Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

Tagline: This time staying awake won’t save you.

Curiosity: Apparently, Wes Craven had the idea for this movie while writing The Dream Warriors. One wonders why New Line took this long to give it a try.

Plot: Heather Langenkamp, star of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, dreams she is on the set of a new Nightmare sequel when Freddy Krueger’s glove comes to life and kills two crew members. She’s shaken from this nightmare by an earthquake. But as things get weirder – New Line reveals that they really are planning a new Nightmare flick, her son, Dylan (Miko Hughes, Michelle Tanner’s asshole friend from Full House), also suffers from strange nightmares, and scenes from the original film crop up in her real life – Heather beings to question her sanity, as well as the possibility that maybe Freddy is real.

Thoughts: Generally thought of as a thematic precursor to his Scream series, New Nightmare finds writer/director/co-star Wes Craven questioning what it means to make a horror film. His story isn’t as glib as Scream (or as punishing as, say, Funny Games), but it does raise some interesting ideas, such as positioning New Nightmare into a greater context. Let’s be honest; these flicks are only scary if you’re a kid. Craven posits New Nightmare and the Krueger character as a modern day fairy tale, even going so far as to parallel the story of Hansel and Gretel.

The film doesn’t entirely hold up under this premise, as it eventually hits the same rote point of the other Nightmare sequels, that of the Final Girl trying to convince everyone else that the killer is real and will strike again. Coupled with a lack of onscreen time for Freddy and an overabundance of Dylan doing a tired creepy kid Omen shtick, the scenes become repetitive.

Still, when Robert Englund gets to debut the “new” Krueger costume, it’s pretty dang awesome. The original costume was designed to be garish; this one is meant to look cool, with a black overcoat, more demonic makeup, and fuller frame complementing Krueger’s classic fedora hat. I could live without the new glove, but Englund drops the “jazz steps” approach to the character to give something that’s much more brutal. When the film finally, finally, finally gets to Krueger, New Nightmare soars. His scene in the hospital is among the series’ best.

Reflection: I maintain my original statement – A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Dream Warriors, and New Nightmare form a comprehensive trilogy. Show ’em to your kids!

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Tagline: They saved the best for last. It’s funny because I still have two more Freddy films to go.

Curiosity: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare is actually the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie I ever saw, as a way-too-young lad. While it seems lame today, the scene where Freddy (Robert Englund) blew up Carlos’ (Ricky Dean Logan) head freaked me out for weeks.

Plot: Set in the awful future of 2001, Freddy Krueger has killed almost all of the children in Springwood, Ohio save for one. After giving the final child amnesia, Freddy sends “John Doe” (Shon Greenblatt) out for fresh meat. He eventually stumbles into a juvenile shelter, where he meets Dr. Maggie Burroughs (Lisa Zane). Together, they try to figure out what Freddy wants from him, before he kills again.

Thoughts: For me, this is the installment that has aged the least well. But that’s really only because, as my introduction to the Nightmare series, Freddy’s Dead scared the bejeebits out of me as a child. Now, however, all I see are Roseanne Barr cameos and unnecessary connections to other, better horror/fantasy tales like The Twilight Zone, Twin Peaks, Wizard of Oz, and even Fantasia (That is why they used Modest Mussorgsky’s “Night on Bald Mountain,” right?). Not to mention the fact that the filmmakers were still recycling imagery from The Dream Warriors.

Still, the film deserves credit for trying to deepen Freddy’s history by explaining the events that made him so gosh dang evil. Writer/director Rachel Talalay (Tank Girl, Kyle XY) returns the series to its surreal roots, although she tends to oversell it, especially during the film’s first half. One character’s observation that Springwood is like Twin Peaks is more of a bid for credibility than an accurate comparison. I also enjoyed Johnny Depp’s return to the series [SPOILER: Freddy hits him in the face with a frying pan]. And given all the different methods kids have tried to defeat Freddy, this ending makes more sense than most (here’s looking at you, The Dream Master). But my favorite part overall is the bit of dialogue designed to tell the audience when to put on 3D glasses. See, the last 10 minutes or so of the film were shot in 3D - note the way the characters suddenly start holding things way, way away from their bodies - and Maggie, for no real reason, puts on 3D glasses to denote that it's 3-Dizzle time. At one point, she even tells the audience to keep their glasses on. Brilliant!

