A Classic? Maybe.

Rating: Null/10 (27 August 2000)

Well, I am simply stunned by all the favorable....actually beyond that...praise bestowed upon this film. So many people call it a classic...and indeed for a new generation...it is along with the likes of Halloween and Friday the 13th. I liked the film. I thought its concept was original, well-directed, adequately acted, and had gobs of great atmosphere. There are some truly frightening scenes in the film. But...and I guess you knew that was coming...but I felt the film was just too incomprehensible to make it a true classic. The plot is riddled with holes. We get a little expository information on this Freddy Krueger, but then nothing is done with it. Also, the status of what is a dream and what is reality is never clear, and certainly adds to Wes Craven's ability to get you jumping out of your seat - with no accountability on his part to be anything but ambiguous. That said, this is a fine film. For those of you that like lots of blood and special effects, this is like a motherlode. I thought they were inventive, but the best scenes are the ones that use our imagination a bit. Look for the scene where the female lead boobytraps the house. This is a trademark of Craven's. You can see similar scenes in The Hills Have Eyes and more notably in Last House on the Left.