Slasher Review: A Nightmare on Elm Street

March 24, 2017

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Title: A Nightmare on Elm Street

Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Wes Craven
Release Date: November 9th, 1984
Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jus Garcia (as Nick Corri), Robert Englund

Cliff’s Notes

The teens of Elm Street have it rough. Besides having to put up with the bullshit that is high school, they all suffer from some wacked out dreams. Seems the vengeful spirit of a child molester is intent on taking them all out. Grab the coffee, this puppy gets mean.

Lecture

I’ve hit up Halloween and rocked out to Friday the 13th, so I figured it was about time to hit the other major 80’s slasher, A Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddie’s always been one of my favorites, so the thought of sitting down to this puppy after a few years away put one hell of a smile on my face. The verdict? Fred’s here to kill a slew of folks and I love it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street thrives in its “I’m not sure it’s a dream” set up. More than one scene starts going on way and ends in an entirely unexpected way. This allows Craven to go hog wild with all kinds of insane dream logic. My favorites include tongues coming out of phones, stairs that turn to mush, and the most intense bathroom scene since Psycho. There’s a level of unabashed creativity that flows through the flick, shaded with a vicious streak about a mile wide, that makes this puppy feel like a kind of demented roller coaster.

All of that would be pointless if we didn’t have a story and set of characters to hold onto. Not only is the relationship between parent and child at the forefront, the whole piece serves as a kind of political metaphor for the Reagan era. Craven’s smart enough to keep that element subtle, but he manages to maintain a darkly comic approach to the film that falls apart once you hit the fourth film in the series. What makes ANOES work so well is its human characters and, at least in this entry in the series, they’re center stage and rocking.

Any qualms? Well, the ending feels tacked on, which weakens the final effect of the film. And while the SFX are generally solid, there are a few that stand out, especially the fire work. Neither of those bug me on a huge level – I’m still grinning from the teen kills and that awesome boiler room – but every once in a while this puppy hits a note that’s not quite right.

Acting

Despite the fact the the film takes forever to get to her, Langenkamp manages to develop her role with a specificity that makes her stand out as the final girl. She carries the flick like a champ. Depp, Wyss, and Garcia all do well with their roles, though the guys seem a little bland compared to the awesome ladies in the house. Saxon and Blakely hold their own, though I have to wonder why they get top billing ahead of the young folks and Englund. Speaking of, Fred Krueger has rarely been this terrifying. Watered down through the franchise, Fred is a vicious, cruel molester of a man that reeks destruction everywhere he goes. And Englund nails it.

Directing

Craven manages to blend the real and dream worlds perfectly. He crafts a film that thrives in its unique brand of nightmare uncertainty. He takes a small budget and stretchs it, at times quite literally, to make ANOES seem more than it is. His love of surrealism permeates the flick, giving the whole film a type of nightmare logic. Add to that all kinds of fun style points and a great sense of tension and you can see why Craven became the leading horror director of his time.

Script

The characters are drawn with the quickest of strokes, but everyone comes off well. Sure, the teens seem a little bland at the beginning, but what teens aren’t? Craven’s use of plot and structure serve his film well, allowing for major shocks as characters fail to make it through to the end. He also manages to set up the rules to his perfect movie monster while keeping his back story grounded in reality. Alas, the ending of the film feels like a cop out – I smell a studio in the way – which weakens the final effect of the film. Can’t win them all.

Effects

While occasionally limited by the budget, most of the effects in A Nightmare on Elm Street hit the mark. The SFX work well, highlight being the first of the kills, though a few moments seem a weaker than others. Oh, and the Krueger design rocks.

Highlights

Johnny Deep. Bedroom. Amber Heard cheers whenever it goes down.

Lowlights

The ending pulls the film back into slasher quagmire without maintaining the creativity of the rest of the flick. Even the SFX don’t look convincing.

Final Thoughts

Despite the fact that A Nightmare on Elm Street is weakened by its tacked on ending, the rest of the flick is a horror classic, effortlessly blending the waking and dream world into a nightmare of epic proportions. Aided by a quality shoe by England, this flick rocks.