Neat

Rating: 7/10 (24 August 2003)

I had never seen any of the 80's slasher flicks until I watched this one today. I think it's a neat movie, to put it simply. It has a downside: the score is kind of cheesy in certain parts, the ending is quite dumb even if entertaining, and the acting is pretty weak, save for the performances of Robert Englund and Johnny Depp. Of course, the movie doesn't really need good acting:
1) Heather Langenkamp is pretty, and a great screamer. That's good enough for me. 2) The visual effects are outstanding; all of them but one are practical. 3) I was expecting the gore to be over the top, but it's fairly light. Of the kills in the movie, only one is graphically violent. If the gore were heavy, good acting would be needed to make it more believable. 4) The boogeyman can kill you in your nightmares? The premise of this movie is gold. 5) There were a few times that my pulse quickened; The Sixth Sense was the last movie I saw that had me reacting that way.
All in all, Nightmare is a decent way to spend 90 minutes. 7/10