Product: New Nightmare [VHS] (1994)
Rating: 4.0
Nightmare Takes A Turn For The Realist
Wes Craven's New Nightmare is best known as the return of a classic. It's honestly a different twist for Freddy and the series, as this time around they introduced him to the real life of the people who played in the movies. Wes Craven is a wonderful visionary when it comes to fear and the use of darkness correctly, and this is no exception. With all the praises I've spoken of, the movie does still seem a little either far fetched or weak which prevents it from competing with the original.Heather Langenkamp who played Nancy in the original series is having a problem with nightmares again. Only this time it is no movie (as established by the beginning, we are in reality instead of movie) and the problem is in the hands of her young 8-year-old son Dylan (played by Miko Hughes). Because the world that Heather lives in is surrounded by Freddy Kruger as a movie-made entitiy, it's hard for people to accept. After the killings start, however, the people in her life are beginning to get the impression that Freddy Kruger has found his way out of the films and into reality.This idea was unique, however it is also a little more mature for the horror genre. I remember being younger and running out to the theatre with my best friend to see this movie and HATING it! Now that I've grown older and I don't need to see brains sliding across the walls to enjoy horror. The storyline is unique, as I have yet to see another horror franchise admit that its previous films were false, then brings it into reality. I actually like that dynamic especially because it feeds on the one fear anyone who watches these kind of movies would have. The presentation of the plot is, in my opinion, slow and drags in some spots (which sometimes happen's in Wes Craven's films). This takes away from the dynamic in certain scenes when they try to create an eerie mood and you're trying not to fall asleep yourself! Ultimately the movie re-introdues the true fear of the boogeyman and falling asleep, which was a breath of fresh air considering when it came out. This is partnered with the original Nightmare On Elm Street as the only two movies in the series that general movie watchers/DVD collectors should own. Any fan of the series should find this to be a necessary edition to their collection.The DVD is just the same as all the others that preceeded it. We get widescreen, 5.1 surround sound, and a trailer. I think they even included the jump to a death scene, but like the original, it's not very useful as this movie doesn't have a large body count. The movie itself talks about making movies and introducing reality into a film environment, so any "making of" featurettes would seem hokey or unneccessary in my opinion.