You Can Sleep  But You Cannot Hide.

Rating: Null/10 (26 October 2003)

Many horrific characters have terrified audiences down the years, but only a few seem to touch the subconscious profoundly enough to return to the big screen many times over. Universal produced many monsters in the early part of the last century. Most of these were subject to severe constraints such as the ability to communicate. They were monosyllabic since their inability to communicate was indicative of the fact that they were not human and we could not reason with these beings that only existed to wreak havoc. The only one with any sense of sophistication was Dracula. This is the one of the prime reasons why this character has such strong appeal.
Wes Craven has now given us another character that is worthy of recall to the big screen. Although lacking the sophistication of the past vampire characters, he can interact more on screen thus creating entertainment beyond the Universal monsters. He had many wise cracks, which also was necessary for audiences of the Eighties  a prime requirement for the superficial era. To an audience which had been bombarded with slasher flicks as a consequence of the success of Friday 13th, it was a progressive step. For the audience of today, we now have Freddy Vs Jason' which is an interesting idea, albeit a sensationalist one.
There are many reasons why Freddy Kruger has captured the imagination of audiences. The first and most obvious is his appearance. His burnt features make him have the appearance of a monster. He is human in shape only  a disfigured monster hell bent on revenge. The trademark finger knives are also an image of terror. He does not just want to kill - he wants to maim and destroy. The stalker with the axe' now takes a fiendish pleasure in his vicious deeds. Killing is not enough. He has to torture his victims and see their pain. His demented psyche needs to be satisfied. He is above the aimless slayer and there is method in his madness. A far more deadly assailant.
Another is the children playing outside his house. Their presence is an ominous one as the image of pure innocence is now a messenger of foreboding evil. A sense of impending doom is created since we now see the all-consuming power of Freddie's evil in his victims. His past victims are now an element of psychological torture for his next victims. Although this has been an element of stories of the past, this image becomes a more striking and harrowing one when we learn that he was a child killer.
Self  mutilation is another feature of Freddie's psychological torture. In one scene he slices his fingers off. This accentuates the impression of invincibility since if he can harm himself in such a way, how can we hope to harm him. His form also changes as he contorts himself into painful images. This is indicative of the predator's adaptation to his hunting ground. He holds great power over his victims. Warriors of times gone by used this tactic in the field whereby they would endure pain in adorning their body with aggressive artwork showing their commitment to wage war. Freddie is the supernatural caricature of this ancient practise.
The final element is part of the high concept of the movie. Sleep is escape for us. Peaceful sleep is secure sleep. This security has now been invaded by the being that Freddie has become. Our final hiding place has now become a place of terror. We cannot call for help in this dream world. It is now the world of Freddie that is at his every whim. The monster is now seemingly invincible. Our final refuge is the predatory ground for the evil killer and the prey is not equipped to defend against attack. This element of originality is the defining one of the Elm Street' movies.
The performances are very strong as one comes to expect from a Wes Craven movie. The leading character could easily have been hammed up and appeared contrived. Robert Englund plays the role of Freddie with obvious enjoyment. We can tell that he calls on that side of him that wants to strike back at the system and it thus came naturally. The danger of identifying with a role of this nature has, however, been realised since seeing him in other roles he seems to be out of place. The audience is accustomed to seeing him as Freddie. Typecasting is not always necessarily a bad thing. The actor gains recognition and success, but once the story has run its length, he will struggle to achieve similar success and his typecasting will limit his ability to successfully engage the audience in a character of another story.
The young cast all perform well with a notable debut by Johnny Depp. In the past, acting performances were secondary to the necessity of the look and the scream as the mad axeman delivers his coup de grace. This is definitely not the case here as believable performances are given. Craven also sets his movie apart from the others in the same genre by using up and coming talent and maximising their potential. When creating movies that have to capture the imagination, good acting becomes a greater necessity since a hammed up performance will not draw audiences into the story.
Besides a good debut performance, Depp's end is met in a cult scene where he is torn to pieces in his bedroom. Despite the gore, the scene was not an excuse for a gratuitous violence. It gave an image of the destructive evil that Freddie was. It rose above an obligatory slasher scene because the story was laying down a platform for it by building on the acts of Freddie and the terror that the teens faced increased with each incident. It therefore fitted within the fabric of the story.
The stalk and slay movie concept is now being adapted to mans ability to control his environment and therefore conquer his ancient fear of the unseen foe. The monsters are now not only powerful, but have other supernatural abilities. Their menace is now manifold, as these screen monsters have evolved to face audiences and our screen heroes. Our ancient fears are still there, only more suppressed and characters like Freddie have now come to being in order for moviemakers to give rise to these fears and ensure audience entertainment as well as terror. Slasher movies should never be the same again.