Review of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010) by Bill K — 17 May 2010

This is the only "Nightmare" worth watching this year. Samuel Bayer should get a copy of this.

Forget about the new remake of the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street," this is the project that will really bring back Freddy nostalgia to the hardcore fans, and will also serve as a treat to those that felt shortchanged by not getting enough extra features on their original nightmare series dvd's, etc. To those who felt cheated out of a genuine Nightmare experience after watching the remake released by Platinum Dunes, get your hands on this for your Freddy-dish, if you are hungry for more this year. What we have here is a 240 minutes in length project on two discs, with many features. We have interviews, slashed scenes, expansion of the elm street franchise in comics, novels and more; there is animation used, which only adds to the original shock factor ( you can tell they had passion for this project, right down to the minute details), and there are enough topics explored here to keep even the most hardened-hardcore skeptical cynic of a fan happy.

Most notably, the cast is huge. That by far is what will be the biggest attraction to this project. No, they don't bring back everyone, but just enough that you won't even care. The people that aren't brought back, notable exceptions being Johnny Depp and Patricia Arquette, have their roles in the Elm Street series dissected and analyzed to satisfying degrees here. There is even an amusing scene with Depp being interviewed in the past, which will definitely make you smile. The main heroines are back: Heather Langenkamp as Nancy, who is our guide in this project, Lisa Wilcox as Alice, Tuesday Knight as Kristen, Lisa Zane as Maggie, Kim Myers as Lisa, and much more. They mostly look and sound fresh, just like they must have made the movies not too long ago. Hard to believe it's been over two decades for some of them. Then of course the men, Mark Patton as Jesse, Jsu Garcia/Nick Corri as Rod, Ken Sagoes as Kincaid, Danny Hassel as Dan, and of course, many more as well. John Saxon. Can we get some applause? How about, for Alice Cooper? It is also interesting to see where they are in their lives now, and what they look like, simply to quench our curiosity. Wait till you see the attractive Lezlie Deane from Freddy's Dead, or Lisa Wilcox from parts 4 and 5. They even brought back crew, composers, directors, and others involved with the project, who you wouldn't think would be found 20, etc, years later to reunite. To sum it up, there is virtually nothing missing.

The first disc is mainly filled with interviews in chronological order from the first nightmare down to the very last in the series, and it is as thorough as it gets. All of the participants in this documentary are filmed respectably, sometimes against familiar backgrounds fans would recognize immediately, which do justice towards their appearance, and add a serious tone. The enthusiasm from all the parties involved is delightful, and their knowledge that is shared is more than up to par; especially many years after the franchise has been presumably dead.

Robert Englund, who if anyone doesn't know yet, plays Freddy Krueger, especially seems to be aware of his iconic status, and reflects back on the legacy that is Elm Street. He even jokes around with Heather Langenkamp in one scene, where she asks him if he's seen a certain toy that they had of Nancy. Robert laughs, and tries his best to hold back further laughter, later mentioning to Heather in a straightforward way, that she's been in three of the sequels, and he's been in them all. No need to remind anyone who the real star of the series is, but the self-awareness of all the cast, on exactly how popular an etch they had on pop culture is present here, and thankfully so, because they deserve it.

This project is quite possibly long overdue, and something that was totally unexpected. When it was announced, it was thought that it would get pushed back and be shelved, rotting somewhere, never seeing the light of day. Somehow, it was unleashed, and the creative team behind it gave it all they had. One of the other great parts of this documentary is how it includes even New Nightmare and Freddy vs Jason, and how even on the supposed "weaker" flicks, by fans/critics alike, they were given their fair share and dues. The cast of each of the films was very supportive and informed us on how certain scenes were filmed, certain accidents which happened, some drama on the sets, and even expectations/fears box office wise. They cover so many different topics, that it should satisfy.

The second disc is mostly special features, which really leave nothing to the imagination. Everything is covered, and after you finish watching, if you dare watch it straight through, you will be left in a blissful exhaustion wishing for more. This is a must have documentary for any fan of the series, but even a casual horror fan would appreciate this project for its passionate approach towards horror-film moviemaking.