 Tagline: She is the only one who can stop it... if she fails, no one survives. "1-2 Freddy's coming for you." And here he is, phantom fiend Freddy Krueger in all his razor-fingered infamy. Wes Craven (Scream movies) directs this trendsetting first in the slash-hit series. The premise is simple: Freddy (Robert Englund) homicidally haunts the sleep of Elm Street teens. The results are terrifying and mind-blowingly innovative. There's another film debut too: Johnny Depp. He plays the ready steady of the hottie mcsmarty (Heather Langenkamp) who figures a clever way to flambé the fiend. But ever-day-die Freddy will be 3, 4 back for more....even returning to the screen in a killer 2010 remake of this diabolical original. Sweet dreams! Storyline: On Elm Street, Nancy Thompson and a group of her friends including Tina Gray, Rod Lane and Glen Lantz are being tormented by a clawed killer in their dreams named Freddy Krueger. Nancy must think quickly, as Freddy tries to pick off his victims one by one. When he has you in your sleep, who is there to save you? Written by simon_hrdng Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman, April 3, 2010 -- What is seen is not always what is real. When it comes to modern Horror, there are three names that immediately spring to mind: Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and Freddy Krueger. They are the younger generations' Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Mummy, and there's no shortage of debate in the world of Horror movie fandom as to which of these three icons of terror is greatest of them all. No doubt the Horror genre has given these killers some heated competition over the years -- Jigsaw Leatherface, and Pinhead being prime examples -- but there's no contesting the mythos surrounding the "big three" that have become the de facto faces of the genre. Their popularity soared in the 1980s, waned a bit in the 1990s, and they are currently enjoying resurgences thanks to an influx of remakes in their names in the past several years, and their exploits new and old have put a definitive stamp on Horror both now and forevermore. Theirs is a legend that's practically unrivaled and responsible for making the 1980s one of the most crucial and memorable for Horror moviemaking in film history. On a quiet neighborhood street in Anywhere, USA, the deformed killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund, Zombie Strippers) has returned from the grave with a new weapon in his arsenal against Elm Street's youth: the ability to attack them in their dreams. Young high schooler Tina (Amanda Wyss) is the first to experience the haunting figure in her sleep, and she soon learns that her friend Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) has also recently dreamed of the same demented figure. It doesn't take Freddy long to kill Tina in her sleep, for his powers allow him to inflict physical, real-world damage through his victims' dreams. Nancy's boyfriend Rod (Nick Corri) is blamed for the death, and it's not long before he's apprehended by the local sheriff, Don (John Saxon), who is also Nancy's father. Nancy soon realizes that Rod isn't behind the slayings as she pieces together the clues that lead her to believe that the maniac from hers and Tina's dreams is the true assailant behind the slaying. As Krueger haunts Nancy, she desperately tries to remain awake with the help of her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) as she struggles to learn of a way to defeat the mysterious and deadly killer, a killer with a deeply-hidden past known to some around Nancy and who believe the real-life Krueger to be long since dead, buried, and rendered harmless. Of the "big three" modern Horror icons and their respective series of films, Freddy Krueger and his A Nightmare on Elm Street proves the most unique. Although the film contains the basic elements of teenagers in peril, graphic violence, and plenty of chase-and-run sequences, it's the interesting twist of pitting reality against the complexities of the mind that set it apart from both Friday the 13th and Halloween. Additionally, Horror fans are here treated to a killer that's not the silent, hulking type; Freddy Krueger is a verbal participant in the film and his antics add another dimension to the story. While there's plenty that's terrifying about a wordless giant stalking victims with a large bladed weapon, the personalization and interaction that Freddy injects into the film creates a different -- but no less frightening-- atmosphere. Indeed, A Nightmare on Elm Street smartly innovates while also treading on familiar ground, allowing Horror aficionados to enjoy something new while also settling into a comfort zone where promiscuous teenagers are brutally slaughtered, where blood flows freely, and where a lone female protagonist manages to beat the odds and face off with the killer one-on-one at film's end. A Nightmare on Elm Street is also one of the the more brutally graphic pictures of its time. While it's certainly no Saw VI in terms of hardcore and disturbingly realistic gore, there's plenty of splattered and gushing blood from wounds that are often made of visibly phony prosthetics but nonetheless prove effective in context. The film delivers several scenes that become completely awash in the red stuff, and there's a host of additional gruesomeness in the form of various insects and snakes that add to the grotesque and fantastical world the picture so painstakingly creates. Indeed, Writer/Director Wes Craven (the Scream franchise) in his film shapes a vivid universe where reality and dream-induced terror