Reflection: There are sooooo many Goo Goo Dolls songs in this movie. What would Bruce Dickinson think?

The Dream Child (1989)

Tagline: It’s a boy!

Curiosity: How did they wrap up all those pesky loose ends from The Dream Master? Ya know, like the part where Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) was totally, absolutely, irrevocably dead times infinity blackout forever?

Plot: It’s graduation time for the Springwood teens, and Alice (Lisa Wilcox) seems to have found a whole new gang of friends since Freddy slaughtered all of her old ones, including super cool brother Rick (he knew karate, got-dammit!). Boyfriend Dan (Danny Hassel) even has tickets to Paris for senior week! Holy pan de chocolate!

THEN SHIT GETS SHITTY.

See, believing in Freddy is all it takes to revive him, and since Alice keeps waiting for him to come back, the whole thing turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy. So he does indeed return from H E double Hockey Puck Thwacker Thinger, kills Dan (without even waiting for him to fall asleep, mind you), and begins corrupting the dreams of Alice’s unborn child.

Oh yeah, turns out she’s preggers. At first it’s framed as if it’s Freddy’s doing, but eventually you realize it really is Dan’s baby, which sucks. So now not only does Alice have to protect her friends, but also her baby, from Krueger, and without all those nifty Neo-like powers she gained in The Dream Master.

Plot: For a horror flick, this movie is surprisingly free of blood or violence. Even the nudity is family friendly (sort of). In fact, aside from maybe the fact that 90 percent of Freddy’s lines end with “bitch,” The Dream Child could probably run uncut in primetime on a major network. The kills are cartoonish, and the characters barely conceived. Dialogue is often overdubbed, especially in the awkward graduation ceremony that opens the movie. Even better is the garish wardrobe – everything is super bright/loud/big. Ah, the late ’80s/early ’90s – good times.

The film is the least faithful to the Nightmare mythology since Freddy’s Revenge. There’s little justification for the disappearance of Alice’s powers or Freddy’s ability to kill people who aren’t sleeping. There’s a slight argument for Alice’s baby inheriting her dream powers, but still no explanation for how it totally knows everyone ever and can pull them in. By this point, though, I don’t think anyone was trying very hard. I feel bad for Wilcox. She’s a solid actress with a good character stuck in the worst-written Nightmare on Elm Street films. Hopefully Alice gets some justice in the Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash

Reflection: At least this movie served as the inspiration for Iron Maiden’s “Bring Your Daughter… to the Slaughter.”

The Dream Master (1988)

Tagline: You shouldn’t have buried me. I’m not dead.

Curiosity: Eh, who am I kidding? At this point I’m just watching this series because I said I would.

Plot: While Freddy has been dead and buried for some time, Kristen (now played by Tuesday Knight, taking over the role from Patricia Arquette) can’t shake the feeling that he’s due for a comeback. Given that Freddy’s powers stem from people’s belief in him, it’s kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Anyhoozle, Freddy returns and slaughters all of the surviving kids from Dream Warriors, including Kristen. But before she’s burned alive, she passes on her dream powers – advanced gymnastics and the ability to pull people into the same dream – to her friend Alice (Lisa Wilcox). Unfortunately, Alice can’t control these powers, often pulling people in by accident, much to Freddy’s delight. As long as he lets Alice live, he has an instant meal ticket. However, er’rytime Freddy offs a kid, Alice absorbs some of their abilities, making her his effective opposite.

Thoughts: Excellent premise; shitty execution. The Dream Master brings some refreshing ideas, like renewing the bit about Freddy’s power stemming from people’s fear of him. He has the most at stake in this installment, since killing is a survival method as well as a sadistic pleasure. Alice in turn makes for an excellent balance. And her brother Rick (Andras Jones) knows karate and listens to Billy Idol! HE IS SO COOL AND I LOVE HIS HAIR.

Rick, Rick, Rick.

