Review of A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) by Markus M — 08 Nov 2015

I'm not sure if it was because I saw the film in a theater on a big screen this time around, but my second time seeing A Nightmare on Elm Street left somewhat of a different impression on me compared to when I saw it for the first time a few years ago on DVD. Or maybe it's because I had different expectations as to what the film would be when I saw it the first time and therefor saw it this time with a different mindset. Whatever the case, I think it's safe for me to say that this is a film that's ideas and reputation are far greater than the actual film itself. Freddy Krueger is one of the greatest horror movie characters ever created, the concept of a killer roaming in dreams is brilliant, the music's memorable, as are several of the kills in the film, and Johnny Depp's first on-screen role is cool to see as a curiosity. But for such a brilliant concept with such great potential, not only are the narrative and the characters not very captivating, the film never really utilizes the full potential of the fact that in dreams you can do pretty much anything. Most of the dream sequences just happen in locations familiar from the real world, and there's no real distinction between the dream world and reality, so the potential for truly surreal nightmarish visuals is never really tapped into. The best scenes in the film are the ones that actually stand out visually from the rest of the movie - namely the opening and climax of the film which take place in a boiler room. The sequels would go on to further explore the possibilities of the dream world, although with varying results. Still, the perfect Elm Street movie as far as I'm concerned has still not been made - even if a few of the films in the series are entertaining as all hell.

7,5/10.