Welcome back to “31 Days of Halloween!” This is a seasonal series where I will spend each day this month watching and discussing a horror film. The parameters are very loose, not sticking to one specific subgenre or director. So far we’ve focused on Event Horizon and Martyrs, both of which are movies that I am quite fond of. While I’m sure I will eventually touch on some movies that I didn’t enjoy, that won’t be starting today.
Today, we will be covering a legitimate horror classic. This film created an empire, gave us one of the greatest horror icons of all time, and put New Line Cinema on the map. This movie, of course, is Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street.
There will be spoilers, so be warned!
October 3rd
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
In the early 80’s, the name Wes Craven was already well known all over Hollywood. After the success of his two classics The Hills Have Eyes and The Last House on the Left, Craven was working diligently on his next script. Using LA Times articles about Asian immigrants dying during nightmares and his own creepy childhood experiences as inspiration, Craven began working on the screenplay for a little movie called A Nightmare on Elm Street. Craven’s previously earned film cred seemed to not matter though, as countless film studios turned down the opportunity to produce and distribute the movie. This continued until Robert Shaye, CEO of a new, unknown studio known as New Line Cinema (they had only produced one film at this point) got his hands on the script. The studio was nearly going bankrupt, so Shaye essentially put all of his chips on the table for Nightmare.
Looking back now, over 30 years later, it’s safe to say that his investment paid off. The original movie has led to nine films (including a reboot), video games, comics and novels, a “Tales From the Crypt” style television series, and countless types of merchandise and memorabilia. New Line Cinema is often jokingly referred to as “The House that Freddy Built,” and it is hard not to agree with this sentiment when you look at the history of the company. In 1983, they were ready to declare bankruptcy and go their separate ways. A little more than 15 years later, they had tapped Peter Jackson to helm an ambitious adaptation of the Lord of the Rings book series. Freddy’s influence on New Line and the horror genre is impossible to ignore. While I could easily discuss the series as a whole, for the sake of length and time, I will be focusing specifically on the 1984 original, starring Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp.
What’s it About?
For most of you, I hope, this section isn’t really necessary. Freddy Krueger has permeated through pop culture so much, his story is almost as well known as that of Batman or Luke Skywalker. Regardless, I will still be giving my synopsis.
In the idyllic suburban town of Springwood, Ohio, some local teenagers are having trouble sleeping. Tina (played here by Amanda Wyss), while hanging out with boyfriend Rod (Nick Corri…er I mean Jsu Garcia) and friends Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) and Glenn (Johnny Depp in his very first role), mentions a recurring dream that she’s been having. In this dream, Tina sees a terrifying man. Horribly burned, and wearing a red-and-green sweater, a beat-down fedora, and a glove with knives for fingers, this man constantly stalks and frightens her. To both of their surprises, Nancy mentions how she’s been having the same man in her own nightmares. While the two guys shrug it off, it’s clear in their faces that they’ve seen the man, too. When our teen stars decide to have a sleep-over, Tina is horribly butchered during her sleep and Rod is charged with the murder. Nancy, however, knows that something more is going on. Who is the man haunting their dreams? Why is he after these children specifically? Most importantly: is it really possible that when you die in your dreams, you can die for real?
Most of you probably already know the answers to these questions. While the Freddy Krueger mythos is pretty much blown wide open by the sixth film, there was a time where old pizza-face (apparently the makeup effects designer actually was inspired by a pepperoni pizza) was shrouded in mystery. Finding out about his past is one of the most intriguing and morally ambiguous moments in the film.
“This…is God.” Freddy was mostly shrouded in mystery during the first film, which is even reflected in how his face is kept in shadows for the majority of the run time.
What Works?
First of all, the premise to this film is still, to this day, one of the most original and ingenious premises in the history of the horror genre. One of the best things that a horror film can do is turn something mundane or something that everyone experiences into something frightening. Jaws did it with the beach, and Rosemary’s Baby did it with the wonders of pregnancy and childbirth. What makes A Nightmare on Elm Street so terrifying is that everyone has to sleep eventually. No matter how much caffeine you drink, no matter how loud you play music, you will eventually have to rest. In the realm of sleep, you are no longer in control: you’re in Freddy’s realm. This threat of inescapable horror fills the majority of the movie with a sense of dread. It certainly doesn’t help that the transitions between dream and reality are seamless, constantly leaving the audience guessing as to what is real and what is not.
The practical effects are absolutely astonishing, especially if you’re educated on the making of the film (thanks, Never Sleep Again!). Two standout scenes in the film, Tina and Glenn’s deaths, were both made possible by a rotating room that the filmmakers constructed on set. Seeing Tina roll around the ceiling of the room, gushing blood (a scene made very tame by the remake thanks to poor CGI) out of her stomach, is truly unsettling, made worse by Rod screaming her name the whole time. Of course, who could forget the fountain of blood that Glenn becomes after Freddy sucks him into his bed?
I’d also just like to mention that this movie has one of the best taglines of all time, up there with “In Space, No One Can Hear You Scream”: “If Nancy doesn’t wake up screaming, she won’t wake up at all.”
What Doesn’t Work?
