(For an explanation of what these posts in October are, see the parent post.)

Synopsis

Teenage kids are killed by a burnt madman, who comes after them in their dreams once they fall asleep.

Opinion

Believe it or not, I’d never seen A Nightmare On Elm Street all the way through from start to finish until tonight.  It was the basis for many movie sequels, reboots, tie-ins, and even a horror anthology series in the late 1980s (as was trendy at the time).  Based on how many VHS copies are available on ebay, A Nightmare On Elm Street contributed massively to keeping rental stores afloat.

So, how did it hold up?  As a teenager, I’m sure I would have been very scared by this.  I recruited my wife Melissa to watch it with me, and while there were some legitimate I-can’t-believe-that-just-happened moments, they are few and far between.  The movie is less horror, more campy-slasher catered to the teenage crowd.

Recommendation

The original Nightmare on Elm Street series is probably best left in the 1980s, but if you want a conclusion to the original film, skip to the 3rd entry in the series, Dream Warrior, where the good guys actually win for a change.  And if you really want to see Freddy go at it, Check out Freddy vs. Jason which is way better than it deserves to be.