This review is part of captaind's The Good Movies EpiGuide 2 write off: http://www.epinions.com/content_5245804676

Wes Craven's A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET was one of those movies which forever made me a horror fan as a youth. To talk about it as in depth as I do with certain movies would be akin to restating the obvious, but Craven's movie perhaps appealed to me because it was rich in ideas as well as genuinely frightening moments. I would like to believe that was the case back then because in my mind, having followed the film for at least over a decade (I am in my early twenties), the movie holds up as such. No amount of merchandizing or sequelizing will ever deprive me of the feelings I remember when I first saw this movie on VHS, especially in those first opening moments of the film.

These images really stick out. Freddy is seen in his dingy abode, manufacturing from spare parts the razor-fingered glove which would help hurl him into iconography. The sound effects were harsh and particularly unsettling. The credits were underneath, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the action glove-boxed above. Then there's the actual dream of Tina Gray (Amanda Wyss), a high school student wandering through a cold, creepy corridor in her nightgown. The image and sound of a bleating sheep equated Tina to a lamb fit for slaughter, and Freddy's cackling here sounded naturally vicious and mocking. Inside the boiler room, it was even more screams, chuckles and sheer terror. The sight of Freddy's knives slicing down a cloth made me wince before the jump scares even came. Nowadays, I recognize many of the names of the technical crew that made this happen, but I was grew curious with age and admired the cinematography (by Jacques Haitkin), editing (Rick Shaine, Pat McMahon) and production design (Gregg Fonseca, RIP).

The technical details remained consistent throughout the film, even going so far as to stylishly play with the notions of sober reality and shocking fantasy. The first time we see Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) fall asleep, it's not in the safety of her own bed but in literature class as a daydream. Tina Gray has become the first casualty of the mysterious dream stalker whom Nancy and Tina, and later their respective boyfriends, Rod Lane (Jsu Garcia, known in the 1980s as Nick Corri) and Glen Lantz (Johnny Depp, in his film debut), admit they have encountered. Nancy is driven outside of the classroom in a eerily calm state by the moving body of her friend, still in her rubber bag. A series of ambiguous events lead her down to the boiler room until she knowingly commits an act of self-inflicted pain that brings her back into consciousness.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET was really a high-tech slasher movie whose formula would be refined into something more devious and profitable. In the subsequent films, I was alarmed at the way Freddy preyed upon the fantasy worlds of his victims before he killed them, depriving them of their optimism and comfort with cruel glee (I prefer on A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors for this very reason, wherein the kids are all supposedly suicidal and Freddy's quip-flavored kills don't lose their nihilism). Writer/director Craven brings it down to basics but also to an intellectual level which rewarded it credence. Remember that in 1984, Variety proclaimed the horror movie dead, with four redundant Friday the 13th films and their low-rent brethren (that same article spurred Lloyd Kaufman to create The Toxic Avenger). Craven got lucky in answering such declarations with a movie that truly became a benchmark mainstream horror film.

Nancy, of course, is the ordinary girl who becomes the movie's heroine. If you view Craven as an auteur, you'll know he prefers his characters active and clever enough to avert danger whilst still believably scared. Booby traps and the defensive use of household weapons were evident as early as Craven's 1972 feature debut, The Last House on the Left, wherein Dr. John Collingwood, father of the murdered Mari, avenges her death at the hands of maniacal fugitive Krug by means of a chainsaw. Nancy's own parents, particularly alcoholic divorcee mother Marge (Ronee Blakley), deprive her of the truth until she's the last endangered child of the group. By this point, though, she has all the knowledge she needs to gain the upper hand, but the fear of death is still apparent.

Craven's mojo for Buñuel and Bergman is adapted well to provide the film a visual style that can be quite surreal and yet still able to push the viewer's buttons. Furthermore, the original NIGHTMARE is clever enough to make its villain a symbolic bogeyman on the order of Michael Myers, albeit one who implies psychosexual intentions. Fred Krueger, as the name written inside the hat reads, was written as a child molester but was changed to avoid exploiting a series of such crimes in California. Nevertheless, the swaggering, sadistic Freddy sticks his tongue out in front of Nancy in a very salacious manner and, in one of the movie's most uneasy phallic metaphors, slices off his own finger in front of Tina, green fluid shooting out from the wound. Even the waterbed death of Glen would seem to suggest something which preys upon his red-blooded heterosexuality ("Morality sucks," indeed). If the first film holds up in establishing why Freddy is a real movie monster in the wake of cult fandom, let these dark examples of impinging on young people's sexual drives help establish that.

The teenagers in this film, with the possible exception of the quirky, carefree Glen, confide in each other in small moments and are more sympathetic than the teenagers in, say, a Jason Voorhees vehicle. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET sides us with the teenagers, an act that would prove more delicate once Freddy was pushed further into the spotlight as an anti-hero. Langenkamp, Depp, Wyss, and Garcia all feel natural in their roles, which seems to be the best possible description I can say about such performances. Nancy's empowerment, the product of betrayal and willful ignorance by the adult world (both Blakley and John Saxon, as Nancy's lieutenant detective dad, are convincingly detached and cynical), was perhaps the finest example of the Final Girl archetype in an eighties slasher film, whilst even Rod, the requisite vulgar tough guy, feels helpless when beloved Tina is killed in front of him by someone he couldn't even see. No matter how many times I watch this movie, I always invest my interest in these characters.

