MOVIE RECOMMENDATION - A Nightmare on Elm Street

I began watching horror movies at a very young age. I remember that one of my favorites as a child was Poltergeist. I would watch it repeatedly on an old video tape that also had recorded a Disney club episode and the ending of The Exorcist. Clearly, a strange genre combination for any other normal kid out there, but not for me. I did not only like the whole dark and grotesque aesthetic turned into something artistic, like Halloween is for children, but I would also find comfort in the villain's narratives or backstories sometimes, for that was how I felt on the inside, like an outcast or an outsider. Not that I wanted to be the villain or evil to win, but knowing I was not supposed to watch and enjoy those movies and yet doing so, was like some kind of rebellious way I had to tell the world that I was different, and it was ok. It also had something to do with adrenaline, like the one you get onto a rollercoaster, but from an audiovisual stimulation. That's what happened when I first watched the movie Scream, which made my love for horror movies grow even more, particularly the slasher sub-genre, and led me into searching for more information about Wes Craven and his works.  

Although Freddy Krugger was already very popular back then, and I had seen Freddy vs. Jason at the theatre, I had not actually watched the other movies yet. It wasn't until years later, when I bought a DVD pack of the entire franchise (the first seven films), that I could get to watch them and I really had a great time doing it. Unlike the Halloween franchise or Friday the 13th's and without discrediting those films, I like how A Nightmare on Elm Street is way more original when it comes to the killings and the background scenes, since they take place in dreams and, therefore, there's plenty of room for the scriptwriters and production designers to let their imagination go. The way every death is related to the character personality is simply great, and I love that Freddy is not just one more villain with a knife, but one that thinks through each victim weakness and attacks them based on that, with a touch of dark humor too. Another thing that characterizes these films, following this whole nightmarish scenery, is their practical special effects. Some of them look very cool and have a distinctive special enchant, considering that they were made in the 80s and 90s. My favorite entries in the franchise are the fifth (The Dream Child), the third (The Dream Warriors) and, of course, the first one, the original. 

Wes Craven's 1984 classic is clearly one the best slasher movies ever made and the one that consecrated him as one of the best horror filmmakers of his generation, after his first two movies, The Last House on The Left and The Hills Have Eyes. Not only he directed the film, but he was the creator and scriptwriter as well, which is clearly the best aspect of A Nightmare on Elm Street: the idea behind it. He told in an interview that he was inspired by an article he read about a teenager who didn't want to go to bed because he thought he might die in his sleep. On the other hand, the inspiration behind Freddy Krugger came from seeing an actual person through the window as child. A man with a hat who tried to scare him. You just need an article and a brief experience in your life to turn it into a whole other universe, that's all it takes. And some imagination, of course, but at core, it all comes down to basic concepts, and you get to create one of the most iconic horror movies ever made. However, Craven film has some flaws too, especially the ones related to the lack of budget. Some scenes are very well-shot and look terrifying as hell, like Nancy's high school nightmare or Glen's death, but some others, like Tina's chasing in the alleyway or Rod's death, denote this mentioned lack of budged, and yet the film remains as one of the best horror independent movies ever made, along with Halloween or The Blair Witch Project. 

I have just watched the whole franchise again to write this post, including Freddy vs Jason and the 2010 remake, and I was thinking that it's strange how it's been 15 years already without a new take on the story. I don't really follow the news about it on the Internet, but I hope they make another movie someday, even if it's without Robert Englund. At least, I would really enjoy seeing a new one. In the meantime, we can always keep on watching the old entries. One of the best horror franchises ever, undoubtedly.