So yeah, the ideas are there, and it’s compelling to watch the new characters attempt to learn what we the audience knows by this point. Sadly, the accompanying picture ain’t too bright. Maybe it’s because I’m been doing this Elm Street marathon all week, but major inconsistencies are starting to pop up. Dates don’t synch up with the previous films. Nancy’s house from the original film, which Freddy still uses as a sort of base of operations, has been changed arbitrarily – I’m talking moved staircases and incorrect window shapes. I hate to get all continuity error here, but it’s distracting. Further mistakes – incorrectly synched dialogue, a curious lack of blood – make the movie kind of a chore to watch, although the final confrontation between Alice and Freddy is cool, even if it doesn’t entirely make sense.

Reflection: Rick and I are going to make 400 babies. <3

Dream Warriors (1987)

Tagline: If you think you’ll get out alive, you must be dreaming.

Curiosity: Dream Warriors was my favorite Nightmare when I was a kid (It’s got Larry Fishbourne from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse!). Also, it was creator/co-writer Wes Craven’s first attempt to end the franchise. Too bad this resulted in a good movie with tons of room for sequels.

Plot: Kristen (Patricia Arquette) is sent to Westin Hills, a psychiatric clinic, after her mother finds her with a slashed wrist and razor blade. Turns out Freddy Kruger did it (I know!). He’s preying on the children of Elm Street again, this time focusing on the committed. Turns out adults have trouble believing the suicidal, emotionally disturbed, and drug-addicted youths of Springwood. But just when Kristen doesn’t think anyone will accept her story, in steps Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) from the original Nightmare on Elm Street! And she’s a dream specialist! Serendipity doo-daa, serendipity day! While she prefers using the drug Hypnocil – which prevents dreaming and therefore keeps Freddy at bay – Nancy opts to train Kristen and the other teens at Westin Hill how to use their dreams to combat Krueger in the dream world. They are… DREAM WARRIORS! [Cue bitchin’ Dokken song]

Thoughts: Overall, Dream Warriors holds up. Craven, along with director/co-writer Chuck Russell (Collateral, The Mask, and, uh, The Scorpion King) expand the mythos quintuple-fold, introducing the mysterious Sister Mary Helena, a nun who sure seems to know a lot about Krueger. Craven and Russell also try to level the playing field a bit by giving the kids some powers in the dream world. The concept of Freddy feeding off of kids becomes clearer, and we learn one more way to defeat the bastard that doesn’t work.

There are distracting issues, of course. Nancy’s grey streak is on the wrong side of her face, Krueger’s original body is found with his glove – which is impossible given the events of the original film, and mute character Joey has a magical disappearing face tattoo. Oh, and Freddy’s descent into cheesy one liners begins here. Dude used to drop eerie shit like “This… is… God!”, now he’s saying “Welcome to prime time bitch” before shoving someone’s head through a TV set. In fact, most of Freddy’s dialogue from here on out consists of “Blankity blank, bitch.” “Make sure you deposit your paycheck, bitch.” “Trickle down economics doesn’t work, bitch.” “Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, bitch.” Then he stabs somebody. For a long stretch, Dream Warriors is where Nightmare on Elm Street should have ended.

Reflection: Dick Cavett’s cameo is really funny.

Freddy's Revenge (1985)

Tagline: The man of your dreams is back. See, it sounds sweet, but really it is ominous. It’s a double entendre… FROM HELL.

Curiosity: There’s something alluring about watching what most consider the worst Nightmare on Elm Street installment. Also, I’ve read that the movie may or not have a subtext about repressed homosexuality.

Plot: Set five years after the events of the original film, Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge finds a new family living on Elm Street. All American kid Jesse (Mark Patton) has been having nightmares featuring the return of Fred(dy) Krueger (Robert Englund). Only this time, Kruger doesn’t want to kill. Rather, he wants Jesse to kill for him. As the dreams become increasingly painful – and Freddy causes ghostly mischief around the house – Jesse begins to transform into the killer. It’s up to Jesse and his friend who is also a girl, Lisa (Kim Myers), to figure how to stop Freddy from claiming… FREDDY’S REVENGE.

