Iconic

Rating: 9/10 (19 April 2016)

What is there to really say about this film that hasn't been echoed in thousands of glowing reviews around the world for the last 32 years? The original film in a shaky franchise took an amazing idea for a story and was worked on by a cast and crew with a clear passion and love for what they were doing. Atmosphere, terror, backstory, great special effects for the time, interesting kills in a genre where the original ideas for them was starting to run dry by 1984.
Wes Craven's direction and writing have almost always been on top of the horror genre. Every actor in this film gave it their absolute best that even when it's not exactly "great" acting, you can tell they've developed their characters so well that it's believable. And Robert Englund managed to evoke an iconic character who will be remembered by fans for years to come.
The only thing that keeps this film from being stellar perfection is some VERY small pacing issues throughout the film. It adds a much needed depth and story compared to every other slasher films lack of character development and story. It could've benefited from an additional character or two, a couple more creative kill sequences, but that's just me being nit-picky on the tiniest things. This is a masterpiece and what Craven would've mainly been known for had Scream not come along.