A Nightmare on Elm Street (’84) ~Review

My husband dislikes Freddy Krueger. He thinks Krueger is less scary and more silly given that he is a dream and can do things like stretch out his arms and appear out of thin air. I, on the other hand, think this is the genius behind the red and green sweater. Viewers have to suspend their disbelief for most (all?) horror films, and especially for serial killer franchises in which the antagonist never dies. A Nightmare on Elm Street is the loophole; you can’t kill a dream. No matter how silly Krueger acts or how unbelievable the deaths are, everything is justifiable because anything is possible in a nightmare. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had some pretty crazy dreams.

​A Nightmare on Elm Street kicked off its franchise a bit later than the rest, but it came out fighting. Several local teenagers begin having nightmares starring a man with a burned face, a red and green sweater and razors for fingers. One by one, the dreams terrorize them and few wake up. Turns out Freddy Krueger was a child murderer hunted and burned by the townspeople years ago. Now he haunts their childrens’ dreams to seek revenge. Directed and written by Wes Craven (surely I have your attention now!), this film is nearly flawless. The antagonist is riveting and terrifying, the protagonist is relatable, the death sequences are works of art; and to top it all, this film is the debut of the actor known as…