Slipping into the role of Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund provided a personality both horrifying and humorous. As a theater veteran, Englund could really animate Freddy in a way that helped out in terms of body language, a feat most mechanical monsters of the time did not have. Given Freddy's back story, that he was burned alive by vigilante parents, the surviving being would have to be one truly evil, angry monster, but Englund's perverse sense of humor mixes with such malevolence in a way that was quite alluring in the 1980s. In the original, though, the character was clearly having a ball taunting and tearing up his prey without Krueger's eventual slip into self-parody would be unfortunate to both Craven's original and the state of horror cinema, but Englund's performance in the original justifies the enduring presence of the character in a way that suggests undying relevance.

And with the exception of the ending scene, which smacks all too much of a studio-mandated twist (even Craven was embarrassed by it), the original A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET offers at least 87 minutes of prime horror. Freddy Krueger was a grungy, unapologetically evil entity who violated the sanctity of his young suburban victims' dreams in ways that were downright sleazy and sinister (do I have to remind you of the tongue?). Nowadays, children dress up like him on Halloween, a feat which could lend itself to a term paper-worthy dissertation on the meaning of irony. Craven would go on to satirize slasher films and their audiences with Scream in the nineties, but A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is a low-budget, high-imagination shocker that will astound me no matter what decade I live in.

New Line's Infinifilm double-DVD special edition had arrived seven years after the 1999 release of the film either separately or in the collector's edition boxed set of all the films up to Wes Craven's New Nightmare (itself a worthy precursor to Scream). The image and sound elements are new and improved, however. Remastered from the original negative and preserved in 16x9-enhanced 1.85:1 widescreen, the movie sports definition and impeccable color preservation whilst still holding up the stylistic choices Craven and his crew aimed for. Detail is impressive throughout the entire film no matter the focus being on the scenery or the actors' flesh tones, with black levels and shadows more concise and consistent than I anticipated. Print flaws are relatively non-existent excepting the necessary grain, and there is minimal edge enhancement. Although I admit to the transfer looking a bit more polished than I'm used to throughout the years (some scenes have a particularly blue atmosphere), this feels more like what I imagine audiences saw in 1984.

The audio mixes are Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and DTS-ES 6.1 Surround Sound. The former would appear to be remixed from the original mono soundtrack, which is also presented as an option for purists. However, credit must go to the sound team for really making the most of available elements and panning them out amongst the five speaker set-up. The boiler room dream sequences are a showcase for harsh, creepy ambiance from the industrial noises and the electronic score by Charles Bernstein. The multiple elements are juggled with precise fidelity, and stereo imaging often allows for some nice directional effects. Dialogue managed to remain intelligible despite its age.

However, I must warn you that the mono mix sounds particularly different. I noticed actual dialogue from the inclusion of the Evil Dead trailer (an in-joke relating to Craven and Raimi's back-and-forth duel, explained well by Bruce Campbell on the commentary to either of the first two Evil Dead movies) as well as the chiming noise when Nancy's floor sinks in the quicksand steps during her second onscreen nightmare were non-existent when compared to the 5.1 mix. The film is closed-captioned, but there are no subtitles or alternate language options.

The audio commentary track from the previous DVD and Elite Entertainment laserdisc featuring Wes Craven, Jacques Haitkin, Heather Langenkamp, and John Saxon is recycled. Recorded with all four participants in the same room, the feeling is definitely loose and often times comical, with Craven in particular commenting wittily on costume design decisions noted by Heather, the real-life inspiration for the "Morality sucks" aside from Johnny and Ronee's experimenting with her hair and make-up. The director notes all of the locations, from the Lincoln Heights Jail's asbestos-contaminated boiler room to Marshall High School, and Langenkamp chimes in with memories of auditions and on-set filming specifics. Haitkin and Saxon have fairly little to say except for when prompted, and even then it seems as though their memories aren't as strong as Craven and Langenkamp's. Despite some dry spots from all concerned, there's still plenty of information (of the three L.A. Times articles Craven read about Southeast Asian refugees who died in their sleep which inspired the screenplay, the last one formed the basis of the Nancy character) and charming group banter to make it a worthy listen if you haven't had the chance since the mid-1990s.

A new commentary track comprises a much larger group of participants: Craven, Langenkamp, Haitkin, Robert Englund, Amanda Wyss, Ronee Blakley, Charles Bernstein, editors Rick Shaine and Pat McMahon, producers Robert Shaye & Sara Risher, associate producer John Burrows, SPFX technician Jim Doyle, makeup artist David B. Miller, and historian David Del Valle. Naturally, this falls into the Criterion-style editing tactic of splicing together separately-recorded comments, with introductions to each participant. The result is an all-encompassing, trivia-packed and definitely more insightful track than the older group session. Craven himself explores the themes, casting and story decisions more thoughtfully than before. The actors all chime in with great perspective and introspection, Shaye is chockfull of production specifics regarding budgetary concerns, Haitkins is more upfront about his sociological visual temperament, and the inclusion of various crew members allow for first-hand behind-the-scenes specifics. There's too much good stuff to mention here, from Craven's analysis of reality vs. escape, the influence of Fellini's 8½ on Bernstein's score and Englund's raconteur-worthy reflections on the role and where it led.

