FEATURE: Remembering A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

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.

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.

REVIEW: Apartment 143 (2011)

Director: Carles Torrens | Genre: Horror / Thriller / Found Footage  | Runtime: 80min.

After a car crash leaving a wife/mother dead, devastation soon sets in within the White family. Re-housing themselves in an apartment complex, specifically apartment 143, strange unexplainable events start taking place - naturally worried, the father; Alan White (Kai Lennox) contacts a group of paranormal investigators, who quickly learn there's much more going on here than meets the eye.

What's that you say? Another ghost flick sporting girls with crazy eyes? Essentially, this is what it is, but there's enough plot twists and genuinely scary moments here to keep you engaged throughout without getting bored, which is often rare in these types of movies. Apartment 143 is shot using the found footage sub-genre through the handheld cameras of the paranormal researchers - however, the characters are actually a very likable group unlike practically everyone in the Paranormal Activity series. You'll more than likely find yourself routing for them as opposed to waiting for a ghost or demon to rip them apart.

Not long into the movie you'll be treated to some supernatural activity, which builds and builds more intense throughout. You almost know when something scary is going to happen, but various imagery and camerawork used still makes it a frightening experience. The activity is very cliche - doors opening by themselves, things falling off shelves, and the occasional glimpse at the thing terrorising the apartment. Something unique is the constant shift between the paranormal side of things and the real story behind the White family, there's just something quite not right about the whole situation, specifically Alan and his daughter; Caitlin White (Gia Mantegna). 

Caitlin hates her father for reasons we aren't supposed to know, and it's that on-going thought of "why does she hate him, he seems like a nice guy, and what does it have to do with the ghostly goings-on?". Unfortunately, nothing more can be said due to spoilers but there's plenty of mystery throughout the movie, making for 80 minutes worth of time well-spent. Certainly different from other found footage horrors out there, Apartment 143 is worth watching as it breathes some long-awaited fresh air into the genre.

7/10

REVIEW: Frankenstein's Army (2013)

Director: Richard Raaphorst | Genre: Found Footage / Horror | Runtime: 84 min.

World War II is almost finished and a squad of Russian soldiers are making their way through eastern Germany when they find themselves in a Nazi lab headed by Victor Frankenstein - it's here that "super-soldiers" are being put together with aid from the limbs of dead Nazi comrades. Obviously.

With the onslaught of horror movies these days, it's easy to dismiss most as just "another horror flick", but it's Frankenstein's Army that tries to break that mold - filled with enough gore to keep the usual crowd happy, there's also much more to this movie in terms of visual appeal. Sure, we're all tired of the "found footage" genre and it's a shame director Richard Raaphorst decided to go down that route as it would have been much better shot like a regular movie. 

Instead, we get this annoying shaky camera, which is understandable as to why but makes the viewing experience generally irritating and no one wants that. It's the incredible sets and monster designs that really make this film worth watching - it's definitely not the narrative, the core storyline is bland and doesn't offer much in terms of imagination, that's where Frankenstein's monsters come in to save the day so to speak. 

Each one has something incredibly grotesque about them whether it's the guy who is stitched together with various pieces of human flesh or the Mosquito man, who's equipped with various sharp objects ready to pierce the flesh of anyone who gets in his (its?) way. There are a few twists and turns along the way, nothing that will shock you too much - during the first quarter or so, it's mildly entertaining to see how the Russian soldiers act around each other providing some laughs here and there, but ultimately you'll most likely be anticipating their inevitable deaths from the previously mentioned monsters.

Overall, Frankenstein's Army will keep you entertained just long enough to get that gruesome horror fix, but it's true downfall is the found footage aspect - it doesn't make the movie scary, which I imagine it was intended to do. This bizarre, yet generally entertaining movie stands as a symbolic reminder of Hitler's last desperate attempts at victory towards the end of World War II, let's just hope this never actually happened.

6/10