Waking up dead...

Rating: 10/10 (1 August 2006)

Something strange is happening on Elm street, teenagers are mysteriously dying and yet nobody seems to know why, the adults of course are concerned but when the children ask about Freddy Krueger they get nothing but silence as the adults try to stonewall their story. However Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is determined to break the silence and escape the terror once and for all. John Saxon and Ronee Blakely co-star. Nightmare On Elm Street which is of course famous for introducing us to the bogeyman who invaded dreams, is by itself a classic horror movie with lots of suspense. Back in the 80's when it first came out, it was truly frightening and disturbing but now it's lost some of it's edge due to the sequels which took away from the menacing edge Freddy once had. Although it may not be quite as scary, it is however quite suspenseful with a fascinating premise and shocks that work. It is obvious that this is a classic but I for one found the mix of reality and dream-like mentality to be intriguing. One striking sequence in particular is how Langenkamp sinks into the stair way like quicksand, it's a very effective moment which borders on both reality and surreality of a dream with effective tension. If you haven't seen this movie, well you have either been under a rock or are squeamish of violence, never the less for a horror movie this is by far one of the best from the 1980's.
* * * * out of 4-(Excellent)