A pioneer of today's terror films?

Rating: 7/10 (23 August 2010)

I usually have a strong dislike towards terror films, especially modern ones or from recent years. This one had the age advantage for me to watch it, to see how it would be like. But I also watched it, following the suggestion of two people.
It's significantly better than I expected (for a terror film, of course) but it's not a great movie, just okay. But then again, there are much worse in this genre.
There is no denying that this movie had a deep impact on this type of films, not only because it was followed by a ridiculous number of sequels, but also because in later years many slasher/terror/horror (whatever) films were made, inspired on this. Even now this still happens.
This movie is, as any film like it, disturbing. There is brutal, graphic violence. Plus, the character Fred Krueger (today more known as Freddy Krueger) is more than just sinister: he is nauseating, to say the least. It gives one nauseas, makes one feel sick just to look at him, even through we don't see him that well (at least in this one). Fred Krueger, with his razor-sharp knives on the fingers, makes me wonder if somehow he didn't inspire Edward Scissorhands (even though they are completely different type of characters). Ironically, Johnny Depp is in this (and he was Edward Scissorhands). Johnny Depp was really young here, looks so different that he is almost unrecognizable (and was still far from becoming an actor famous for portraying weird, eccentric characters).
As much as the film is terrifying, it also is confusing. The way it transgresses the boundaries between dream (more appropriately, nightmare) and reality often made me not knowing what was real and what wasn't real. And it's strange (and scary) how nightmare becomes reality in this.
The cast was nothing special in terms of acting, but I liked Heather Langenkamp as Nancy. She is beautiful and hot!