A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Good evening, and welcome to Teen Scream Tuesday!  It’s been a sad week in the horror world, and I write this review with a mixture of both a heavy heart and overwhelming gratitude in dedication to our fallen soldier Wes Craven.  A true master of horror, Wes has hands-down directed some of the absolute best teen screams.  From Swamp Thing to Scream, Wes has revolutionized horror again and again. But this week, for our Teen Scream Tuesday, I’m reviewing probably his most well-known and well-loved film: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984).  A truly horrific concept – perhaps one of the most horrific concepts of all – brought to life by Craven and our much loved and much appreciated Robert Englund as Freddy.

And that’s where we will start this review – the concept. Craven alludes to some of his inspiration for this concept throughout the film.  He references a real rash of deaths that seemingly all were caused by nightmares (well, the doctor performing Nancy’s dream therapy references them), that you can actually read about here:  http://www.nytimes.com/1981/05/10/us/nightmares-suspected-in-bed-deaths-of-18-laotians.html.  He also references that certain peoples are known to be dream warriors/weavers: they have the innate ability to lucid dream enough to turn their nightmares into something far better – for example if they are falling, they fall into something amazing that grants them wondrous opportunities. The concept of a killer that can control your dreams and kill you in your sleep is downright terrifying – even more so than any other slasher film concept, if you ask me. A concept that is simply brilliant and intriguingly haunting.

Let’s talk about the gore for a second. For a film that graced the silver screen one year after your reviewer was born, this film has some wicked gore.  There are some campy spots (when Kruger’s arms stretch like Stretch Armstrong, for example), overall I would have to say that the effects were top-notch. Freddy’s burned/scarred face, Tina getting slashed as she is mysteriously dragged up the wall of her parent’s room, and the gallons of blood required to create Glen’s death scene are all so well-done and serve up enough of the red stuff to make any horror fiend satiated. But the gore isn’t even responsible for all of the goosebumps one gets watching this film. When we see that first shot of Nancy in bed and her ceiling begins to bow and shows Kruger’s face and hands coming through the suddenly pliable plaster – now that is just brilliant filmmaking right there, fiends. Further, the nursery rhyme…”One, two, Freddy’s coming for you…” We all know it. We all love it. And this movie would totally be missing some of its sinister feel without that rhyme. To take a child’s nursery rhyme and turn it into a warning speaks directly to our subconscious, and makes us wonder if we shouldn’t stay awake a little longer…

Last but not least, concerning what gives me the shivers in this flick, is my absolute favorite scene next to Tina’s death scene – the bathtub montage. When Nancy falls asleep in the tub, and her legs are apart and you see the infamous glove come up from between her legs, you can’t not get a little spooked out!  If you haven’t given this film a chance, you should, if only for this awesome sequence.

The cinematography is top-notch, obviously. No shaky camera, great shots of fog and smoke and fire and fiends. The acting is also first rate, we all obviously love Robert Englund but Johnny Depp couldn’t have landed a better role for his first feature film.  Heather Langenkamp is both memorable and inspiring as Nancy, and everyone else plays their roles convincingly and admirably. There wasn’t a weak link here.  As far as the music, it was perfect as well. The original Nightmare score was written by Charles Bernstein and still holds up as one of the more recognizable and well-written horror scores out there.  I’d have to say that this cast and crew outdid themselves in bringing Craven’s nightmares to life for us. Bravo!

You know a horror film is good when people recognize it simply by the first name of the antagonist. People can say “Freddy” in almost any household in America (and in many other parts of the world, even) and others know exactly to whom and what movie they are referencing.  He is an iconic boogeyman, standing shoulder to shoulder with fiends like Dracula and Frankenstein (though to be fair, Frankenstein was the doctor, not the monster even though when we say that name most people call up the imagery of the monster).  Needless to say, Freddy is legit as fuck.

So here comes what you all want to know – how does your reviewer rate this film?  Where are the beloved stats already?? Here we go:  Body count?  Four. Not many deaths here (and we aren’t even sure if they were real by the end) but they were well done so that counts for something. How many killers? One. Boob count? Two. Cheap thrills? One. Actual chills? Three. Raven’s Scream Meter Says? Five out of Five Screams. Anyone into horror should be able to appreciate this 80s masterpiece by Craven, as it isn’t nearly as campy as most of the 80s horror I’ve seen and actually has some wicked acting involved as well as decent gore. A must-have for your collection, and a classic that will always grace my thoughts as one of the more memorable concepts in the horror genre. RIP Mr. Craven. Thank you for the Nightmares.

As a bonus for reading tonight, I’ve included a link to the actual script for your viewing pleasure, which can be found here: http://www.dailyscript.com/scripts/nightmare-on-elm-street.html

As usual, please feel free to comment below, and thanks for reading!