A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
DVD/ NEW LINE HOME ENTERTAINMENT
1984 (Say NO to Michael Bay and Platinum Dunes)
Ok. Let's forget there ever was an "Elm Street". Will Michael Bay's tepid remake
ever be as powerful alongside the care and energy Wes Craven pumped into his
1980's darling?
Definitely not. It was a question of craft as well as money. At least it was to
Craven, who shopped his script all over, only to have it fall into the hands of
a tiny company called "New Line Cinema". The small studio that could was first
founded by producer Robert Shaye, who distributed indie titles and cult hits
like "Reefer Madness" to college circuits. With "A Nightmare on Elm Street", the
movie apparatus was in full swing, with Shaye adding up even more talent soon
afterwards, calling the whole result, "The House That Freddy Built". It was a
one of a kind film that set up new rules for a slasher film while providing an
innovative new concept which was having an adventure in a dream land, or in this
case, nightmare.
When
it first appeared in 1984, people couldn't stop talking about it. It made for
countless imitations and star Robert Englund was made into an instant celebrity,
with fame for Johnny Depp just around the corner. Fangoria magazine was all over
it and horror fans were excited for they found their new idol of fear, Fred
Krueger, the man with "knives for fingers" who came into your dreams with one
goal, to kill you before you screamed yourself awake.
The whole idea came from a series of newspaper clippings that Craven collected.
Yep, the movie was based upon a series of true stories about kids who were
traumatized by believing that there was indeed something or someone after them
in their sleep, and if they dozed off, they were convinced it would lead to
instant death. Some would avoid sleeping pills and one even hid a pot of coffee
under his bed. Interestingly enough, the case was cemented as frantic parents
would run into their screaming child's bedroom only to find that he had died
within a matter of moments after having fallen asleep. Pretty scary stuff, and
it inspired Wes Craven, an interpreter of dreams himself, to write his newest
screenplay.
Craven himself wasn't foreign to horror before the events of Springwood, Ohio,
after having made two of the most controversial horror films back to back. "The
Last House on the Left" and "The Hills Have Eyes", were both dealing with the
deconstruction of the family unit. In "Elm Street", he once again mixed the
flavor of Mom's apple pie with a bitter worm. Somehow I got the feeling that he
was trying to hide something in a picturesque world full of picket fences and
happy go lucky suburbia. A dirty secret underneath all that was leaking out into
the real world, and chewing us up faster than it could swallow whole.
The film centers around a small knit group of friends having the same horrid
nightmares about a shady, disfigured man with razor fingers. Much like the
newspaper clippings that Wes Craven read, they try to stay awake, ever fearful
that they would be the next victims to be claimed. Enter Nancy Thompson, a
possible hero who learns the true power of what her dreams hold and tries to
stop the evil from being released throughout her neighborhood. This would
involve stepping through the dream itself and having many encounters with said
slasher Krueger. He would pop up instantaneously whenever she, or any of her
friends slept. Frankly, the best ideas were saved for when the killer showed up.
It usually was where you would least expect it, such as in a girl's bathtub, and
how are you more vulnerable than when you are naked?
It isn't a slash and stalk film, and takes a story idea to new and imaginative
levels rather than quickly finishing the characters off one by one. We see the
fear and eeriness creep into the frames by presenting the menace and how far it
progresses. Except for a few bloody sequences, the movie is encased with
atmosphere, whether in asbestos filled boiler rooms or dank police stations.
There is nothing flashy or bright in any part of the film, which means that a
setup could be waiting behind any corner.
The Infinifilm version contains a very clear print of the movie itself with
extra commentary by Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Wes Craven, Amanda Wyss, and
Robert Englund. The original commentary track is along for the ride as well, so
you have two for the price of one. Of course that's only the tip of this
iceberg.
Extras include:
Remastered Picture
Documentary: "Never Sleep Again"
BEYOND THE MOVIE
"The House That Freddy Built"
"Night Terrors:The origins of Wes Craven's Nightmares"
Infinifilm INTERACTIVES:
*Pop up prompts, Nightmare fact track and video clips
*Rom Content
ADDITIONAL FEATURES:
*Alternate Endings
*Audio commentary
As I have said many times, it is very important to own a copy of this film if
you have a curious lad or lass just itching at the teeth to see the new remake
of this film. It would be better for you and your wallet to show them the
original 1984 film and to stay out of theaters when the remake hits. To recall
Michael Moore's Oscar rant, "Shame on you Michael Bay!" "Shame on you!"
.....Like Bay would care. He used a "MUSIC" director for his film. That's a bad
enough sign. When we are finished with remakes, the sooner the genre will have a
chance to grow again and prosper, with new scares and imaginative possibilities.