A Nightmare on Elm Street 1984 Review: Don't Fall Asleep

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2018)

In the late seventies and early eighties, there were a myriad of low budget "slasher films," a group of movies where the premise usually involved a killer hunting down a bunch of stupid teens. Many of these supposed horror films came across as cheesy and dopey, failing miserably at the box office and with critics. However, some of these films were insanely successful at the box office, and are now considered cult classics. Films such as Halloween, Phantasm, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th are considered to be some of the more eventful and original horror films of the decade. The 1984 film, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' is a prime example of the best of the eighties in terms of what these directors had to offer. It's no wonder that because of it's originality, dazzling special effects and fantastic characters that to this day, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' is still one of the best.
What is it about this movie that makes it a horror classic? The number one reason is because of the originality of the storyline. The film's main concept is one of the more intriguing storylines and themes of horror. It also has an interesting origin story as to how Wes Craven (the director of the film) became inspired to craft this story and bring it to life The story begins when Craven found a Los Angeles newspaper article printed in the seventies which told the story of several Southeast Asian refugees who fled their hometowns as a result of war and genocide. These men later had a multitude of nightmares, resulting in some of then dying in their sleep. This horrific story, mixed with Craven's love for the seventies pop song 'Dream Weaver,' (set the tone for the music in the film) sealed the deal for Craven. In the end, I believe that nightmares, and the endless flow of information that could be revealed about dreams in the future is a fascinating subject matter. Craven's willingness to include this theme is what made the film so great.
One of the most salient issues with horror films is the tendency for the director to fail to craft realistic characters who you care about. While 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' certainly has this issue occasionally, most of the time, the average viewer will actually care about what happens to these characters. Why do you care about these characters, and not others? Because you actually learn certain interesting things about these characters and their home life. For example, we learn that Marge Thompson, the main characters mother is an alchoholic. We learn some interesting facts about Freddy Krueger himself, such as what kind of life he led when he was alive. This development of Krueger really makes you wonder what compels him to commit such horrid acts. You could continue asking questions about these characters for ages because Craven actually gives you questions to ask. Of course, if it weren't for the endlessly interesting main storyline, we wouldn't be able to have the chance to watch these great characters entertain us as much as they do in the film.
In the end, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' solidifies itself as one of the strongest, most entertaining horror films. Hopefully the great abundance of modern horror directors will learn from some of these fantastic films such as "Nightmare." But no matter how hard they try, the future of the horror industry will never be as successful as it was in the eighties, partly because of the horror masterpiece, 'A Nightmare on Elm Street.
'A Nightmare on Elm Street=95%

three points taken off for a couple of cheesy scenes

-two points taken off for mild inconsistencies and a slightly boring middle