Thoughts: Sheesh, no wonder creator Wes Craven was originally opposed to making sequels. Here’s the thing. There is no gay subtext to Jesse’s character. “Subtext” implies a nuance, something that the audience has to work towards. Not to glorify stereotypes or anything, but Jesse’s homosexuality is pretty surface level:

Yeah, that’s the only scene I’m going to give you.

Freddy’s Revenge is the first step towards softening the character – it’s right there in the nickname. In the original he was Fred. The film is also fairly low on gore, although Jesse’s transformation sequence into Freddy still looks decent 24 years later. It’s no The Thing, but it gets the job done.

But then, Freddy spends so little time on the screen that it’s hard to think of this movie as an Elm Street installment. The filmmakers show little interest in the character’s original powers, allowing him to pretty much do whatever he wants in the real world all the time, thereby ruining the dream aspect almost altogether. Given his seemingly endless supply of power, it makes little sense that Freddy would ever want to possess Jesse. Maybe he’s trying to explore his homosexuality too. While the possession angle was later used to better effect in Freddy vs. Jason, Freddy’s Revenge merely comes off as poorly researched. Also gay.

Reflection: Jesse goes to a gay leather bar. He also spends a lot of time naked/wet/WITHOUT PANTS AND I CAN SEE BUTT EW GROSS. This is the Batman and Robin of the Elm Street franchise.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Tagline: If Nancy doesn’t wake up screaming, she won’t wake up at all...

Curiosity: The Nightmare films always captured my imagination as a child in a way that the Halloween and Friday the 13th franchises never could.

Plot: Tina (Amanda Wyss) starts having horrible nightmares in which a burned man with knives tries to kill her. They’re extremely real and disturbing, to the point that Tina seeks out the help of Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), her best friend, and Glen (Johnny Depp), Nancy’s boyfriend. Later, Tina’s boyfriend Rod (Jsu Garcia) shows up for extra protection… also sex. The four seem to be doing OK at a sleepover. Then this happens:

So that went poorly. With Tina dead, it’s up to Nancy to figure out the mysterious identity of one Fred Krueger (Robert Englund), a boogeyman of sorts who haunts the teens’ dreams, as well why her parents get so upset when she mentions his name. Whenever Krueger kills someone in his or her dreams, he or she dies the same way in real life, and the body count is rising…

Thoughts: With the Nightmare on Elm Street remake coming out next spring, now seems like a good time to reevaluate the original series. At seven films (Eight if you count Freddy vs. Jason), the franchise had its ups and downs, but I’d argue that, bare minimum, there’s a solid trilogy buried in the mix. They are: A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Coincidentally, they’re the only three that featured Craven, as well as star Heather Langenkamp.

I think the remake has potential to reimagine Craven’s original vision to a fuller extent. For starters, the Krueger character was originally supposed to be the worst kind of person Craven could think of – a child molester. Censorship forced him to downgrade it slightly – turns out he only butchered 20 kids or so. A decent budget might also help carry across the dream sequences.

But then, throwing money at a movie doesn’t automatically make it better. What makes the original so compelling is the premise. Krueger was always scary to me because he could get me in my sleep. The film came out 25 years ago, but dreams still don’t make much scientific sense. Furthermore, while I’m fairly certain Michael Myers will never show up at my doorstep in real life, it doesn’t matter if Freddy is real or not, since I could still die in my sleep anyway. Here’s a killer whose means of murder could actually translate to the real world, something that Craven explored in his later films. Like the original movie asserts, Freddy literally does have as much power as viewers are willing to give him. He is fear incarnate.

A Nightmare on Elm Street has a sort of ramshackle charm. It’s scary more for its concepts than it is for its actual scenes, some of which come off a little clunky. Watch Tina’s death scene again – how dumb does Freddy look with his arms spread like 15 feet? I’ve had dreams with disproportionate body parts, but the idea just looks stupid on film. But the movie moves along pleasantly enough, and there’s at least one more amazing kill late in the film. Craven and Englund were still figuring out the character at this juncture – Englund’s delivery would change in the later films – but as an opening salvo, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a pretty cool movie. There’s one more thing that drew me to it as a kid – more than any slasher flick, this was a series whose stories/kills were limited only by the filmmakers’ imagination.

Reflection: …Is she… IS SHE WATCHING EVIL DEAD?!