The monstrous spirit of a slain child murderer seeks revenge by invading the dreams of teenagers whose parents were responsible for his untimely death.
On Elm Street, Nancy Thompson and a group of her friends (comprising Tina Gray, Rod Lane and Glen Lantz) are being tormented by a clawed killer in their dreams named Fred Krueger. Nancy must think quickly, as Fred tries to pick them off one by one. When he has you in your sleep, who is there to save you?Written by
simon_hrdng
In the full-screen version, during the first nightmare sequence right before Freddy pops up to scare Tina, you can see Robert Englund as Freddy crouched down and moving into place behind her; however, at the time of the film's release, director Wes Craven would assume that only the wide-screen version would eventually be available for home viewing. You can't see Englund behind Tina in the wide-screen version. See more »
Film title logo as the end credits are finished. See more »
Alternate Versions
The German television version is heavily cut, allowing for an earlier time slot. The cuts are:
When Tina is sliced by Freddy Krueger, we don't see how he slices her chest and is pulled to the ceiling.
In Tina's last dream we don't see when Freddy cuts his own fingers off his hand. Later, there is a scene where Freddy's face is pulled off by Tina. This scene is also missing.
When Nancy meets Freddy for the first time, we can't see when he slices his abdomen and when Nancy puts her arm on the hot pipe.
When Rod's neck is broken by Freddy Krueger, we only see Rod looking at the "snake", before it kills him.
The scene where the dead Tina is talking to Nancy while snakes are coming out her dress is also cut.
Glen's famous dead scene is also cut. We only see how he is sucked in his bed. The bloody, second half is cut.
When Nancy is burning Freddy, we only see the fire reach his feet, then it cuts to Nancy calling her dad.
The scene where Freddy is killing Nancy's mother by burning her is also cut.
These changes were also made in the German video version, which has a "not under 16 years" rating. The uncut version is sometimes shown on Pay-Per-View and is rated "not under 18 years."
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" is so original, realistic, and overall terrifying that it is easy to overlook the film's numerous shortcomings. The film deals with a deceased child molester who now lives only through the dreams of the children of those who cooked him to death. Robert Englund is truly frightening as Freddy Krueger, a dark figure whose only purpose is to kill all the siblings of his killers. The knife-styled finger glove has become a trademark of this amazing character who was created by writer-director Wes Craven. The film goes for suspense, drama, and gore and delivers for the most part. None of the characters are developed very well, but most do not live to see the end of the film so it really does not matter. A great horror film that still delivers today. Ignore the endless sequels, they each detract from this truly original and interesting film. Look for a young Johnny Depp as one of the unlucky teens. 4 out of 5 stars
59 of 95 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" is so original, realistic, and overall terrifying that it is easy to overlook the film's numerous shortcomings. The film deals with a deceased child molester who now lives only through the dreams of the children of those who cooked him to death. Robert Englund is truly frightening as Freddy Krueger, a dark figure whose only purpose is to kill all the siblings of his killers. The knife-styled finger glove has become a trademark of this amazing character who was created by writer-director Wes Craven. The film goes for suspense, drama, and gore and delivers for the most part. None of the characters are developed very well, but most do not live to see the end of the film so it really does not matter. A great horror film that still delivers today. Ignore the endless sequels, they each detract from this truly original and interesting film. Look for a young Johnny Depp as one of the unlucky teens. 4 out of 5 stars