Logan Sork Film Reviews
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The slasher film genre is fairly simple. There is always a masked killer of some kind, usually one that is physically imposing and silent, that kills annoying teenagers in gruesome, albeit creative ways. There is rarely any experimentation in this horror sub-genre as it is simpler to stick to the clichés. A Nightmare on Elm Street is extremely creative in its premise, allowing it to standout from the rest of the films that dominate the slasher sub-genre. It does so by utilizing creative imagery, unique lore and a killer antagonist that is truly unique and makes this film fun and terrifying.
A Nightmare on Elm Street is directed by Wes Craven and follow the teenager Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) as she is frequently visited by a recurring nightmare of Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) in her sleep. At first, she thinks of it as nothing, but she soon learns that all of the children of Elm street are all having the same nightmares. Things take a turn for the worse as her nightmares increase and one of her friends is murdered by the malevolent Freddy in her dreams. She must learn the truth behind why she has these visons and put a stop to them before she falls victim to the evil Freddy Krueger.
The greatest element in this film by far is the antagonist. Freddy Krueger is not like the other slasher film villains like Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees from the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises. These villains are physically imposing, but don’t really have much of a personality beyond that of killing machine. Robert Englund injects so much zaniness and personality into Krueger that one falls in love with his character. This allows for Freddy and the film as a whole to have more personality when it comes to the main character. Freddy is also unique in that he is a supernatural killer, giving him a more threatening presence as he does not even need to attack from the real world to be dangerous. His design is also iconic, with his red green striped sweater, fedora, bladed hand and iconic burn make up all adding to create an even more eccentric and unique villain.
The downside to having a unique and fun villain, is that the main characters do sometimes feel flat and dull. Not to say that they are bad, but the villain usually has no personality, allowing for the main characters to shine. The exception comes in the form of the protagonist Nancy. While she is slow to act at first, she eventually formulates a plan to take down Krueger as more and more of her friends are killed. She is smart, resourceful and not a flat character like everyone else in the film.
The atmospheres in this film are also genuinely unsettling. Most slasher films usually take place in a suburban area or woods. By having the attacks take place in a different dream realm Craven presents a dark twisted world I which Freddy has the ability to manipulate herself and his surroundings in unnatural ways. This results in some disturbing imagery and some unique and creative kills. Despite some unique visuals, some of the film’s effects have not aged well. Some effects are genuinely scary and unsettling, while others have aged poorly and come across as silly. It’s a mixed bag on the effects front, but on can’t deny the creativity that went into them.
There is also a genuinely good mystery that surrounds Freddy and his reasoning for attacking the children of Elm Street. At first, we have no idea why this man is attacking children in their dreams and neither do the main characters. As the film progresses, we learn the dark past that haunts everyone in the town of elm street. It is fairly different from what other curses have been put on towns in films similar to this, allowing for a unique twist of the circumstances under which this curse was brought on the town and the people who were responsible.
In the end A Nightmare on Elm Street is fun, spooky and creative. Despite being populated by mostly generic characters and some dated effects, the film unique, visually striking and has one of the most memorable horror film villains ever put to film. If you’re ever looking for a fun, creepy and enjoyable slasher film that stands out from the rest of the crowd, this is the way to go.
8/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street is directed by Wes Craven and follow the teenager Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) as she is frequently visited by a recurring nightmare of Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) in her sleep. At first, she thinks of it as nothing, but she soon learns that all of the children of Elm street are all having the same nightmares. Things take a turn for the worse as her nightmares increase and one of her friends is murdered by the malevolent Freddy in her dreams. She must learn the truth behind why she has these visons and put a stop to them before she falls victim to the evil Freddy Krueger.
The greatest element in this film by far is the antagonist. Freddy Krueger is not like the other slasher film villains like Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees from the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises. These villains are physically imposing, but don’t really have much of a personality beyond that of killing machine. Robert Englund injects so much zaniness and personality into Krueger that one falls in love with his character. This allows for Freddy and the film as a whole to have more personality when it comes to the main character. Freddy is also unique in that he is a supernatural killer, giving him a more threatening presence as he does not even need to attack from the real world to be dangerous. His design is also iconic, with his red green striped sweater, fedora, bladed hand and iconic burn make up all adding to create an even more eccentric and unique villain.
The downside to having a unique and fun villain, is that the main characters do sometimes feel flat and dull. Not to say that they are bad, but the villain usually has no personality, allowing for the main characters to shine. The exception comes in the form of the protagonist Nancy. While she is slow to act at first, she eventually formulates a plan to take down Krueger as more and more of her friends are killed. She is smart, resourceful and not a flat character like everyone else in the film.
The atmospheres in this film are also genuinely unsettling. Most slasher films usually take place in a suburban area or woods. By having the attacks take place in a different dream realm Craven presents a dark twisted world I which Freddy has the ability to manipulate herself and his surroundings in unnatural ways. This results in some disturbing imagery and some unique and creative kills. Despite some unique visuals, some of the film’s effects have not aged well. Some effects are genuinely scary and unsettling, while others have aged poorly and come across as silly. It’s a mixed bag on the effects front, but on can’t deny the creativity that went into them.
There is also a genuinely good mystery that surrounds Freddy and his reasoning for attacking the children of Elm Street. At first, we have no idea why this man is attacking children in their dreams and neither do the main characters. As the film progresses, we learn the dark past that haunts everyone in the town of elm street. It is fairly different from what other curses have been put on towns in films similar to this, allowing for a unique twist of the circumstances under which this curse was brought on the town and the people who were responsible.
In the end A Nightmare on Elm Street is fun, spooky and creative. Despite being populated by mostly generic characters and some dated effects, the film unique, visually striking and has one of the most memorable horror film villains ever put to film. If you’re ever looking for a fun, creepy and enjoyable slasher film that stands out from the rest of the crowd, this is the way to go.
8/10