First-rate horror film

Rating: Null/10 (3 February 2004)

A group teenagers fall victim to fatal nightmares dominated by the spirit of Freddy Krueger, a murderous child-molester killed by a vigilante group of parents, in this first-rate horror film. Director Wes Craven, an highly-erratic film maker who must feel compelled to follow every good film he makes with at least one bad one, really hits his stride with this chilling thriller which was a breath of fresh air at the time of its release. Freddy, played by great gusto by Robert Englund, was a vivid creation, light-years ahead of the ultimately dull and humorless Jason and Michael Myers of the "Friday the 13th" and "Halloween" series. It is easy to see why so many sequels followed. Too bad most of the bulk of them weren't very good.