Movie reviews:Wes Craven's "A Nightmare On Elm Street" and "A New Nightmare"

Tonight, you guys get a double whammy. I'll be reviewing two movies in one blog! As apparent from the title, tonight's movies will be A Nightmare On Elm Street and A New Nightmare, the two best "Elm Street" movies in the series, in my opinion.

We'll start off with the original, the best, the incomparable; A Nightmare On Elm Street. This movie, along with John Carpenter's Halloween, was the start of the era of slasher films. A Nightmare On Elm Street was groundbreaking for its time, and while the special effects are nothing near what we can do now, it is still one of the best horror movies around. ANOES 1 doubles as a typical slasher flick and one of real psychological horror. No, really. Stay with me here; the psychological terror comes in with the thought of "Could dreams really kill you? Could something in your sleep be so terrifying that you die in your dream, and then in real life?" Maybe those thoughts don't occur to anyone else, but in my world, that's where the deep-seated fear of Freddy comes from. Not from Freddy himself, but the thought that something could kill me in my sleep.
Okay, I got side tracked for a second. ANOES 1 is the definitive Freddy movie. If you want to know what Freddy is about--why he's so scary, why he died in such a terrible fashion, why he's after Nancy for so long, what the big deal is about him--this is the movie to watch. You really get a feel for Freddy in ANOES 1. This is Freddy before the gimmicks, before the lousy puns and lame jokes. ANOES 1 stands the test of time as a great horror movie because the scares aren't just cheap scares--"BOO!" "AHH!" scares, I call them--but because Freddy really works over his victims in this movie. He spends time taunting them, but in frightening ways. Who will ever be able to forget his phone call to Nancy--after she ripped her phone cord from the wall! Some of the kills in this movie are his absolute best, and can stand toe-to-toe with any horror movie. How many slashers have gotten to suck Johnny Depp into a bed, then spew 100 gallons of blood into a room? Tina's death sequence is still the most memorable of the movie; so widely enjoyed and revered that it has been duplicated in the series two more times.
There aren't a lot of humorous parts in ANOES 1, nor is there much nudity--one brief side-boob shot is the max--and the f-bomb is only dropped twice. What carries the movie to keep it loved for over 20 years? Freddy, and Heather Langenkamp's excellent portrayal of Nancy, the less than typical heroine. She doesn't spend time moping around, crying, or falling on her ass while trying to escape. Nancy goes on the offensive, tackling Freddy on his own turf, and then bringing him out to play in our world. While the ending can come off as a bit "What just happened?", the key to understanding the final scenes if you're a bit confused is to remember and realize how quickly and easily it is for people to fall asleep in the series. You blink, and you're out. While I'm sure that all of my readers have seen the movie, I don't think I'll give a spoiler in case there is anyone out there who hasn't seen it yet. All together, the movie stands the test of time for good horror, and it's an enjoyable experience for anyone. If you're easily frightened, don't watch this at night or in a dark house! Thumbs up, Wes, for creating such iconic characters and giving the world Fred Krueger.

Part two of the review is about A New Nightmare. This movie, released in 1994, was the last in the Nightmare On Elm Street series--and no, don't say "FREDDY VS JASON!!", because that movie was terrible and it doesn't count as part of the canon--and while it took over 10 years to be made, Wes had been culminating the idea for this movie since ANOES 3. My favorite thing to do is watch ANOES 1 and New Nightmare back to back, pretending that there were no other sequels. ANN's story line is that Freddy is escaping into the real world and making victims of the original cast from ANOES 1, meaning you see a lot of familiar faces. Johnny Depp isn't in the movie, though Wes did ask him afterwords if he would have participated had he been asked, and Johnny said "Yes, absolutely." Aside from Heather Langenkamp returning as herself--and later in the movie, reprising her role as Nancy again--you get Robert Englund playing himself and Freddy, John Saxon as himself [and again, later on, as Lt Donald Thompson], and Wes Craven as himself.
The Freddy in this movie is more true to the Freddy in ANOES 1. He spouts little to no jokes or puns, and sticks with stoic stalking and terror tactics. His MO has changed though; "real life" Freddy is after Heather for entirely different reasons. The storyline is incredibly interesting, with few dull points and just the right amount of action. If ANOES 1 is the definitive Nightmare, then ANN is its best friend, holding up to the original movie as one of, if not the, best sequels released. Wes got his hands back onto Freddy and redeemed all of the campy sequels with this one movie. If you want my opinion, do what I do--Watch them back to back and pretend the others don't exist. The other 5 movies are funny, campy, and gorey, but if you want Freddy at his best and scariest, these are the two to watch. Over all, A New Nightmare also gets a thumbs up from me.