Children's Horror Fable

Rating: 9/10 (17 February 1999)

Admire this movie first for its effective chills. In ways that Stephen King movies have yet to truly master, Craven creates a demon through the use of children's singsong. Admire the movie further for its creativity. Freddy Kruger has power. It seems at times that he can do almost anything that pops into his burnt, child-molesting head. The concept is truly ingenious (who can fight sleep forever?), and Craven's images are definitely worthwhile (consider a bed spewing a fountain of blood that hangs on the ceiling, as well as a girl who, in the grip of a vicious nightmare, bounces around the ceiling herself). Creative and technically adequate, this movie is a true classic of the genre.