Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
When the old saying “a dream is a wish your heart makes” goes the wrong way.
Brief Backstory
While the 1950s horror world was all about being out of this world or unfriendly visitors from other planets, the 1970s and 1980s were a time where a plethora of horror movies involved a serial killer.
Story
In an Ohio city, several teenagers are tracked down by a serial killer named Freddy Krueger, seeking revenge against their parents for burning him.
Random Facts
A 2 prong outlet is seen in the bathroom. Not built to code.
Johnny Depp got a breakout role in this. 20ish years later in 2003 he’d become more well known for playing Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Carribean.
Freddy himself stays out of the movie for most of the run time. He’s only around for 5-8 minutes. Later Nightmare on Elm Street movies increased the amount of time he showed up on screen, which led to complaints from horror buffs stating that the later movies weren’t scary enough.
Everyone who’s seen this and later Nightmare on Elm Street movies calls this the scariest of the franchise. Apparently some of this was due to Freddy’s minimal time on screen and the structure of the story.
Nightmare on Elm Street deserves a good game adaptation; the NES game from the late 80s was horrible.
Random Opinions
Of the three major slasher villain movies of the 1980s, Nightmare on Elm Street gets second place for the scariest of them. Child’s Play is still scarier since to me a toy that can move its’ mouth and talk seemed scarier to me. The original Friday the 13th was more or less just a rip off of Psycho.
Before Freddy appears in one scene, the national anthem is played; seems like a reference to Poltergeist to me.
Pros
- Remarkably scary murder scenes.
- Freddy’s limited screen time is utilized amazingly.
- Creepy sound effects.
- Great ending where we’re left with the question: Did Freddy win?
Cons
- I kind of question Nancy’s mother’s competence. She pretty much traps Nancy in her own house.
Rating: 9/10 – Amazing
Another phenomenal horror movie from the 1980s. I’m planning to see some more of the series.
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