A Nightmare On Elm Street - The original (and best)

Say what you like about the (numerous) sequels that followed ‘A Night on Elm Street’ (and many people did), but most will agree that this one was a classic horror movie that still stands the test of time. And, if you don’t know, it’s recently been remade, so you want to make sure you check out the original if you’re new to the franchise. The remake was universally despised and critically panned.

If you don’t know, ‘Nightmare’ tells the – not particularly nice – story of Freddy Kruger, a child murdered who was burned alive by the parents of his victims. However, you can’t keep a good child killer down and he gets supernatural powers which he uses to return to children’s dreams, only to despatch them again.

The ‘Nightmare’ films were a little different to your average ‘slasher’ flick, as you don’t just have a masked killer wandering around hacking people to bits one by one (normally after they’ve just had sex). The ‘dream-angle’ provides the film-makers with a broader pallet to work with, one where they can be more creative and have fun with the locations. As Freddy only attacks when his victim falls asleep, the landscape is normally individual to the victim and he can manipulate it suitable to ‘mess with their heads’ before he kills them.

Of course, Nightmare wouldn’t be Nightmare if it wasn’t for Freddy and therefore finding the right actor to play him was paramount to the film’s success. Step up Robert Englund. He really makes the film what it is. He’s suitably nasty, but strangely fun to watch at the same time.

So, if you’re into eighties horror, slasher films in general, or just like a film that’s genuinely creepy, give this one a go (and for heaven’s sake please steer clear of the 2010 remake – despite having an equally great actor to portray Freddy, it’s just plain awful).

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather