In A Nightmare on Elm Street, teenage friends Tina Gray and Nancy Thompson are experiencing terrible nightmares. Both dream of a disfigured man with knives for fingers who stalks them when they sleep.
After discussing the mysterious figure with Nancy, Tina falls asleep. Once again she dreams of the man, only this time he brutally murders her.
The next day, Nancy dreams of the same man. Over the next few nights he continues to terrorise Nancy, as well as her friends in increasingly disturbing ways.
Scared witless, Nancy becomes determined to learn more about this nightmarish killer. But when she discovers his true identity – child murderer Fred Krueger – she becomes confused, as Krueger is dead and therefore shouldn’t pose any threat to anyone.
Written and directed by Wes Craven, and originally released in 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a supernatural slasher movie starring Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, and Johnny Depp. The movie is the first entry in the Elm Street film series; introduces horror icon Freddy Krueger; and is arguably one of the greatest and most innovative horror films of the 1980s.
One of the greatest because not only was A Nightmare on Elm Street a big hit back in ‘84, which kick-started a hugely successful franchise, but it is still popular today. Despite its ever-increasing age the film remains a gateway picture for many horror hounds and a must-see for those curious about the genre.
And, as noted above, it is one of the most innovative horror movies because of the way it uses nightmares to showcase its scares. The film is more than a regular slasher – it is a picture built around scary, dream-inspired set pieces which add an extra layer to the horror.
These set pieces are simply brilliant and range from a terrifying soak in the bathtub, to a bedtime bloodbath. All the way through A Nightmare on Elm Street, the film continually throws spectacle at the screen to ensure the movie serves up more than just a few generic kills, and even some of the most simplistic special effects – such as Freddy lunging out of a wall – are incredibly effective on screen.
However, while the set pieces are fantastic and the practical effects work is wonderful, the true selling point of the film is disfigured killer, Freddy Krueger, as played by Robert Englund. Krueger is absolutely horrifying in this picture, and in essence is an absolute nightmare.
What’s interesting about Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street is the fact he barely appears in the movie. He gets a scene here, a scene there, but his screen time is limited.
This is of course on purpose, because like all good horror figures, less is more. By keeping Krueger in the background, and by making him a boogeyman, he becomes far scarier.
The sequels that followed A Nightmare on Elm Street often showed a bit too much of Krueger – largely because of his increasing popularity throughout the 1980s – but for this first entry he gets just the right amount of time in the spotlight. Keeping him as a shadowy figure is the right move, and one which makes for a frightening film.
It’s also worth highlighting just how effective Robert Englund is in the role. Englund brings a certain level of swagger to the part, while always maintaining an air of menace and unpredictability, and it’s not surprising he remained a key component for the various Freddy films that followed.
Produced on a budget of $1 million dollars, it’s always surprising just how much horror and imagination is packed into A Nightmare on Elm Street. The film runs to a mere 91 minutes, none of the runtime is wasted, and all of it is absolute nightmare fuel.
Sure, a couple of sequences here and there haven’t quite stood the test of time, and some of the acting is occasionally ropey, but this is a stone cold classic however way you cut it. The film adds various dimensions to the standard slasher picture; it manages to blur the lines between fantasy and reality marvellously; and it is genuinely scary – something which many horrors fail to be.
If for any reason you’ve not watched A Nightmare on Elm Street before, yet you call yourself a horror fan, you’re doing yourself a disservice. A Nightmare on Elm Street is a great picture which brought so much to the genre in the ‘80s and continues to impress all these years on.
Should you wish to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street the film is available on digital download. The movie is also available on 4K, DVD, and Blu-ray, or on DVD and Blu-ray as part of the Elm Street movie collection.
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