Another BluRay film collection! I don’t remember how long it is since I’ve seen any of the Nightmare films, and I’m quite sure I’d only seen up to number 4 anyway, so here was a chance to rewatch what I had seen, and then see what the remaining were like.
These were films I remember watching with friends on rental VHS tapes from the cheaper genre shelf of the local video rental shop (for me that was Tates or Spar). We’d be watching them on an old school CRT TV in 4:3 format around someone’s family TV when their parents were out, or on tiny screens in our bedrooms.
There’s quite a few to look at, so we’ll do the first three films on this page, the ‘rest’ in a Part 2, and then a quick conclusion in Part 3.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The original, was, and arguably is, still the best.
We start with a bunch of teenagers, including Johnny Depp (!) and a bit like Psycho, the person you think is going to be the lead turns out to be an early victim. It’s a fun teenage film at times … and then comes the dreams and the screaming.
There’s the jock - Rod - who also admits to having nightmares too and actually that character is well done when he’s accused of murder. It’s all solid casting. It starts with your usual ’the adults don’t believe the kids’ trope, except as we find out later, the parents are very well aware of what’s going on.
Of course, we’re all here for Freddy and all that fake blood.
The two scenes which always stick out for me are the glove in the bath, and the face pressing through the wall. Simple, practical effects which combine with a kind of reverse jump scare, in that both go away when the character wakes up. Oh yes, and the stretched arms.
The rules about how Freddy works and his introduction are done gradually over the first hour and are well established, which makes it scarier for the ‘is she awake or not’ moments. The realisation that things can be pulled out of dreams makes the whole thing far more interesting, especially as it kind of exposes a weakness in the protagonist.
The mystery of Freddy and revelation about the parents killing him adds an edginess to their roles, but let’s not forget this man was a child killer and then parents went vigilante and burned him to death. That’s a serious premise.
I always like how Heather Langenkamp anchors the film, and her character Nancy actively looks for solutions - she’s no passive victim here as she faces off against Robert Englund’s darkly charasmatic Freddy.
The whole film is well connected, hints about that knife glove, staying awake, teenage jokes, knowing what’s the waking world and the dream world is very well done, with clever use of lighting and FX.
The film has isn’t shy to kill off characters, and builds towards a final showdown, even if the final scene is a little sloppy. Nancy going full booby-trap and survival mode seems a little odd, but she hasn’t slept for a week, most of her friends are dead, and her alcoholic mother is in denial, so she doesn’t really have anywhere else to turn. It’s almost Ripley-esque.
If somehow you’ve never seen this, I think it’s still worth checking out.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 - Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
Part 2 also starts with a dream sequence, but it’s obvious from the start that this film has a slightly different tone. There’s still the theme of family dynamics, this time for Jesse who has not just recently moved into town, but into Nancy’s old house.
This film has often been commented on regarding its alleged homoeroticism, though according to the production team, and many watching it, there’s not much alleged about it. It is something of a side theme and actually doesn’t add anything or take away from the the film, and gives it a different feel to the first one.
A shift is that Freddy is presented here as a kind of possessive force, so whilst the dream rules still apply, he comes through people in this one.
Another great concept is the house getting hotter and hotter, to the point where vinyl records melt, and eventually the pet budgie explodes.
Then there is the gay bar scene where Jesse meets his PE teacher in full leather outfit and the sequence ends up in the school gym showers. It’s an odd set up, but it works at just being on the verge of real and dream. On the possession side, Freddie is there, but he’s also Jesse.
This also marks Freddy’s most public show of force when he effectively gate crashes a BBQ pool party, and goes on a killing spree in the real world, but is it him? In that scene one of the guests says ,“Just calm down, alright”, which is one of the first signs of the some humour in the franchise, then it snaps to Freddy with a giant fire behind him declaring,‘You are all my children now.".
Ultimately it’s Jesse’s love for Lisa and her affection for him which weakens Freddy, and this is played back and forth since Jesse has been completely possessed at this point. Eventually their love melts Freddy, and Jessie crawls out from Freddy’s remains. Yes, that happens.
It’s not as good as the first installment, but it’s a decent attempt to do a sequel with none of the people (save Freddy) from the first film, and not just make it bigger, so I give it points for that.
Once again though it has an over the top final bit to leave you guessing.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 - Freddy's Revenge
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors (1987)
The third one is a little more like the first stylistically - more weird dreams like walking in tar and not being able to move, and the creepy nursery rhyme is back too - and that’s just the first five minutes.
After the first dream sequence, which ends in a suspected suicide bid by Kristen, one of main characters (hint: it’s not) our new protagnist is sentenced to time in a psychiatric hospital. Nice aside: one of the orderlies is played by Morpheus himself, Lawrence Fishburne.
This hospital then, full of kids with issues is an ideal location for a nightmare film in many ways - kids with issues, who no-one is going to believe. But someone does, and who could that be? Yes, it’s Nancy from the first film, still played by Heather Langenkamp, who plays a sleep disorder specialist, surprise surprise.
One of the kids keeps drawing or making models of Freddy’s house, or at least an Elm Street house to keep the connection going, and there’s the usual strangeness, including a childen’s tricycle which rolls in trailing blood which then melts, a bit like the house in 2, and more references to fire and the boiler room where Freddy killed kids, and was killed himself.
Eventually one girl is being eaten by snake Freddy, and Nancy is pulled into the dream to help her. Snake Freddy. Yes, we’re into single entendre territory.
The kills are very imaginative, and these kind of become the template for later in the series as they’re often related to the character they kill. The kid being played like a marionette and marched off a building by Freddy plays on his sleep walking, Jennifer, the girl who wants to be a TV star dies by Freddy the TV shoving her head through the screen. It’s not so subtle at times.
This is also the first film we meet the Nun - Sister Mary Helena - and start learning more about Freddy, before his death. It’s the first time the phrase, “the bastard son of a hundred maniacs” is heard too.
This is also the first film which has a sub-plot of how to kill Freddy - and this time it’s burying his bones on holy ground. Let’s do it!
First, find the father from the first film, played by John Saxon, who is now a drunk security guard (he was a Sheriff in the original). We’ll be needing him later.
Meanwhile it’s time for some in-dream fighting as the remaining kids use their dreams to fight Freddy. Taryn is an ex drug user who sees herslef as a sreet touugh, and Freddy dispatches her by turning his fingers into syringes and her injection holes into animated mouths. That’s probably the best FX kill, but they’re all thematic.
During this, John Saxon and one of the doctors are busy finding Freddy’s bones in a car wrecking yard, which Freddy detects, and then it’s time for … stop motion Freddy skeleton fight! It’s done well though - Harry Harryhausen would be proud.
Then it’s back to the dreamworld, and the mute kid uses his dream scream to shatter a room of mirrors and it turns into Freddy vs. everyone else. Finally the doctor back in the car wrecking yard dowses Freddy’s bones with holy water, and we’re done.
There’s one spoiler, and it’s that Nancy dies of her injuries, but at least she gets a funeral! Oh yes, and Sister Mary Helena turns out to be Freddy’s mother and was a ghost.
