Wes Craven's stylish 1984 supernatural slasher masterpiece A Nightmare on Elm Street
was the first successful mainstream film for New Line Cinema, grossing a cool $25,000,000 at the US box office and spawning a series
of no less than seven sequels and one inferior remake to date. After the unfair critical and financial failure of their first production, Jack Sholder's underrated 1982 slasher Alone in the Dark
, New Line decided to take a chance on Craven's innovative script, which had been rejected by all other major studios, and a legend was born: Freddy Krueger, the bald, fire-disfigured, razor-digited child killer who attacks the children of the parents who burned him alive through their dreams. Craven reportedly based the character on a childhood bully of the same name, so I can only imagine if the guy who served as the inspiration for the infamous name was around when this film came out, because the name "Freddy Krueger" is so internationally famous that it would be impossible for the guy not to have known about the in-joke unless he was dead. The film has an incredibly creepy, brooding atmosphere that is enhanced by Charles Bernstein's absolutely spooky, brilliant and innovative score
, which is unforgettable and definitely as iconic and unique as the music from Halloween
and Friday the 13th
.
This is Freddy as he was meant to be, a mostly silent and truly frightening character that had no counterpart at the time. Though the barrage of catchy phrases Krueger became famous for later is absent from this one, Freddy does speak here and there, setting him apart from movie serial killers Jason Voorhees
and Michael Myers. The part made a horror star of Robert Englund, who is amazing and totally unrecognizable under heavy makeup, and this is without question the talented character actor's signature role. Englund reportedly based his characterization partially on Klaus Kinski's performance in Nosferatu, the Vampyre
(1979). The dirty red and green sweater is another attribute Freddy is famous for, but interestingly enough it was originally written by Craven to be red and yellow in homage to Plastic Man! After reading a magazine article that claimed red and green were the two most contrasting colors to the human eye, Craven changed the script and the legendary Christmas-colored sweater was substituted into Freddy's attire.
The scene where dreaming Tina (Amanda Wyss) is slashed across the stomach and pulled across the bedroom ceiling by an invisible Freddy while her boyfriend Rod (Jsu Garcia, billed here as Nick Corri) watches helplessly was voted #17 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, but for me it's the extended dream sequence leading up to that famous shot that's even scarier. It begins with Tina (in her dream) walking out of her house and into the backyard to investigate some rocks being thrown at her bedroom window by an unseen person whispering her name in the dark. After being startled by a rustling garbage can lid, Tina is horrified to see a dark figure with impossibly elongated, outstretched arms that span the width of the alley behind the house cackling demonically and slowly approaching her. It's my personal favorite moment of the film and the one I think of first whenever I hear the words "Freddy" or "A Nightmare on Elm Street", and was achieved by having a crew on each side of the alley with fishing poles holding up and moving the puppet arms with string. Another great example of what can be accomplished on a small budget (an estimated 1.8 million) with some vision and imagination.
The film is well-acted by a professional cast that includes newcomer Heather Langenkamp as troubled, nightmare-plagued heroine Nancy; horror veteran John Saxon as Lieutenant Thompson, Nancy's flustered dad; Nashville
's Ronee Blakley as Nancy's alcoholic mother; and Johnny Depp (in his film debut) as high school jock Glen, Nancy's boyfriend who lives right across the street from her and is dispatched late in the film by Freddy in a bizarre death scene that has Krueger pulling the sleeping boy into a hole in his own bed, with buckets of gore immediately spewing up from the opening and onto the ceiling and walls of the bedroom (a scene partly inspired by The Shining
's bloody elevator shot). Robert Englund's personification of child-killer Fred Krueger was good on enough to spawn endless sequels and even a TV series based on the character, which was listed at #40 on AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Heroes and Villains list and is a firm part of contemporary subculture.
Nearly 27 years after its original release, it's impossible to deny the impact A Nightmare on Elm Street has had on the modern horror film. It did more than just bring a supernatural twist to the already established slasher genre by creating its own playing rules and staying true to them. Craven's goal was to blur the line between fiction and reality, and he accomplishes it deftly, particularly in the final daylit scene which the audience at first thinks is the reality of a waking morning ... but turns out to be anything but! Craven reportedly wanted an entirely different ending that was happy and didn't hint at a return for Krueger, but I honestly am glad the studio picked the one they did, as I just don't feel a "happy" ending would have been as interesting. I admire Craven and his talent, but I tend to disagree with his ideas about how his films should end, this one included. While I'm on this scene, I should also point out another unique part of the Nightmare films that began in the original and has been featured to some degree in every sequel since: The white-clad, jump-roping children singing the trademark "One, two, Freddy's coming for you" rhyme. The kids symbolize the many innocent victims of Krueger during his natural life and before his torching, and their ghostly presence adds yet another creepy flavor to the film.
With a very high IMDB rating of 7.4 and thousands upon thousands of reviews, it's clear that A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most revered and influential horror films of all time and rightly deserving of a 9.5 of 10.
