obj/subj- a nightmare on elm street (1984).

letterboxd:

★ ★ ★ ★ - (3.7/5)

imdb:

★ ★ ★ - (7.4/10)

rotten tomatoes:

★ ★ ★ ★ - (84/100)

submitted by chuck’s wife bethany (thank you!) -

my summary: 

“Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends’ become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.”—Copied from IMDB.

my thoughts on the popular opinion of this movie:

Popular consensus for the last 40 years is that this movie is scary as hell. Its plot and villain, Freddy Kreuger, are unique and entertaining. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is in our popular culture to this day. Everyone, young and old, knows who Freddy is.

my personal movie rating: 

I’ve always loved horror movies. I remember watching “Scream” when it first came out on VHS and just cowering under my blankets in my bed (I was around 8, which is crazy to think about…) Weirdly enough, I had heard about ANOES all throughout childhood, and knew of Freddy, but never saw the movie until I was 27.

It was a few months after my dad had died from cancer, and I was stuck in grief. It must have been around 2 AM and I stumbled upon this movie. From the opening scene of Tina running around the boiler room to the final shot of the group of friends being driven to their deaths, I was stunned. For the first time in many years, a movie left me afraid to fall asleep.

The reason I find it so enjoyable is that it’s not like the other slasher movies. Killers like Jason are so boring to me because it’s just a guy with a machete, who lives at a campsite and whom you can easily avoid being killed by if you just stay away. Freddy is unescapable. He attacks you when you’re asleep. You can’t live without sleep, but also, eventually your body just gives out and puts you to sleep anyway. Then, while you’re in that weird stage of dreams, he tricks you and plays games with you before killing you. Dreams are totally unpredictable and unable to be fully controlled by you.

my critical movie rating: 

I would say that it’s withstood the test of time, both in storytelling and special effects. I’ve read different analysis of the movie over the years, and it’s amazing how much symbolism and meaning this movie contains. Everything from the hardships of being a teenager to revenge.

More than anything, I think it’s held up due to the universal feeling of being a teenager and being ignored by your parents. In the movie, Nancy tells her parents that something is wrong, and that someone is trying to kill her. Rather than listen, they either ignore her and chalk it to down to her acting out. We’ve all gone through that stage in our life where everything was confusing and yet no one could save us.

if I were encouraging someone to watch this: 

Many things about the movie appeal to me: the ominous theme music, the creepy cinematography, the final girl trope, and the creative dream sequences. Also, depending on if you’re a fan or not, Johnny Depp is in this. It was his first major role—and it shows. If you’re not a fan or his, he does get sucked into a bed and drained of all his blood before it bursts out all over his bedroom.

I would totally encourage anyone who’s a fan of horror movies to watch this film (if not the entire series…yes, even Freddy vs. Jason, too). Depending on what you’re looking for, whether that’s a deep analysis or just a fun scary movie, it’s got something for everyone.  

further comments: 

If you do end up marathoning this series, check out the documentary “Never Sleep Again.” It’s about 4 hours long, but it goes through the genesis of the first movie and the subsequent films. It explores how A Nightmare on Elm Street is relevant to this day and features most of the former cast from all the films!

personal thoughts

I am the opposite of a horror movie connoisseur, as I’ve really only seen two (Dark Entities, a local production that I had a scene in, and The Shining), neither of which particularly scared me. However, this hasn’t dissuaded me from learning about horror movies from outside sources, like testaments by my favorite reviewers and video essays online. It’s a fascinating kind of film that can evoke feelings that no other genre dares to touch. Reading this submission has inspired me to potentially try out a few and hope that they don’t completely freak me out- but it might be better if they did! It’s all part of the experience. The submitter was correct in saying that everyone knows Freddy, I remember him being discussed as early as elementary school, where people were trying to convince me that he really existed. This film’s legacy is absolutely nothing to sneeze at, and from what I’ve heard, I’m certain that it lives up to it.