A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | 100 Movies Bucket List

 

I hadn't seen this film in years before this re-watch, but I had seen the remake more recently, so I was looking forward to watching this one again.

I liked this movie.

Before you even get into the film itself, the concept of the film is so unique and engaging. It's a simple idea that's expanded on to the point that it becomes truly scary.

The idea of most of the horror taking place in dreams means that the filmmakers can take many creative liberties involving the design of Freddy. He can look as fantastical as possible.

And the design is truly iconic. Freddy is one of the most visually recognisable horror villains and it's not hard to work out why.

While all of the acting wasn't amazing, the actors were great! I particularly loved seeing Lin Shaye in such an early role (particularly as it's been announced that a new Insidious movie is coming out this year!). But Heather Langenkamp was also great as Nancy, and of course Robert Englund is iconic as Freddy.

It's really interesting to see the dreams get more and more elaborate as the film continues. Again, the filmmakers didn't hold anything back when it came to the visuals, and that definitely paid off!

The deeper we get into the story, and the closer we get to finding out the truth, the better the film gets. We become completely invested in the characters as opposed to just the horror of it.

And then there's the ending, which is a lot of fun and paves the way for a sequel, though I'm sure at the time the filmmakers didn't know the franchise they were creating!

Overall, I enjoyed this movie, and it's definitely made me want to check out all the movies in the franchise!