become one and the same, where the line between the waking and sleeping worlds is eliminated and where there's seemingly nowhere to run from something as simple as nature taking its course. It's a stroke of storytelling genius to place danger in something that comes so naturally as sleep; it's something to which the body must succumb, is required for proper and aware function, and despite one's best efforts to defeat it, sleep is a relentless stalker that will ultimately defeat even the staunchest and most clever of those that try to beat it. In the case of A Nightmare on Elm Street, it's one's potentially fatal submission to the call of nature and the ticking of the clock that's the driving force behind the most original element the film has to offer. Though it gets plenty right, A Nightmare on Elm Street is still a product of its era; as mentioned earlier, the buckets of blood splattered all over the screen don't exactly equate to the realistic violence to which 21st century Horror aficionados have become accustomed, but one must watch a movie like this with as much an eye towards its historical relevance as one of the grandfathers of the modern Horror movie while also enjoying it for its straight-up value as a fun Slasher movie. The picture's special effects are effective but fairly primitive by today's standards, and its synthesizer-heavy score also puts an unmistakable 1980s timestamp on it. Fortunately, neither prove to be a deal-breaker to the film; in fact, they only add to the picture's charm and retro 1980s feel, though no doubt both the effects and the music worked far better in 1984 than they do in 2010. A Nightmare on Elm Street is also hampered by some wishy-washy acting; Robert Englund proves the picture's best asset even though he's not yet brought the character to the level of a living cartoon that he'd adopt in later franchise outings. He's more menacing here than elsewhere, but still demonstrates that evil charm that's made him a genre icon. John Saxon was, then, the film's biggest name star, and he delivers the most steady effort of the bunch, while Heather Langenkamp does well enough as the film's obligatory last-girl-standing. Also featured is Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp in his first screen appearance. The idea behind A Nightmare on Elm Street actually proves more frightening than does the actual film itself, but there's still plenty of juicy violence and gore here to satisfy genre fans, and more importantly, the picture proves a must-see as a slice of Hollywood history and the starting point for what would become one of Tinseltown's longest-running, popular, and bloody Horror franchises. Much like Friday the 13th, it's what the movie represents more than what it actually does that has made it such a long-lasting tribute to the Horror genre, but Wes Craven's ability to craft a Slasher Horror picture with a novel idea that both recreates the typical run-chase-hide and hack-and-slash style of Horror with a unique twist that adds a new dimension of terror to the story sets it apart from the pack and solidifies the movie as one of the best of its kind. Longtime fans of the franchise should be thrilled with this Blu-ray release. New Line has delivered a picture quality that's nothing short of excellent while also featuring a loud and aggressive lossless soundtrack and a wonderful array of extras. Here's hoping the remaining Nightmare films soon find their way to Blu-ray, but until then, there's no reason not to make A Nightmare on Elm Street a proud new member of the Blu-ray collection. Highly Recommended. 1-2 Freddy's coming for you.[CSW] -3.6- Summary: A movie that rejuvenated the slasher genre. By 1984, the slasher genre was wearing thin. Halloween bombed out with number 3, and Friday the 13th was falling into the dreadful mix of completely cliché horror. Without A Nightmare on Elm Street, that could have been it for the slasher film. With it, however, the genre was brought off the respirator for another 10 years when Craven did it again with Scream, but I digress. Wes Craven delivers a very original, creative, and well played out horror film that has the perfect level of plot, fright, gore, and imagination. The balance of these elements is key, as it gives you the best of all of them, without becoming too cliché, too bloody, or too silly. The movie keeps you with the characters throughout, who, unlike in the Friday the 13th series, aren't there only to be lined up for slaughter. To top all that off, there's the smart, fear-inspiring bogeyman Freddy Krueger, who is one of the greatest villains in cinema history. The combination of all these factors makes A Nightmare on Elm Street easily recognizable as a landmark in classic horror.Only the first A Nightmare On Elm Street was worth having on Blu-ray. The A Nightmare On Elm Street Collection (1984-94), a 7-Movie 8-Disc DVD Boxed Set was given to JOYA. Cast Notes: John Saxon (Lt. Donald Thompson), Ronee Blakley (Marge Thompson), Heather Langenkamp (Nancy Thompson), Amanda Wyss (Christina 'Tina' Gray), Jsu Garcia (Rod Lane [as Nick Corri]), Johnny Depp (Glen Lantz), Charles Fleischer (Dr. King), Joseph Whipp (Sgt. Parker), Robert Englund (Fred Krueger), Lin Shaye (Teacher), Joe Unger (Sgt. Garcia), Mimi Craven (Nurse [as Mimi Meyer-Craven]), Jack Shea (Minister), Ed Call (Mr. Lantz), Sandy Lipton (Mrs. Lantz). IMDb Rating (04/03/12): 8.6/10 from 384,149 users Top 250: #33 IMDb Rating (10/15/07): 8.6/10 from 161,161 users Top 250: #27 IMDb Rating (11/18/01): 8.9/10 from 17,292 users Top 250: #9
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