A Nightmare on Elm Street

I really enjoyed the atmosphere this movie achieves. It might be unintentionally created by the score, acting and filming techniques but the movie really make you feel like you are having a drug fueled nightmare or stuck in sleep paralysis.
10/10

A Nightmare on Elm Street still remains one of my favorite horror films. It is truly a slasher masterpiece and it is one of the first horror films I ever saw in my life. In that regard it'll always hold a special place in my heart.

We have Robert Englund in his iconic role as Freddy Krueger which he plays perfectly, we have one of the best horror leading ladies in Nancy played by Heather Langenkamp. It's a delight seeing a final girl being not so helpless. Anyway, we also get John Saxon as her dad and a young Johnny Depp with the most amazing death you'll see in awhile!

I've seen this film three times since I joined Letterboxd and it never fails to deliver. It is always very entertaining and it never bores me. A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the best creations by Wes Craven. A legend.

So, if you have never seen A Nightmare on Elm Street do yourself a favor and watch this it! Now I'm off listening to the Fresh Prince song about Elm Street.

It's Halloween, time to watch Nightmare on Elm Street!

Few films capture raw creativity and psychological horror as perfectly as “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Under Wes Craven’s sharp direction, the movie not only introduces one of the most iconic figures in horror, but also reinvents the slasher game by shifting the fear into dream territory—a space where logic and safety don’t exist. And it’s exactly that bold, original premise that gives the film its gut-punching power: the idea of a killer who comes for you while you sleep is terrifying all on its own. But Craven doesn’t stop at a good concept—he executes it brilliantly.

The story flows surprisingly well. The script does a great job building tension step by step, slowly unraveling the mystery around Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) with pitch-perfect pacing. The events go from creepy to full-blown panic, leading to a third act that’s claustrophobic and packed with wild visuals. That very first scene already sets the tone: hands working silently, blades being welded onto a glove... and no face. It’s that kind of storytelling choice that immediately tells you what kind of horror you’re in for—Craven knows the power of what you don’t see. And when Freddy finally does appear, the visual impact is brutal: the burn makeup is grotesque and hyperrealistic, and the way he’s filmed—lurking in shadows, with sharp lighting highlighting his deformities—only cranks up the fear factor.

Freddy shows up already fully-formed as a terrifying presence. What makes him so unforgettable isn’t just his appearance, but his twisted personality—ironic, sadistic, and theatrical. He taunts his victims, bends dream logic to his will, and represents a kind of evil that goes way beyond the physical. Englund turns Freddy into a living nightmare, equal parts disturbing and iconic. And even with just a few lines, he brings this eerie, menacing energy that hints at the cult following Freddy would go on to have for decades.

Heather Langenkamp is an absolute gem as Nancy Thompson. Her performance starts off grounded and vulnerable, but gradually shifts into something fierce, resourceful, and heroic. Nancy isn’t just another “final girl”—she fights back against the madness, tries to make sense of what’s going on, investigates, stands up to clueless adults, and in the climax, sets a trap for her killer. Her arc is clear and well-written, giving the audience every reason to root for her the whole way through. Her fear is never forced—it’s always human, relatable—and Langenkamp fully commits. One especially memorable scene is when she wakes up screaming in the middle of class—the kind of moment where horror tips into something that feels uncomfortably real.

The supporting cast also adds a sense of authenticity. Johnny Depp, in his film debut, plays Glen with charm and sweetness, even though he’s not super developed as a character. Still, his chemistry with Nancy works, and despite the limited depth, his death ends up being one of horror’s most unforgettable moments—that geyser of blood shooting from the bed is iconic, grotesque, and totally mesmerizing. Nick Corri brings a raw intensity to Rod, and John Saxon, playing Nancy’s cop dad, adds emotional weight to the family dynamics.

From a technical perspective, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is top-tier. The cinematography is stylized, full of contrast and lighting tricks that keep you constantly unsure whether you’re in the real world or inside a dream. The production design builds heavy, claustrophobic environments—especially that recurring industrial boiler room that shows up in the kids’ nightmares. And the score by Charles Bernstein is another major asset: the main theme is simple but chilling, and the way the music is used throughout keeps the tension high without ever letting the audience relax. The sound design and practical effects work together seamlessly to create a sensory world where anything can happen.

And oh man, the effects! Even after all these years, so many scenes still hit hard. The wall stretching out into Freddy’s face, the bathtub turning into a death trap, the phone with the tongue... these are legendary moments. Craven and his team made the most of what they had, twisting reality in ways that felt impossible at the time. This is a film where nightmares feel physical, textured, real—something even modern movies with unlimited CGI struggle to pull off.

Another thing that really elevates this movie is its atmosphere. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” gets under your skin not just with the kills, but with the constant sense of vulnerability. Sleep—something essential and unavoidable—becomes a death sentence. And that concept, as simple as it is brilliant, is explored in all its emotional depth: the paranoia, the exhaustion, the desperate parents who have no clue how to help. Craven smartly uses the supernatural as a lens to explore emotional and family breakdowns, giving the horror a lot more substance than it might seem at first glance.

And finally, the ending keeps true to the film’s spirit—it’s confusing, provocative, and totally open to interpretation. The line between dream and reality completely falls apart, and the movie leaves you stuck in that same uncertainty—a bold move that reinforces the idea that this isn’t just another slasher. “A Nightmare on Elm Street” is a classic not just because it gave us an iconic villain, but because it expanded what horror could be. It’s creative, visceral, atmospheric, and smart. A true genre milestone—and a nightmare the world of cinema never really wanted to wake up from.

This movie still stands up! Super speed pacing with a villain that will haunt your dreams well after you have left the film behind. An added bonus is the first featured acting job for Johnny Depp and a great turn from John Saxon. But really, it is Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund that make this film a classic in the genre and beyond. Watch it with the lights on and enjoy the film of your dreams!

I think I actually prefer this over Halloween. Both Michael and Freddy are disruptions of the status quo, a force of evil tragedy forced upon teens who should never have to confront it. But Michael is impersonal, detached, inhuman. He is The Shape, after all, and Halloween is about selling you on that. Jamie Lee Curtis is great, and Laurie is good, but her arc takes second stage. Freddy, in contrast, is all too human. He's gleefully sadistic, picking on the young and vulnerable, drawing it out with cruel insults. And Nancy is a protagonist you can't help but root for. Her grief for her best friend genuinely made my eyes well up, and her realization that the only person she can rely on for this is herself, not her parents, is compelling stuff. And she Home Alones Freddy! That's so rad!

Englund and Langenkamp are equally vital halves of this movie, and the creativity in the horror still shines today. What keeps it from the full five is the sequel hook ending that's more franchise driven than artistically so. But that doesn't stop this movie from its deserved place in the upper echelon of horror.

"I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space, were it not that I have bad dreams"

Man, Freddy is poetically dedicated to traumatize his victims before he kills them. Freaking chills.

The blood fountain alone puts this movie in the top tier of the horror pantheon. A nearly faultless classic.