A Nightmare on Elm Street starring Heather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp on DVD

Director: Wes Craven

Amazon.com
A movie-savvy character in Wes Craven's smash hit Scream observes that the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie was great, but that the rest were ... well, trash. And, comparatively speaking, she's absolutely right. Wes Craven's original Nightmare is the horrormeister's masterpiece, a landmark of the genre that would probably be considered even greater if its impact hadn't been retroactively diluted by all those stupid, campy sequels (all but the third one and the series finale made without Craven's participation). Probably the scariest movie of the 1980s (only Kubrick's The Shining--and maybe certain Ronald Reagan press conferences--come close), Nightmare represents the deepest descent into the terrifying, illogical imagery of dreams ever attempted in a mainstream American film. (A favorite scene: Freddy's momentary transformation into a dwarfish figure with impossibly elongated arms.) It's also a great movie about the fears and newfound powers of adolescence: When teenage Nancy (Heather Langencamp) begins having nightmares about a disfigured man with knife-blade fingers, people around her start dying. Why, it's almost as if the killer were actually coming to life and stepping out of her subconscious. Which, of course, is exactly what's happening.... Owing as much to Roman Polanski's Repulsion as it does to John Carpenter's original Halloween, Nightmare is as intelligent as it is frightening, and treats its characters (and audience) with respect, unlike so many of its cousins, who would later be lampooned in the Scream movies. Look for Johnny Depp as Nancy's friend across the street, who meets a particularly nasty end.

DVD Home
John Holleman, In Association With Amazon.com
Oxford, MS
 

 

 

 

Amazon.com is pleased to have Dr. John Holleman in the family of Amazon.com associates. We've agreed to ship products and provide customer service for orders we receive through special links on Dr. Holleman's online bookseller.
Amazon.com associates list selected books, music, videos and DVDs in an editorial context that helps you make the right choice. We encourage you to shop often to see what new items they've selected for you.
Thank you for shopping with an Amazon.com associate.
Sincerely,
Jeff Bezos, President Amazon.com