Customer Reviews

A Nightmare on Elm Street (Two-Disc Infinifilm Special Edition) (1984)

5 star:		(142)
4 star:		(42)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

A Nightmare on Elm Street hits blu-ray in terrific form.

The video quality is fantastic. The image is completely cleaned up. No scratches, no dirt, etc. No noticeable edge enhancement to the image as well. The daytime scenes look great; a nice amount of depth and detail in them and the image really pops out at you at times which is a really nice surprise. There were night-time and dream sequence parts which looked a bit on the softer side, but still doesn't look that bad at all, especially when you consider that the film is almost 25 years old. 4 outta 5

Two audio tracks: English Dolby 5.1 and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1. Just like the video, the audio never ceases to amaze me. Surround sound use is fantastic. Bass is good. Dialogue is crisp and clear. I didn't really find anything wrong with this track. 4.5 outta 5

Only downfall to this package is no special features. No commentaries, no featurettes, not even a trailer.

For what it's worth though, this blu-ray release is well worth the money. A terrific high definition transfer. Keep it up Alliance!!!

A couple more disc stats:
1080p
Subtitled in both english and in french (both SDH)

"nightmare on elm street" is an instant classic. itis simply one of the best horror movies there is. it was dark, scary, somewhat believable with totally original concept and came from the master of horor himself, wes craven. this was the film which launched wes' career sky high. this wasn't like most other films which rely on big budget and special FX to carry the film. "nightmare" certainly didn't have the biggest budget ($1.2 million) but it had wes' creativity and imaginativeness to carry it. that's what makes the film so good. i compare this one to "halloween." a very dark and scary horror movie that also had a small sense of believability. and instead of relying on big budget special FX it relying mostly on the creativeness of the director. of course, not all the credit can be given to director wes craven here, but also the excellent performances given by relative newcomers heather langenkamp, amanda wyss, nick corri, the then newcomer johnny depp and last but not least robert englund (who is wonderful as freddy), john saxon, and ronnee blakely. "nightmare on elm street" is one of the top five horror movies of all time, ranking right up there with "halloween", "hellraiser", and a few others. it's just too bad how the producers played this out with too many sequels. just having parts 1, 3, 7 would've been good enough.

I had never heard or seen this film before; except for The Simpsons' spoof of it, and I find information on the film and finally watched on YouTube and I couldn't take my eyes off it. I did get a little scare, but I know it is only a movie (I am not stupid!), and to you Johnny Depp fans like I am, this is his first film.

The film (as you all know) starts with 15-year-old Nancy Thompson (I think) suffering from violent nightmares about a badly burned man wearing a glove with knives on each finger. She quickly learns that this man -- a child murderer named Freddy Krueger is also terrorizing the dreams of her friend Tina, her boyfriend Rod and her (Nancy's) boyfriend, Glen. As they begin to die one by one in their sleep, Nancy learns from her mother, that years ago, the parents of Elm Street burned Krueger alive, by leaving a trial of gasoline to the his bolier room; and also splashing the gas around the place. And now Freddy's ghost is back to claim their children's lives as revenge! As the teenagers of Elm Street fight to stay awake, Nancy must save their lives and her own by bringing Freddy out of their dreams and back into the real world to destroy him forever.

The was film was horror film success, that four sequels were maded; but because of the negative reviews...I am not going to watch them. So my last word is that this film a excellent scare-fest, and I would advise you of naive nature like me NOT to watch it before bed (*evil laughter*).

I must say that this is by far the most...Incredible thing I have ever seen!!! A lot of people didn't approve of it(when I was 6 I didn't approve of it but more on that later.) Because this movie had a low body count.(Find out wich one did on www.freddyvsjason.com) But even thought the BC was low, the Blood Count was phenomenal. Remember the scene where whatsherface was wrapped in that sheet with blood all around it? what about when that dude got pulled through the bed?(I hate to admit it but to make a long story short I didn't sleep in my bed till the next time I saw it!) But I wont spoil the movie for you 'First Timers'. But If you are a first timer, watch this movie by yourself in the middle of the night, door locked, lights off, (And maybe some rubber pants and a blanket! If you think it's that scary) Good night, Sleep tight, Don't let Freddy Kreuger bite!

Director Wes Craven was inspired by a series of newspaper articles to create "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Children were suffering terrible dreams and in desperation, told their parents they were frightened of dying. Then, one by one, the kids started inexplicably dropping away.

