Sadly Over-hyped

A Major Disappointment

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of those movies that gets progressively better and better as it runs along. At first it all appears like your typical cliché horror but eventually, by the near end of it, you've been hit over the head with an insanely explosive, unforgettable, and frantically aggressive finale. Wes Craven's original horror classic challenged the concept of a "slasher killer" and introduced us to one of the most notorious icons ever: Freddy Kruger. The idea of a serial killer only having the ability to kill victims within their dreams is devilishly dexterous and might I add, effective. Additionally, some of the more dramatic moments-especially in argumental sequences involving Nancy and her mother-are actually quite efficient and add to the trauma of the film's present situation. The score is as overdone as it is vibrantly energetic and the horror kills have never been so ingenious! This movie however, certainly isn't without its flaws-whether it be the at times, mediocre acting or the cheap jump scares or the glaring plot-holes. It's still none of the less, a horror flick that never, ever gets tiresome. (Verdict: A-)

The scariest thing about 'A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)' is its fantastic concept, one of the most inherently frightening and interesting cinematic ideas ever conceived, which paves the way for some superb surrealist imagery (created using wonderfully inventive practical effects that still hold up) and a general off-kilter feel that perfectly provoke a pervasive and persistent nightmarish vibe that makes the film really stick in your mind long after the credits roll. The mysterious villain, a sadistic scarred serial-killer who's become incredibly iconic despite only having seven minutes of screen-time (though his presence is always keenly felt), relishes in the terror he causes his teenage victims and his design expertly plays upon several primal fears to feel like something straight out of a bad dream; we're also never spoon-fed his motivations (though some back-story is given which allows us to infer his incentives) or given a clue to exactly why he occupies the so-called 'dream world'. It's the ending that causes the most concern as the darker take, pushed for by a producer who essentially vetoed Craven's well thought-out 'happier' finale, basically ruins a killer reveal seen just moments prior and doesn't even really make sense in the context it itself presents. Still, the film isn't ruined by this and remains one of the best 'slashers' of its time. 8/10

Having completed my look at Eddie Murphy's filmography, I'm moving on to Johnny Depp. I'm not sure how popular this thread will be, as he is pretty unlikeable these days. But for a time he was one of my favourite actors.A Nightmare On Elm St (1984)"One, Two, Freddie's coming for you..."Plot In A Paragraph: A bunch of teenagers are stalked in their dreams by a man with a burnt face and razors for fingers. I watched this with my son, who questioned if it was a spoof!! He found the acting laughably bad. The sequels have tarnished the reputation of this classic a bit. But for me, this is the high point of 80's horror. Freddy Kruger is a step above Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees, as for one, he isn't hiding behind a mask and he has a personality and a dark sense of humour. How many of us have dressed up as Freddy for Halloween?? The character is an icon.Heather Langenkemp is great in a role she will forever be identified with, John Saxon is as solid and dependable as you would expect. As for Johnny Depp, he gets the movies best death, but based on this movie, is have never guessed he would become one of the worlds biggest stars.This movie was a bit if a blessing and a curse to Wes Craven, as he was pretty much typecasted as a horror director after the success of this.A Nightmare On Elm Street wasn't the smash I thought it was. It was the 40th highest grossing movie of 1984, with a $25 million dollar gross. it was a great success against its $1.8 million dollar budget.

So after Halloween and Friday The 13th,a new horror film was coming that was unexpectedly become a new horror film that would be going on for years to come,A Nightmare On Elm Street which focuses on the humorous killer Freddy Kruger who begins to haunt young Nancy's dreams unaware,she's get a police officer daddy and also,she's a pretty strong lady and won't take no sh*t from any one. When A Nightamre On Elm Street came out,it was booming,it was the new Halloween/Friday The 13th and as I said,it got another bunch of films and spin offs and a remake. The film is a brilliant classic,the acting was also brilliant especially from Heather Langenkamp who to this day,remains one of my favourite final girls along with Laurie from Halloween and Alice and Ginny from Friday The 13th:Part 1&2. Robert England was the only one in the three big horror franchises that actually appeared on screen and had actual lines,Michael and Jason just killed people and stared at people angrily. Johnny Depp also did a fantastic job in this doing an amazing performance as Nancys brother who was weird to see in this and even reappeared in the sixth Nightmare On Elm which was most likely the worst. A Nightmare On Elm Street is definitely a A+!!