(If you enjoyed this article, I've also reviewed A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.)
was the first successful mainstream film for New Line Cinema, grossing a cool $25,000,000 at the US box office and spawning a series of no less than seven sequels and one inferior remake to date. After the unfair critical and financial failure of their first production, Jack Sholder's underrated 1982 slasher Alone in the Dark, New Line decided to take a chance on Craven's innovative script, which had been rejected by all other major studios, and a legend was born: Freddy Krueger, the bald, fire-disfigured, razor-digited child killer who attacks the children of the parents who burned him alive through their dreams. Craven reportedly based the character on a childhood bully of the same name, so I can only imagine if the guy who served as the inspiration for the infamous name was around when this film came out, because the name "Freddy Krueger" is so internationally famous that it would be impossible for the guy not to have known about the in-joke unless he was dead. The film has an incredibly creepy, brooding atmosphere that is enhanced by Charles Bernstein's absolutely spooky, brilliant and innovative score, which is unforgettable and definitely as iconic and unique as the music from Halloween and Friday the 13th.This is Freddy as he was meant to be, a mostly silent and truly frightening character that had no counterpart at the time. Though the barrage of catchy phrases Krueger became famous for later is absent from this one, Freddy does speak here and there, setting him apart from movie serial killers Jason Voorhees
and Michael Myers. The part made a horror star of Robert Englund, who is amazing and totally unrecognizable under heavy makeup, and this is without question the talented character actor's signature role. Englund reportedly based his characterization partially on Klaus Kinski's performance in Nosferatu, the Vampyre (1979). The dirty red and green sweater is another attribute Freddy is famous for, but interestingly enough it was originally written by Craven to be red and yellow in homage to Plastic Man! After reading a magazine article that claimed red and green were the two most contrasting colors to the human eye, Craven changed the script and the legendary Christmas-colored sweater was substituted into Freddy's attire. The scene where dreaming Tina (Amanda Wyss) is slashed across the stomach and pulled across the bedroom ceiling by an invisible Freddy
while her boyfriend Rod (Jsu Garcia, billed here as Nick Corri) watches helplessly was voted #17 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, but for me it's the extended dream sequence leading up to that famous shot that's even scarier. It begins with Tina (in her dream) walking out of her house and into the backyard to investigate some rocks being thrown at her bedroom window by an unseen person whispering her name in the dark. After being startled by a rustling garbage can lid, Tina is horrified to see a dark figure with impossibly elongated, outstretched arms that span the width of the alley behind the house cackling demonically and slowly approaching her. It's my personal favorite moment of the film and the one I think of first whenever I hear the words "Freddy" or "A Nightmare on Elm Street", and was achieved by having a crew on each side of the alley with fishing poles holding up and moving the puppet arms with string. Another great example of what can be accomplished on a small budget (an estimated 1.8 million) with some vision and imagination.The film is well-acted by a professional cast that includes newcomer Heather Langenkamp as troubled, nightmare-plagued heroine Nancy; horror veteran John Saxon as Lieutenant Thompson, Nancy's flustered dad; Nashville
's Ronee Blakley as Nancy's alcoholic mother; and Johnny Depp (in his film debut) as high school jock Glen, Nancy's boyfriend who lives right across the street from her and is dispatched late in the film by Freddy in a bizarre death scene that has Krueger pulling the sleeping boy into a hole in his own bed, with buckets of gore immediately spewing up from the opening and onto the ceiling and walls of the bedroom (a scene partly inspired by The Shining's bloody elevator shot). Robert Englund's personification of child-killer Fred Krueger was good on enough to spawn endless sequels and even a TV series based on the character, which was listed at #40 on AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Heroes and Villains list and is a firm part of contemporary subculture.Nearly 27 years after its original release, it's impossible to deny the impact A Nightmare on Elm Street
has had on the modern horror film. It did more than just bring a supernatural twist to the already established slasher genre by creating its own playing rules and staying true to them. Craven's goal was to blur the line between fiction and reality, and he accomplishes it deftly, particularly in the final daylit scene which the audience at first thinks is the reality of a waking morning ... but turns out to be anything but! Craven reportedly wanted an entirely different ending that was happy and didn't hint at a return for Krueger, but I honestly am glad the studio picked the one they did, as I just don't feel a "happy" ending would have been as interesting. I admire Craven and his talent, but I tend to disagree with his ideas about how his films should end, this one included. While I'm on this scene, I should also point out another unique part of the Nightmare films that began in the original and has been featured to some degree in every sequel since: The white-clad, jump-roping children singing the trademark "One, two, Freddy's coming for you" rhyme. The kids symbolize the many innocent victims of Krueger during his natural life and before his torching, and their ghostly presence adds yet another creepy flavor to the film. With a very high IMDB rating of 7.4 and thousands upon thousands of reviews, it's clear that A Nightmare on Elm Street
is one of the most revered and influential horror films of all time and rightly deserving of a 9.5 of 10.(If you enjoyed this article, I've also reviewed A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child.)
