"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) Review

    Not gonna lie. I watched this one right before I went to bed. That was a mistake. This is the original 1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street!

    I hope I don't really have to explain the plot. Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), a teenager, starts having nightmare involving the "knifed-fingered" man, Fred Krueger (Robert Englund). But when her friends start dying in the sleep because of Krueger, she teams up with her boyfriend, Glen (Johnny Depp, in his first role) to take down the killer.
    As I have said in previous reviews, I am not the biggest fan of horror movies. I prefer the classics (Like the previously reviewed The Wolfman) or one with a lot of humor (Evil Dead II is my all-time favorite horror film). So, I was a little wary going into this one. Sure, I liked the Friday the 13th series in a so-bad-they're-good way. My hope was that I would enjoy this film the same way. Well, I didn't. It's not so-bad-it's-good. It's just good. Really good.

That's Freddy. His friends don't ask for many high-fives.

    Seriously speaking, A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the greatest horror films ever made. The film has a lot going for it and don't do a whole lot wrong. The biggest appeal of the film is the surprising cleverness of writing. Fred is menacing and funny. The effects were done cheap and are creative (Especially Fred in the wall). The inventiveness of the kills, some of which made use of any entire rotating room, are at time genius and make the film stick out in your mind long after you have seen it.
    The cast also deserves some praise. Of course, Englund knocks it out of the park as Fred. As much as he's unnerving, there is an odd likability to the character. Langenkamp also does well, as she believably goes for victim to hero in the film's events. Depp, even in his very first performance, does a good job as the boyfriend, though he doesn't do a whole lot. The only actors that didn't do it for me were Nick Corri, who played a friend of Nancy, who just always seemed aware he was acting. Also, John Saxon doesn't seem to be all that interested in what's happening.

One of the most famous moments in film. Ever.

    The original 1984 A Nightmare on Elm Street is a masterpiece in it's genre. One of the most inventive movies ever, the kills and the visuals are at times stunning. The acting, by most anyway, is great and Englund has created one of the most iconic film character ever. It may not seem like much, but trust me. A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the greatest horror films of all time. A Nightmare on Elm Street gets 6 stars out of 6.