A Nightmare On Elm Street didn't change the horror genre by any means, but it certainly worked on existing ideologies within the genre, expanded on them, and made for a truly memorable movie, complete with a very young Johnny Depp. I look at the original Nightmare how it has had such an impact on the horror industry.
Freddy Krueger...Can Speak?!
Unlike previous horrors, director Wes Craven wasn't afraid of experimenting with the genre, he had some success with other movies, but it was arguably through A Nightmare On Elm Street that he was able to shine. No longer was the killer silent, instead we were introduced to Freddy Krueger, who used his vocal skills just as much as his intimidating knife glove.
Freddy Krueger. Because green blood is where its at.
Krueger would provoke fear into his victims not by stalking them like Myers, but through words and bizarre imagery, for example there's a scene in which Tina is frantically running - soon enough, Krueger jumps from behind a tree and says "watch this!", going on to cut off his own fingers revealing squirting green blood.The look of despair on Tina's face is priceless as she knows she's dealing with a genuinely crazy psychopath. Krueger would go on to much more theatrical stunts throughout the franchise along with some fantastic one-liners.
Johnny Depp
Before Depp was crafting hedge sculptures with his scissor hands or parading around the seas as Jack Sparrow, he played the role of Nancy's boyfriend Glen. This was Depp's first major role in a movie and a memorable one at that due to the way he dies. There have actually been people who watch the movie that don't recognise Glen as Johnny Deep, which goes to show how much his appearance has changed over the years - back then he was this baby-faced guy who played out the sporty boyfriend role perfectly. Arguably, without A Nightmare On Elm Street, Depp might not have got his foot in the industry at all.
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| A very young Johnny Depp, aged just 21. |
The Deaths
What's a slasher without lots of death? A Nightmare On Elm Street provides some of the most unique and gruesome kills, even if there are only four victims in total. Perhaps the most memorable is how Tina dies, it's very disturbing for the time and the amount of blood that gets painted across the bedroom is visually spot-on for a movie such as this. Check it out below.
"Tiiinaaaa!!!!?"
And then we have Rod's death, which in comparison with the others, is generally straight forward - a good old hanging/snapped neck brought to you by Mr. Krueger. As a personal preference, the way Glen dies is the best in terms of creativity and visual appeal - he is sucked into his bed, in which a mountain of blood erupts, which essentially confirms Glen is well and truly dead. Watch the scene below.
No human should have that amount of blood, should they?
And finally, the infamous Marge Thompson death - the way she gets dragged through the front door makes it painfully obvious a dummy is being used as opposed to the actual actor, which is completely fine but a little more time spent on the scene would have given her death more credit. However, it is hilarious to watch, so take a look below.
Might just be the best scene in the entire movie. Ahem...
The "1, 2, Freddy's Coming For You" Song
It's no surprise A Nightmare On Elm Street had its own song that would routinely appear throughout the film, however there is something strangely unique and genuinely frightening about it as opposed to other horror themes at the time. The girls playing skip-rope is disturbing, reflecting the overall tone of the movie, all whilst singing the famous song we've all come to know and either love or hate.
Memorability
Whether it's the Nancy's bathtub scene, witnessing Krueger for the first, or simply hearing the theme song, there's something in A Nightmare On Elm Street that makes it stick in your mind for a long time after watching it, and that's something which is missing from most contemporary horror movies. A bizarre narrative complete with some awesome death scenes, this movie is a must-watch.
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