A Nightmare on Elm Street
National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...
What critics thought
Wes Craven's return to form was broadly celebrated on release, with critics finding the dream-logic premise genuinely inventive and Freddy Krueger a worthy addition to horror's monster pantheon. The main fault line was the ending and the seams where surreal nightmare imagery competed with — rather than amplified — the relentless pursuit horror the best of the genre delivers; some also found the family scenes and characterization thinly sketched beneath the stylish surface.
“for such a low-budget movie, Nightmare on Elm Street is extraordinarily polished. The script is consistently witty, the camera work (by cinematographer Jacques Haitkin) is crisp and expressive.”
Paul Attanasio·The Washington Post
“a superior example of an over-worked genre”
Kim Newman·Monthly Film Bulletin
“a highly imaginative horror film”
Variety
Genres
Horror
Cast & Crew
DirectorWes Craven
StarringHeather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia
ComposerCharles Bernstein
A Nightmare on Elm Street
National Film Registry
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...
What critics thought
Wes Craven's return to form was broadly celebrated on release, with critics finding the dream-logic premise genuinely inventive and Freddy Krueger a worthy addition to horror's monster pantheon. The main fault line was the ending and the seams where surreal nightmare imagery competed with — rather than amplified — the relentless pursuit horror the best of the genre delivers; some also found the family scenes and characterization thinly sketched beneath the stylish surface.
“for such a low-budget movie, Nightmare on Elm Street is extraordinarily polished. The script is consistently witty, the camera work (by cinematographer Jacques Haitkin) is crisp and expressive.”
Paul Attanasio·The Washington Post
“a superior example of an over-worked genre”
Kim Newman·Monthly Film Bulletin
“a highly imaginative horror film”
Variety
Genres
Horror
Cast & Crew
DirectorWes Craven
StarringHeather Langenkamp, Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia
ComposerCharles Bernstein
Rent/Purchase