Review of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010) by Josh M — 17 Jun 2014

Really great documentary that covers the entire series. They give so much insight into each movie. Its extremely satisfying. My favorite aspect is that Never Sleep Again showcases the genuine love the actors, directors, workers had for their entries in the franchise. They spoke so glowingly about their roles some 20+ years after the fact.

- I absolutely loved the stop-motion animation used to introduce the documentary. They were carried out throughout, but were most impressive in the opening sequence.

- I can't believe how thorough they were in bringing back past cast members. It's unbelievable. I do wish Johnny Depp (N1) and Patricia Arquette (N3) would have had an appearance, though. But, outside of those two, everyone else is there.

- I liked the setup and pacing of documentary. Just the right amount of time is given to each film. I like that they introduce the cast and directors first, one-by-one (with their various backstories) then show how the film was made (almost scene-by-scene) then wrap it up with the box-office, post-film results. It just feels thorough. I didn't expect them to have that amount of detail for each. I thought they'd do the first film that way, but not the next 6 films. But, they gave each film their due.

- This is the first time I realized how truly important the director is. From Wes Craven, and the other 5 directors, you really see how their personality and vision shaped the films. You really see how each film differs from one another because of these people.

- Heather Langenkamp narrates which is nostalgic. By far my favorite character in the films...and what a babe, still.