Out of all the classic horror/slasher villains, Freddy has always been my favorite. It is crazy to think that as I write this, A Nightmare on Elm Street is the better part of 40 years old! This is an all-time classic of a movie that truly did change the way that horror and slasher movies were made for years to come.
How to Download A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street was released on November 16, 1984. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. If you like slashers, check out also Scream or Friday the 13th.
The Movie Review
The thing about the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is that the main character, Freddy Kruger would go on to be way bigger than all of the actual movies. Freddy became a pop culture icon, starring in video games, commercials, and his own TV series and he was parodied to death!
This original movie did an amazing job of setting up things. A young woman called Tina has been having scary dreams about a nightmarish figure and it is freaking her out. One night her friend Nancy and Nancy’s boyfriend Glen (a very young Johnny Depp) stay over while her folks are out of town. Tina’s boyfriend, Rod shows up, but he sure as hell will wish he didn’t.
Setting the Stage
One thing that many people forget about the first movie is that the opening kind of sets things up like you think Tina is going to be the main hero. That is not the case at all, Tina gets killed in brutal fashion, a truly iconic scene where Freddy drags her all over her room and Rod is then left to take the blame for her death.
Unveiling the Horror
Nancy, Glen, and Rod all have dreams about this horrible man and are freaked out. Nancy though is one very smart young lady and she realizes that there is something wrong. Nancy finds out that this man is Freddy Kruger, a child molester who got off, so the townsfolk did some vigilante justice and now he is back from hell looking for revenge.
Expert Storytelling
Look, you probably do not need me to tell you what the story of A Nightmare on Elm Street is! It is pretty common knowledge what this is about, however, I do think many people take for granted just how good the storytelling here is. Nancy is one of if not the greatest final girls of all time, she is certainly my favorite! Nancy thanks to her ability to pull things from the dream world into the real world has a cunning plan to defeat Freddy using her ability.
Iconic Moments
This original movie also has some very iconic deaths, Tina, Glen, and Rod all meet their ends in very dramatic fashion and the scene with Nancy in the bathtub is just as iconic! Many of the big scenes in this first movie have been parodied over the years, which tells you how memorable they were. Hell, Will Smith even wrote an awesome rap song parody of the story about it.
Legacy and Reception
While many people like to poke fun at the scene with Nancy’s mother getting pulled through the window looking so bad. I actually feel that some of the practical effects here hold up very well. Tina and Glen’s deaths for example look just as incredible today as they did back then! Many people still feel that this is the best the franchise ever was!
I do love this movie, but it is not my favorite one. The serious version of Freddy that we get here was made to be well and truly scary and I will admit that as much as I love wise-cracking Freddy, he is far more sinister here. This is an all time classic and one that I have bought several times over the years whenever they make a new and “better” version of it.
