Product: New Nightmare [VHS] (1994)
Rating: 4.0
By far the BEST of the sequels and one of Craven's best.
I love this movie. The original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" might as well be the only two films in the series. After creating a classic horror film with the 1984 original, director Wes Craven sold the rights to his Freddy Krueger character and the series was taken over by other filmmakers. This resulted in many mundane, lifeless sequels (with exception of Nightmare 3 which Craven did cooperate with as executive producer and story writer). By the time "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" came about, the series probably could not have gotten worse. Then, a few years later, Wes Craven returned to the series with "New Nightmare", a film which takes place outside of the movie universe of the Nightmare films. Heather Langenkamp, star of the original film, returns and many actors play themselves (including Craven in a rare acting appearance.) I'm so glad that Heather Langenkamp is in this movie. I loved her in the original and found her more appealing that any future lead actress in the series.The result, in my opinion, far exceeded any of the Nightmare sequels. In fact, I'd say it's among Wes Craven's best movies. Like the original, it's a horror film with a brain and real ideas. Not just another slasher-fest with Freddy cracking jokes and killing. "New Nightmare" is an intelligent, well-written and well-made film. The idea is that Freddy Krueger is an evil force that really exists and that after being killed off in the movies, he wants to move into the real world. One thing I love about this movie is how it blurs the line between films and reality. Wes Craven is one of the masters of brainy horror and he really manages to add depth to his films that you don't often see in the genre. This is why I regard Craven as one of the greatest horror directors of the last three decades. "New Nightmare" is one of his finest achievements and is absolutely essential for Craven fans.Some fans of the Nightmare series give this movie flack because it strays so far from the established formula. However, that's exactly what I love about it. It doesn't just rehash the same old crap again. It gives us something new and original. Sure, Freddy doesn't have much screen time, there's not much gore and there's no dumb teenagers (a big plus), but that's not bad at all. "New Nightmare" sacrifices visceral thrills (which some horror fans can't accept) for ideas and innovation. This is a great horror movie from a great horror director.