Movie Review: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Scary, makes good use of premise

Cons: Very 80’s movie

The Bottom Line:

Teens stalked while they sleep

Classic 80’s slasher film

Dated but scary

“Did You Have Any Weird Dreams Last Night?”

If you are looking for the trifecta of 70’s and 80’s slasher franchises, you have to look at Halloween, Friday the 13^th, and A Nightmare on Elm Street.  Over the years, I’ve caught all the movies in all three franchises on TV, not that I intend to review them all.  But I figured I should review at least the first movie featuring Freddy Kruger.

Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends are having strange dreams.  They involve a disfigured man and a boiler.  Plus, the man seems to have something sharp on his hands.  However, these dreams seem to be manifesting in reality, leaving the teens injured.  Or dead.  Will any of them sleep well again?  Or will Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) come for them in their dreams?

I must admit, I have a mixed reaction to this movie, probably brought on by the fact that I didn’t watch it until I was an adult, long after the 80’s were over.  This movie was originally released in 1984, and it shows.  If nothing else, the electric soundtrack is a dead giveaway.  Some of the effects are also dated, and the low budget for the movie shows.  I’ve also got to point out that some of the acting is dated as well.  Yes, even something from the 1980’s can be dated acting wise.  If you watched this movie without knowing the release date, you could guess within a couple of years just by watching it.

Yet, the movie is still creepy 40 years later.  We all know the horror of a nightmare, so it is easy to identify with the teens who are being stalked by a killer in their dreams.  The movie also does a wonderful job playing into our typical nightmares for some of the sequences.  I’m not going to spoil any of them, but you watch the dreams and think “This really could happen in a dream.”  Granted, dreams are weird enough that the statement gives the creative team behind the movie lots of leeway, but it is still extremely creepy.

Robert Englund made a name for himself playing Freddy here.  Yes, the character would evolve as the franchise went on, but he’s appropriately scary here.  I also have to point out that this movie is the debut of Johnny Depp, who has a large part as Nancy’s boyfriend.

Then there’s the ambiguous ending.  I get it.  Especially back then, they wanted to set up a franchise.  But I hate that it completely erases the power of the climax.  And yes, I do love the climax.

Keep in mind that this is an R rated horror movie with plenty of sex, language, and especially violence.  Yes, even when this is on TV.  Know that if you choose to watch it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is still appropriately creepy even if it is very dated.  You might want to watch this one during the day.