A Nightmare on Elm Street

Rating: 7/10 (24 September 2008)

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" is, more or less, a pretty formulaic horror film in the sense that there's a killer on the loose who's murdering the cast one by one. Been there, done that etc. Stylistically-wise it's a so-so affair as well, with some of the horror sequences and effects being cheesy and others being nicely-made and well thought out. However it works quite effectively where other horror films only hint at: the killer as a symbol for sexual desire.
As soon as the teenage cast becomes sexually active, whoosh, there comes the deformed monster Freddy Krueger (in their dreams of all places) to deal with them. Furthermore, their parents refuse to acknowledge the existence of Freddy (aka sexual libido), though Nancy's mother eventually admits to coming face to face with him in the past and killing him. It is also worth noting that the females (Nancy and Tina) both go on in their dreams looking for Freddy, whereas the males (Rod and Glen) seem oblivious to his existence and are much more easily murdered.
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" adds this twisted psychological framework in the background and that is why it's a worthwhile film to watch.