Forty Years Later, Freddy Krueger is Frighteningly Campy as Ever -

By Luis Zonenberg

With the release of Terrifier 3 leaving audiences vomiting in the aisles, I decided to ignore it as Art the Clown’s antics have left me too drained to check out any further installments. I was left craving something more intelligent and terrifying in construct, and only one movie sprung to mind. I decided to instead revisit Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, especially with its 40th anniversary on the rise.

The film centers around teenager Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) as she and her friends are being tormented by a sinister force in their dreams. They soon find them all dreaming of Fred Krueger (Robert Englund), a former child murderer who has returned from the dead. Now grossly deformed and using knives for hands, he terrorizes the kids of the parents who killed him years ago.

The story is one of the most intelligent and gripping slashers of the 1980s, still sending chills down my spine to this day. The blending of realities between fantasy and the real world is downright genius, constantly leaving you guessing if what we’re watching is a dream or not. While probably unintentional, it also adds some underlying commentary on helicopter parenting and the terrifying repercussions it has.

Robert Englund is downright perfect casting as Freddy Krueger, instantly leaving a terrifying albeit campy impression. Considering how young stars like Johnny Depp or Heather Langenkamp were in this film, I was impressed with how their performances held up. They truly add some real weight to the story and help ground the story as the body count gets higher and higher.

Considering the film’s minimal two million dollar budget, I was quite impressed how well the VFX held up all these years later. The makeup and practical effects were real highlights of the movie, elevating the “dream-like” scenes as well. They also helped further the blending of realities within the film, capturing the true essence of what the story demanded.

While the overall terror mostly comes from guessing what is real, the rest is mostly pretty campy fun that stems from the antics of Freddy Krueger. With his devious smile and silly demeanor, it remains clear to me that he does not take himself too seriously. This actually helps further the believability that people do not think of him as much of a threat, making it all the more terrifying when he does kill someone.

The impact this film has had on horror is immeasurable, and even helped launch New Line Cinema as a major Hollywood company. While its scares may vary for most viewers, I can safely assure you that audiences will still halt to sleep long after the film stops. With Wes Craven’s slick direction, a clever premise and Robert Englund’s terrifying performance as the infamous Freddy Krueger, A Nightmare on Elm Street will continue to leave audiences struggling to sleep for decades to come.
Rating: ★★★★ ½