Absolute Horror Classic

Rating: 8/10 (30 July 2004)

I'm not a big fan of slashers; they tend to be a bit dull and samey, but every now and then an intriguing and interesting one comes out, and A Nightmare on Elm Street is most definitely an intriguing and interesting one. The film revolves around Nancy, a young girl that dreams of a badly scarred madman with knives for fingers and a serious grudge against the children of Elm Street. However, Nancy is not the only one having nightmares and the fun really starts when her friends start turning up dead.
Freddy Krueger, the badly scarred madman of the piece would go on to become one of cinema's greatest icons. I even dare say he's up there with the likes of King Kong and The Terminator. In the inferior sequels to this movie, Freddy would go on to become something of a comedian; but here he's every bit the insane madman that slashers would go on to become known for producing. Freddy is brought to the screen by Robert Englund. Robert Englund has managed to get himself something of a cult following for his work on all eight of the Nightmare films, but unfortunately, Freddy is the only 'big' role in his career. The rest of the cast is made up by John Saxon, who also starred in one of the slasher genre's trend setters; Black Christmas, among other films; also appearing is Heather Langenkamp, who would return to the series for part three, and she played herself in the tongue in cheek spin off; New Nightmare, and of course the movie features the introduction of a man that is close to becoming a film legend; Johnny Depp.
A Nightmare on Elm Street is directed by Wes Craven; a man that has almost his entire filmography in the horror genre, and has created a number of the genre's milestones along the way; films such as The Hills Have Eyes, his debut The Last House on the Left and the film that brought slashers back; Scream are among his best works, but A Nightmare on Elm Street is the film he will always be remembered most for by the majority of horror fanatics.
Unfortunately, the Nightmare franchise isn't as respected now as it could have been, due mostly to the amount of lacklustre sequels it spawned. However, don't let those sequels fool you; the first film is original, inventive, suspenseful and atmospheric, and is without a doubt a classic of the horror genre.