Re: Nightmare On Elm Street Collection 1080p Resolution
Levon Pena
Growing up, few horror movies made me behave like such a scaredy-cat, and along with Michael Myers and the demon Pazuzu of 'The Exorcist,' the vengeful ghost of a child-murderer terrorizing the dreams of kids on Elm Street made me cower in fear of the boogeyman. As if his backstory weren't enough to creep out most viewers, his appearance is one which simply seeps into our memory banks and resides there permanently. Just as Tina (Amanda Wyss) and Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) found his image disturbing, the thought of a man with a burnt face wearing a grimy fedora hat and a torn red and green stripped sweater hiding in the shadows is pretty unsettling. Added to that, the weirdo also likes to make loud screeching sounds and has a hideously sinister laugh.
'A Nightmare on Elm Street' introduced a supernatural element to the slasher formula with the killer stalking his adolescent victims in their nightmares, making it difficult for them, and the audience, to distinguish between dreams and reality. Rather than simply being a large, bulking mass of lunatic rage, Freddy brazenly toys with his prey and speaks to them with malicious and diabolical mockery. 'Nightmare' also shows weak relationships between parent and child, presenting teenagers from dysfunctional families. The film moreover takes the "Final Girl" epithet a step further in the Nancy character. Adding to the idea of being sexually unavailable, Nancy ups the ante by being skillfully resourceful and a clever survivalist. For me, these subtexts add to the film's appreciation and really make Craven's horror classic worth more than its violent, gory parts. (Movie Rating: 4/5)
After the immense success of Craven's 'Nightmare,' New Line exec Robert Shaye took advantage of its commercial appeal with this poorly-conceived follow-up. In fact, this is the one movie of the entire franchise seen by many, including its own creators, as the best-forgotten stain on Freddy's history. Part of the problem is the attempt to stray from Craven's clear guidelines of the Freddy Krueger mythos, something which later installments try to correct. Working from a script by newcomer David Chaskin, director Jack Sholder proudly brought the killer out of the dream world and into reality, taking it even further by involving a possession/psychological element that ultimately seems silly. Nevertheless, there are a few aspects worth appreciating in this sequel.
One of them, which evolves into the franchise's signature trademark, is Freddy's god complex and his witty, cynical one-liners just before killing his victims. None of it is quite as blatant or meant wholly humorous as others in the series, but we can see the makings of a beloved and celebrated horror icon in this sequel. His interactions with Jesse (Mark Patton) are a bit comical and twisted though Sholder's direction maintains a certain level of spookiness throughout. Freddy also displays a playful, maniacal side in his reign of terror, enjoying the many ways he toys with his victims. Unfortunately, much of this seems defeated in a script that drags in several places with conversations questioning Jesse's mental health. Too much about Jesse and not enough time spent with Freddy.
Another troubling aspect of 'Freddy's Revenge' is the removal of a central female protagonist. On the surface, it seems like a silly notion to gripe about, but as this movie proves, watching one's dream violated by a child murderer is more terrifyingly effective with a character like Nancy. With Jesse, the story carries an underlying implication of homoeroticism and a teen struggling with sexual identity. Much of this goes in line with the plot's psychological element and one prominent scene showing Jesse unable to be affectionate with Lisa (Kim Myers). The whole affair simply takes away from the movie's fear factor and is worsen by the idea that Nancy's former house contains the ghost of Freddy Kruger. In the end, the sequel is really the least memorable of the 'Nightmare' franchise. (Movie Rating: 2/5)
Things drastically improve with the third installment, which brings back the franchise's creator Wes Craven to write a screenplay that makes better use of Freddy's mastery over the dream world. The previous movie never really took advantage of this concept and its imaginative possibilities, so from its opening moments Craven's story seems determined to do precisely that. It also features a central female character in a very young Patricia Arquette as Kristen, and like Nancy, the teen has a distant relationship with her mother that coincides with a sleeping disorder. However, those issues are lightly gleaned over in favor of what fans really want. Right from the start, 'Dream Warriors' makes itself known as a slasher horror flick about nightmares with Freddy at the center of it all.
It's easy to gather that Craven aimed the second sequel as the franchise's return to its origins and make the last entry a forgotten dream. Freddy doesn't just haunt one kid, but chases after a group of teens fearing the one place where they should feel safest. Upping the ante, the kids are a troubled motley of psychiatric patients with highly active imaginations, allowing for director Chuck Russell to be wonderfully creative with each nightmare sequence. This is where Freddy's warped sense of humor is solidified, showing that he enjoys taunting his victims in ingenious and often hilariously ironic ways. And Englund loves every minute of it. With this in place, 'Dream Warriors' also takes a moment to give Freddy a bit more history and background, revealing he's "the bastard son of a hundred maniacs."