And what better foundation to create a horror film? Craven decided that his generation's horror films weren't up to snuff, and tended toward the "slasher" genre that was becoming very popular after the release of "Halloween." He upped the ante by attacking vulnerable young people the only place they felt safe: asleep.

This is an effective and unsettling idea, and is executed with masterly precision. Craven knows how to create suspense while building strong, endearing characters the audience will actually care for. The dream sequences are put together very well, and while the special effects seem dated as compared to today's high-budget Hollywood standards, it is perhaps their gritty, slimy quality that enhances the fright factor.

Overall, the acting is fairly decent. Johnny Depp isn't quite the Johnny Depp we know and love yet, so don't get moist in the panties when you see his name. Heather Langenkamp is convincing as the innocent, virginal girl caught in a web of parental lies and secret cover-ups. But it's Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger who steals the show. Later in the "Nightmare" series, Freddy became a comedic character, and all the scariness was lost. Sure, his face became more mangled, and his style of slaughter grew sophisticated and detailed, but the true allure of the Freddy character is portrayed only in this film.

"Nightmare" revolutionized the modern horror film, and brought science fiction and horror one step closer to each other. This allowed writers and directors to take more challenging projects and demand an imagination of their audience. Like all good things, though, Freddy was sucked in by Hollywood and New Line Cinemas and turned into an absolute joke. It wasn't until the final addition to the straight-up Freddy series, "Wes Craven's A New Nightmare" that the fright and creativity was redeemed, as once again Craven took it to the next level of horror and surreality.

Not only is Craven masterful in his directing, the film is an enjoyable hoot. It's a fun and scary journey into the black heart of a ruthless serial killer -- and cultural phenomenon -- you cannot escape.

After catching-- and, to my surprise, enjoying-- "Freddy vs. Jason" at a friend's place a while back, I decided to delve into the titular combatants' previous cinematic outings. I started with the original "Nightmare", and was shocked. I wasn't really shocked by how scary & bloody it was, but by how scary & bloody it wasn't. Having seen a handful of horror flicks done in a similar vein as this, I found the scary parts rather predictable and a lot less gory than I'd expected them to be. Of course, when you're a fan of the over-the-top violence that the likes of Paul Verhoeven, Quentin Tarantino and John McTiernan put in their films, it's kinda hard to be too shocked by the relatively toned-down blood and guts moments depicted in other cinematic fare...

On the upside, I got a vicarious thrill outta seein' a few glamorous and popular teenagers get taken out in such grisly manners. Ain't nothin' like a nice puree of Johnny Depp to have me makin' like the pathetic still-bitter-over-bein'-picked-on-in-high-school loser that I am! Yeah, that's what'cha get for makin' fun of me and my fellow geeks, you hunky, buff, and painstakingly-moussed slabs o' beefcake! AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-HAAAAHH!!!

Also included with this DVD is the obligatory theatrical trailer, and a secondary commentary track featuring director Wes Craven, star Heather Langenkamp, and John Saxon (Heather Langenkamp's "dad" in the movie). As you'd expect, this trio gives the viewer the usual mix of amusing on-set anecdotes and technical info as the movie plays on. Well, at least I THINK that's what they were talkin' about; I sorta zoned 'em out about halfway through the feature, paying more attention to the English subtitles I'd turned on...

'Late

This was the very first Horror movie I ever saw. This is one of the classics that will never die!

Definitely the best movie of the series, it will make you jump out of your sit, surprisingly and very entertaining, It's an original masterpiece! Super scary, you'll love it.

Wes Craven is a genius. Usually after watching a scary movie, some find comfort, going to sleep and forgetting about what you have just watched at the theater. Not anymore. This film makes you want to never fall asleep and not even dream. The bad guy is the morbid and terrifying burned to a crisp murderer Freddy Cruegar. The first of the series is a masterpiece, even though the rest suck. The movie is inventive and clever, and it isn't bland or cheesy. I highly reccomend this film. It will take you into terror like never before.

One of the most frustrating parts of any horror movie is the main character that puts themselves in harms way, but how do you escape your dreams? That is the terrifying premise of this movie --- if you don't dream you go crazy or die, if you dream Freddy can get you.

The first film is by far the best. Freddy isn't seen too much here and he has the strange "dream like" attributes (such as large arms) that make the movie so scary.

The first time I saw this I was disappointed in the faux ending.. but thrilled by the final scene. In the end, it is left to you to figure out what happened and in someways, that is scarier than any horror movie I have ever seen before.