tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post3868449255472533140..comments2024-03-28T20:37:08.491+11:00Comments on The Audient: I finally saw: A Nightmare on Elm StreetDerek Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13750747272647975591noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-40598879237898174182012-11-05T13:22:57.657+11:002012-11-05T13:22:57.657+11:00Well, my friend, I'm glad you've finally s...Well, my friend, I'm glad you've finally seen this picture. I guess the years have made it a little less accessible, or your own preferences draw a different opinion.<br /><br />This is probably my favorite horror film, and it is scary as f--k. You're dead right in your impression of Freddy - but that applies to part 3-6, certainly not the original. The punning and jokes achieved James Bond franchise levels, and it took until A New Nightmare for a return of a darker, more focused Freddy K.<br /><br />For one thing, the idea of a dream monster means that you can't really run or hide from danger. For another, it allows the movie to do one thing that you didn't highlight - to make itself in the style of dreams, playing out in their crazy way. I love the Shakespeare quote, the body bag, the random moment where a girl sees a goat for no reason and is then in intense danger.<br /><br />You're right to point out the arm sequence - that was amazing. But the wall-stretch, the way that Depp died, and the marshmellow stairs - all of these were amazing to me. I was also really happy with the arc for Nancy, and how she became a gung-ho ass-kicker by the end.<br /><br />I would say that the movie was more interested in either showing the dream world itself, or showing how Freddy can actually have some kind of effect on real-world people; this is why Freddy is absent for 2 deaths, and invisible for the 3rd. Also, unlike other horror movies, this is an intimate revenge tale, so it makes sense that Freddy has a limited pool of victims...<br /><br />As to the ending - yes it looks bad. I think it was partly intentional. The end is absurdist - it's suggested that it's a dream that Nancy's having, but it's not clear. The movie has its last gag at you - the closest to genuine comedy that Freddy gets with his timing and that silly doll - all while implying that Nancy is still in deep trouble.<br /><br />I'd say that this movie is scarier than Halloween - and holds up for me better. I'd also say it's a much stronger film (in direction, acting, cinematography) than Friday the 13th 1. I love Friday a lot, but it's largely nostalgia and being impressed with how that movie progresses; Halloween was scary until I was 21 or 22, and then I'm only left with that awesome ending...Thaddeushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17414047155226211676noreply@blogger.com