Product: New Nightmare [VHS] (1994)
Rating: 5.0
This goes down as one of my favorite horror movies, well...ever!
Well, it's one day before Halloween and I'm almost done with my "31 Reviews For 31 Days of October" horror movie reviews, so there's one of my favorite that I know I have to review in order to feel good. That movie is "Wes Craven's New Nightmare".I remember first seeing "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" as early as when I was twelve on TV. I remember how scary it was and thinking that it was a movie like this that made Freddy Kreuger such an icon in horror and such a legendary face of terror. Fast-forward to the present day, and here I am, still drooling over this movie. Considering I've seen probably 150 horror movies in the past four years, there should be a good reason why I dig "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" so much. And there is!There are many, many interesting aspects of this movie that make it so great. One thing is the unique concept of the actors playing themselves, which kind of makes you scratch your head in the beginning. Another thing is that it restores that classic feeling that "A Nightmare on Elm Street" gives, where it makes you think something is reality when it's just a dream, and maybe even vice versa. So right from the getgo, there's lots of originality and clever thinking put into this movie, so it's more than just a bloodbath splatter film, it's a film with brains and cunning.Now we're on to the claw-bearing, shadow-creeping, sweater-wearing incubus of the film that is Freddy Kreuger. In this film, he tends to let up on some of the jokes, which MAY seem bad to some Freddy fans, but in this film it works and it shows Freddy's darker, evil side instead of his twisted, comedic side. This works and underlines the fact that he is a horror icon, not just a Hollywood icon.What else is there that can make a horror film so great? Atmosphere and setting! Well for all of you horror fans that seek something atmospheric and having an awesome setting, you're in luck. "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" does a great job of alternating between having the setting as your everyday neighborhood, to a scene in the morgue, to the hospital, to the twisted dreamland in the end of the movie. And the atmosphere that follows it is just as good; it's got such a mystical, surreal element to it. There are bits in the movie, such as when Robert Englund, dressed as Freddy on a news interview, is waving to the audience and stands in front of the light, waving his claws in slow motion...gahh, there are scenes like that one that are just so darkly majestic. Excellent stuff, indeed!What could make this film even better? Well, I don't want to give the ending away, but let's just say that it's epic, delivers a punch and is still a happy ending! Overall, "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" is a film that promises a great element of fantasy, classic horror and some good gore scenes. There's basically nothing wrong with this movie at all, so be sure to get it before Halloween night tomorrow! Thanks for the time, and peace.