A nightmare that "ONE" may not wanna engage

Rating: Null/10 (26 July 2001)

"A Nightmare On Elm Street" was in my opinion a classic original movie and stood alone in its time and genre. Sad to say, the sequels went in and out, with some of them okay in a sense, and others very lacking. All said, none compared to the brilliance of the original. The movie features a teenage girl and a group of friends menaced and stalked by a scarred dream-killer, who wears a dirty green and red sweater and a old rusty hat, with knives intentionally in the replacement of fingernails. He makes his appearance in strange and unexplained ways through his victims dreams of choice. Some are slaughtered, some are spared to linger on his presence. There are people in town who know of the ghosts past and how he perished. But we never quite find that out, which leaves the film hanging by its silk. The setting looks innocent at times, and plays on the audience by usage of eerie music...manifested by the "DEAD" children singing their tormenter's warning "One-two, Freddy's coming for you...three-four, better lock your doors...five-six, grab your crucifix...seven-eight, better stay awake...nine-ten, never sleep again" A creepy melody that dug under the surface of the viewers, and left an uneasy feeling of clamor. The special effects are mediocre, but the acting fares well for the kind of horror it dispenses. Wes Craven does a fine job with his direction, but could have satisfied us with a more tight ending...it didn't do to much for me. Elm Street does, anyway, top most predictable horror films by a single "Slash"