To locate the audio commentaries, go to the Infinifilm menu and select "All Access Pass." There you'll find the activation points for these two commentaries as well as the "Sneak Peeks," segment which contains previews for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, Snakes on a Plane, Final Destination 3, and Running Scared, all of which also play before the main menu arrives.

As for the Infinifilm option itself, when activated, the bottom of the screen reveals a menu which allows you to view branching clips featuring interviews, unused film footage and even memorable death scenes from the various sequels. Despite some material exclusive to this option (such as the deleted scene where Nancy learns she's not the only child of the family), a great deal of the on-camera interview material has been plucked directly from the three featurettes which turn up on the second disc, and the topics discussed are the same as the ones in the commentaries (story inspiration, casting, production, effects, reception). The result is still quite fun, with the corresponding footage popping up at the right time and offering enough material to enhance the viewing experience. Whereas "Play Infinifilm" allows for the prompts to appear despite upholding the film's proper chapter selections, "Infinifilm Select a Scene" allows you to skip immediately to the menus.

There is a fact track that is meant to be a complement to the Infinifilm option (it is accessible as a "Beyond the Movie" option), and there is plenty more to be said about the beginnings of the actors and director (Langenkamp worked as a copy girl at the Tulsa Tribune, Depp sold ballpoint pens over the phone, Garcia was nominated for a Saturn Award playing Rod Lane). However, the information provided is sporadic so as not to get in the way of the Infinifilm menus. DVD-ROM/online features for this disc include the "Don't Fall Asleep" trivia game, script-to-screen viewing and web links.

Moving onto disc two's "All Access Pass" menu, there's another trivia game ("Freddy's Coming for You") which tests whether or not your eyes and ears were attentive to certain details in the film. The original theatrical trailer is also provided, as are a trio of alternate endings ("Scary," "Happy" and "Freddy"). The most substantial extra is the 50-minute making-of documentary "Never Sleep Again" from producer/director Jeffrey Schwartz, which is a comprehensive collection of on-camera interviews that follow everything from Wes Craven's beginnings to the cultural attention the movie received. Technically, it's a marvelous discussion of the movie which doesn't overlap too much with the Franken-commentary from the first disc, with plenty of archival goodies to make it worthwhile. The trouble with this is that isolated chunks from this documentary have been incorporated into the first disc's Infinifilm option to the point where there's no new tales to tell.

Heading to the "Beyond the Movie Features" menu, we get a pair of featurettes, "The House That Freddy Built" (22:47) and "Night Terrors" (15:55). Given the recent news of New Line Cinema's folding, it's kind of tough not to look at the former show as a requiem, albeit one with marketing designs. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET was the second original feature produced by New Line Cinema, which was a distribution company before Bob Shaye and team worked with Wes and made a blockbuster. The first movie, Alone in the Dark, was troublesome because of issues with actor Jack Palance. The documentary then follows the progressive success of each of the sequels and how the Freddy franchise led to New Line's further clout making horror movies, eventually picking up Jason and Leatherface along the way. The biggest surprise: Peter Jackson wrote a treatment ("The Dream Lover") for what would be the abysmal sixth installment, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.

"Night Terrors" delves into the cultural and mythological nature of dreams. Interview subjects include Jungian psychologist Dr. Don Kilhefner, author Dr. Marjorie Miles and Gnostic Society Director of Studies Dr. Stephan A. Hoeller alongside Wes Craven and film historian David J. Skal. The Balinese tradition of "lucid dreaming," wherein parents teach their kids to be aware of their dreaming as it happens, particularly appealed to Craven. Theories about the nature of dreams and their meaning are discussed, taking into account medical studies and the research and writings of Freud and Jung, but they are also intertwined with clips from the Nightmare series.

The extras are astoundingly abundant, but I was sad to discover that a few of the deleted/extended scenes included on the Elite Entertainment home video edition that I own have not been featured on this DVD. For instance, Nancy's appeal to her father to check on the imprisoned, endangered Rod was more heated initially and included the line John Saxon utters in the trailer but which did not make it into the final cut. This edition falls short of ultimate, but it is certainly the best offer in terms of technical presentation and bonus features thus far, including the 1999 boxed set.

Movie: 4.5/5.
Video: 4.5/5.
Audio: 4/5.
Extras: 4/5.
Final: 4.5/5.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is a New Line Cinema/Smart Egg Productions/Media Home Entertainment presentation. The movie runs approximately 92 minutes and is rated R for strong violence, language and some sexual content. The movie played in limited release the week starting November 9, 1984, going wider on November 16.