it all leads to Freddie lifting up his glove to show his razors, stating “This… is God.” It’s my favourite moment of the film simply because of how it emphasises that he’s in control in this dream world, and that he’s responsible of whether these teens live or whether they die.

While I’d say the ending confrontation with Freddie isn’t the best – it’s quite anticlimactic to be truthful – the film ends on a positive note with the twist ending that, again similarly to Halloween, left the story open for future films in the franchise and it made Freddie Krueger a more dangerous and compelling villain.

What makes this film great in continuing to scare viewers over the years is its stark realism. Everybody has to sleep. If you’re guaranteed to come face to face with an undead, abnormal monster with knives for fingers when you drift off into foreign lands how do you avoid that? It’s fine to write a horror film where the plot is 95% preposterous, but at least throw something in there that gives the viewer a moment or two of anxiety.

A Nightmare on Elm Street isn’t the best horror of all time, but it definitely deserves recognition as one of the iconic films of its genre. Everyone should watch it at least once, even if just to appreciate Robert Englund as Freddie Krueger, because he’s absolutely fantastic.



Rating: 4/5

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