Review of A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) by Jared B — 08 Oct 2016

Not many films really dare and try to encapsulate the mysterious relationship between the dream world and reality, but A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the few films to tackle it, and have a ton of fun in the process.

Directed by the horror legend, Wes Craven, A Nightmare on Elm Street came out right around the peak for the 'Slasher' film. (some even credit it for revitalizing the genre) The popularity for the genre and the film specifically is obviously through the roof. But I was interested to see just how well it holds up 32 years later, especially for a casual horror fan like me. But it surprisingly fared well for my tastes. Certain aspects, such as the vintage 80's soundtrack/score are a bit dated, but the ideas and themes can live on for multiple generations.

The premise of having a serial killer haunt and murder people in their dreams is a fascinating idea, and one that plays extremely well in a horror flick. Not being able to sleep with the lights off is one thing, but not being able to sleep at all is another thing entirely. It's a villain you can't run away from or kill the way you can kill a normal person, which definitely adds to the mystique and wonder to the great Freddy Krueger. At first, you question what the real stakes are for a villain who is essentially a fantasy in a few teen's imagination, but Krueger certainly puts an end to that question rather quickly.

Craven brings plenty of nuance and uniqueness to the story, but I do think the dialogue and acting could have been a little bit better. The cast isn't full of Oscar winners or anything, but I wish I would have been more attached to the characters so that when Freddy strikes, it's a meaningful death. However, I give Craven credit for pulling a bit of a bait and switch in terms of main characters and obviously finding the talent of Johnny Depp.

A few logic issues and character tropes don't prevent this from being one of the horror classic of the 20th century. Simply Craven's imagination is enough to give this film more than one look. A Nightmare on Elm Street is a treat even the most hesitant horror fans.

+Craven's neat direction.

+What an ending.

+Dream/reality ideas.

-Dialogue/acting could be improved.

8.1/10.