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In the world of horror movies, fans are well...fanatical. But if you ask them about the origins of the genre, they will all probably have very different answers. Some will swear by 1978's Halloween, others will choose 1980's Friday the 13th. Still others will pick A Nightmare On Elm Street. Whichever one is chosen, they all have become successful franchises with hordes of fans, several sequels, some reboots, and even a crossover film. However, only the original Nightmare movie turns 40 this year and in celebration, it has been remastered and will be for sale on 4K for the first time.
For those who have never seen A Nightmare On Elm Street, here is the synopsis:
In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund; Stranger Things), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams - which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp; Just the Ten of Us) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp; the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) solve the puzzle before it's too late?
Writer/director Wes Craven is widely known as the guru of gore/master of horror/sultan of shock and A Nightmare On Elm Street certainly fits all of those titles. From the villain Freddy Krueger cutting victims with his "knife glove" to him jumping out of darkened boiler room corners, Craven knew how to create an atmosphere that left little to the imagination while simultaneously scaring the daylights out of audiences. The movie also is credited with launching Johnny Depp's acting career as it was his first role for which he was noticed among a cast of young actors.
This new 4K release offers more in terms of video quality than its DVD and Blu-ray predecessors. It has less noise throughout the film and the grain is tighter as well. The black levels are deeper and the color hues overall seem more natural and warmer. Still, even with the uptick in video quality, some moments are less than ideal, especially in the darkness of the dream sequences.
The Dolby Atmos Audio offers both good and bad moments while the original DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track is a purer version of the track. The Atmos audio, of course, offers more embellished ambient sounds but the 2.0 mono split track has the dialogue sitting front and center as one would expect.
The combo pack comes with one disc that houses both the theatrical release and the uncut version (though I was hard-pressed to see a noticeable difference between the two), the archived extras, and the digital download. All of the extras are made up of previously released material and in their original formats. They include: Audio Commentary #1 (Theatrical Cut only from 2001), Audio Commentary #2 (Theatrical Cut only from 2006), Focus Points, Alternate Endings - "Scary Ending", "Happy Ending", and "Freddy Ending" (Personally, I think they should have used Freddy's Ending), The House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror, Never Sleep Again: The Making of "A Nightmare on Elm Street", and Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven's Nightmares.
When it comes to "the old guard" of the horror genre, A Nightmare On Elm Street is at the top of the list, and for good reason. Wes Craven created a story that tapped into our simpler, innocent moments, while we sleep, and ripped a hole in the lining between dreams and reality. This most recent release pays homage to that concept while bringing the story into the 21st century technologically.
Grade: B+