The main problem with this movie has mostly to do with the time period in which it was released. While the movie is mostly timeless and I believe it can be appreciated by any generation, there are some very “80’s” elements to this film. While nothing comes close to Jesse’s dance scene in Elm Street 2, there are a few campy moments and dated elements that make the film unintentionally funny at times. One specific example of this “so bad that it’s actually great” filmmaking is the last scene of the film, where Nancy’s mother is pulled through a small window on the front door of their home. It is so ridiculously obvious that they’re pulling a mannequin through the door, I can’t help but be reminded of the scene in The Godfather where Sonny is attacking Carlo, and his fist swings nearly a full foot in front of Carlo’s face. These both seem like odd filmmaking moments in otherwise incredible films.
Let’s return to the final scene of the movie for just a moment. The final scene of the film is notoriously ambiguous, and it has led to constant discussion over the past three decades. Was it all a dream? Was Nancy’s plan all for nothing? The only thing fans can know for sure, is that Wes Craven hated the ending and had something completely different in mind. The ending we received was courtesy of Robert Shaye, who wanted to leave the potential for sequels on the table (and boy, did that work out for him). In hindsight, the ending seems vital in that it keeps Freddy alive to continue stalking the Springwood kids. However, having Nancy show up again in Dream Warriors just needlessly complicates things. This ambiguous ending is a detriment to the rest of the movie, and has always left me with a feeling of “Huh….okay” whenever I finish the film.
Now I need to clarify that I don’t dislike the ending simply because it is ambiguous. Hell, Martyrs has one of the most ambiguous endings I have ever seen, and I absolutely adored it. The difference is that the ambiguity in Martyrs was necessary. Giving answers would have lessened the impact of that film: it’s probably not a great idea to give a definitive vision of the afterlife in your film. This ambiguity has led to years of discussion and is one of the reasons that I believe Martyrs has so much staying power. The ambiguity in Nightmare, however, seems a bit like a cop-out, shocker ending. It reminds me of Jason jumping out of the water in Friday the 13th, a brief moment of shock and horror that ultimately bears no effect on the plot. It leaves me feeling like they possibly wanted to go for the “it was all a dream” trope, which is one of the greatest sins any screenwriter can commit.
Scariest Moment
There are a handful of iconic scenes in this film. There’s Nancy’s phone turning into Freddy’s tongue and getting a little…frisky with Nancy, there’s Nancy falling asleep in class and seeing Tina dragged through the school halls in a bloody body bag, and there’s Glenn’s bloody bed fountain.
Seeing Tina being dragged through the school hallway by some invisible force was an image that haunted me as a child.
The scene that has always stood out to me above them all (and apparently the studio loves it too, as they reused the same kill in both New Nightmare and the 2010 reboot) is the death of Tina. Going in blind, audiences could easily believe that Tina is the main character of the film. It opens with her dream, and for the first 20 or so minutes of the movie, Nancy feels like a side character. Then Tina commits the ultimate horror taboo of having sex, and it is all downhill from there.
While her and Rod sleep in Tina’s parents room, she finds herself being chased by Krueger again. He finally catches her this time, and when he slices her across the belly, it appears in the real world. He then proceeds to violently toss her onto the walls and ceiling; all the while, Rod is in the corner screaming in a mixture of horror and confusion. When Freddy is done, he just drops Tina back onto the bed, splashing blood all over Rod’s face as she lands.
Sick.
Is It Worth Watching?
So far, this is actually the easiest time I’ve had with this question. This is partially because it easily the most digest-able movie on my list. I consider this movie to be a “rite of passage” movie when it comes to those who want to dive deep into the horror genre. This movie is about as perfect and original as a slasher film can get, and Freddy is a joy to watch on screen (even in his Lecter-esque mere seven minutes of screentime). I’d say that A Nightmare on Elm Street is just as important as Halloween and possibly even more important than Friday the 13th when it comes to the history of the horror genre as a whole. This was a movie that helped sculpt the future of modern horror cinema, for better or worse, and it’s easily one of my favorite horror films of all time. The only way I don’t see myself recommending this to someone is if they really, really don’t like horror movies. Obviously, this isn’t going to do anything to change that.
I’d also argue that this series probably has the best run of sequels of any of the major horror franchises. While many of the sequels are bad (Freddy’s Revenge, Freddy’s Dead, The Dream Child), there are quite a few gems (Dream Warriors, New Nightmare), and even the bad ones have great scenes in them. If you enjoy this movie, I’d say give the sequels a chance. Watch Freddy Vs Jason and the 2010 reboot as well, but expect to be disappointed. If you’re like me, and find yourself fascinated with this film and the franchise as a whole, do yourself a favor and watch Never Sleep Again. Never Sleep Again was a four hour documentary released in 2010 that extensively covers each film in the franchise (besides the reboot, of course). They pull in nearly every cast and crew member from the series, besides some of the bigger names who were probably too busy, and it is an absolutely fascinating watch.
That’s Day 3! I hope you all have been enjoying reading these reviews as much as I’ve loved writing them thus far. It’s been difficult to branch out to movies I haven’t seen so far, as my school workload is a bit overwhelming, but that all changes tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I will be covering Dario Argento’s artistic horror classic Suspiria. I’ve been meaning to watch this movie for years, and I’m excited to do a review piece for a movie that will be fresh and surprising for me.
Like, share, follow my page, you know the deal! Stay tuned tomorrow for my thoughts on Suspiria.
Rising Action 