Craven's story idea, which was later tightened a bit more by Frank Darabont ('The Walking Dead,' 'The Shawshank Redemption') in one of his earliest industry jobs, makes a further connection to the first movie by having the kids be "the last of the Elm Street children." It's a bit of a stretch to be sure, but nicely rectified with Heather Langenkamp reprising her role as Nancy Thompson, now working as a therapist and sleep specialist. Demonstrating Freddy's power to control the dreams of others doesn't hurt either. Nonetheless, it's all part of a master plan as fans watch Nancy's father (John Saxon) and her coworker (Craig Wasson) try to locate Freddy's remains in an auto salvage yard. Basically, Craven intended to bring any possibility of a franchise to a screeching halt, but fortunately for us horror maniacs, that attempt quickly failed. (Movie Rating: 3.5/5)
The plot takes place soon after the events of the previous movie. The last of the Elm Streets kids, Kincaid (Ken Sagoes), Joey (Rodney Eastman) and Kristen (now played by Tuesday Knight), return for Freddy to finally complete his revenge. But not until after Kristen shares her unique ability with her shy, daydreaming friend, Alice (Lisa Wilcox), which is where we find the real genius of the story. The script by Brian Helgeland ('L.A. Confidential,' 'Mystic River,' 'Man on Fire') and the Wheat brothers ('Pitch Black,' 'The Fly II') has our iconic villain's thirst for taunting teens extend beyond the Elm Street neighborhood. Through Alice, Freddy's legend grows so that other kids fear and bring him into their dreams. Essentially, the movie has the makings of an ongoing franchise.
And like the third entry, the movie explores the highly inventive potential of seeing nightmares come alive. A yet-unknown at the time, Renny Harlin ('Cutthroat Island,' 'The Long Kiss Goodnight') directs with a cartoonish delight, carefully balancing the scares and the laughs without feeling terribly silly or goofball. In fact, his strengths as a filmmaker are seen during the dream sequences as each kid meets their demise by confronting personal fears and phobias. Of all the 'Nightmare' flicks, 'Dream Master' has some of the craziest and most memorable special effects, with Freddy's death being a highlight which continues to astound. Admittedly, the movie comes with many drawbacks, namely the amateur acting, but it's fun and amusing nonetheless. (Movie Rating: 3/5)
After the spectacular finale of the previous movie, it's difficult to imagine how Freddy could ever return or have a comeback as equally fantastic. But this fifth installment tries to do just that, opening with one of the most bizarre birthing scenes imaginable. A mix of flashback and nightmare, audiences are made to witness Kruger's birth at the infirmary of the insane asylum and looking like the demon prune from hell with an oversized head. After crawling to a dilapidated chapel conveniently engulfed in shadows, Freddy howls from growing pains and quickly fills into his iconic outfit with the fedora and gloves. The whole event is laughably excessive, but weirdly fitting for the 'Nightmare' universe. Sadly, the rest of the movie fails to live up to this absurdly sensational beginning.
Lisa Wilcox returns as Alice and unwittingly becomes responsible for Freddy being reborn and haunting the dreams of her new friends: Yvonne (Kelly Jo Minter), Mark (Joe Seely) and Greta (Erika Anderson). Following the continuity of the two movies that came before it, she and her boyfriend Dan (Danny Hassel) move on with their lives as recently-graduated high school sweethearts. We don't learn of the particulars behind Freddy's mysterious resurgence until much later, only after a wacky but somewhat creative death scene involving a literal speed demon. As far-fetched and dim-witted as it may seem, we have to give the three screenwriters responsible for this silliness some credit for at least developing this one original plot device. However, the teen pregnancy angle opens some pointless melodrama as well and ultimately goes nowhere except more bad acting.
Director Stephen Hopkins, who later moved on to helm 'The Ghost and the Darkness' and 'Lost in Space,' does what he can with the material, which is really nothing more than goofball fun. He doesn't make an attempt at being taken serious, aware of the sort of movie he's making and goes with it to a certain degree. And 'Dream Child' is all the better for it. How could any filmmaker sell the comic-book fight or the M.C. Escher-inspired final showdown with complete earnestness? But at the same time, it's also the movie's downside, coming across more as a comedy than horror and further transforming the Freddy persona into a perverse prankster. The visual fatuousness and overall zaniness of the movie are about the only saving grace and the laughs make it tolerably watchable. (Movie Rating: 2.5/5)
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