Movie of the Week: A Nightmare on Elm Street

So up until now when I do a movie of the week, I have always suggested a documentary. But I've finally decided to switch things up this week, and suggest one of my all time favorite films. Clearly, I'll be talking about A Nightmare on Elm Street. (By the way, there is a FANTASTIC documentary about the entire series called "Never Sleep Again". If you haven't seen it, check it out.) So I'm going to do my best to explain why I truly love this movie.

First of all, the first time I saw this movie...I was scared absolutely shitless. Even to this day, there are moments that freak me the fuck out. Movies don't really do that to me anymore, but for obvious reasons, this movie does it. This was one of the only movies in this series where Freddy isn't a wise cracking Anti-Hero. He's just a burnt up, scary, child murderer/molester, and a complete mind fuck. He gets his rocks off by building up to the kill.

Now I guess I should explain the "back story". Freddy killed and molested local children. He got caught. For the sake of the movie, he got away with it because some bull shit. The parents were all angry and shit...so they hunted him down and burned him alive. And for reasons not really explained until the 6th fucking movie in the franchise (Don't watch it, it's terrible.), he can now haunt their children's dreams. I guess if you molest and kill children and are then killed by local parents, you end up with special haunt the people who killed you's children's dreams powers...with the ability to kill them in the dream, leading to them dying in real life.

But any how, back to why I love this movie. It's absolutely unique. Freddy isn't just a faceless and silent killer. He's absolutely terrifying. Seriously, look at him. That's fucking scary. Back around the time this movie came out, and pretty much the rest of the 80s for that matter, there was a flood of shitty generic slasher flicks. To me, this is one of the absolute best horror movies...ever. Sure you have some pretty mediocre acting, but you also have Johnny Depp! Yay! I really wish I could have seen his entire death scene. From what I've heard, the idea for the full death was fantastic.

I suppose to wrap this whole thing up, I adore this movie. Great and creative death scenes (especially for the time), a very unique story, and one of, if not THE best horror movie villains of all time. Of course Hollywood had to go ahead and ruin this by making a bunch of really shitty sequels, and a remake....THAT I FUCKING HATE AND WISH IT NEVER HAPPENED...AND FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK! But seriously, if you are one of the unfortunate few who has never seen this movie, do yourself a favor and watch this movie. It's an absolute treat.