On November 9, 1984, Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street hit the silver screens for the first time in America to slash its way into what is now known as the horror classics. The movie can be described by many words: gory, gruesome, original, ingenious. Some like it. Some hate it. Many love it, as I do. From its plot development to its special effects, the production certainly reshaped the world of horror.
Opening the plot, viewers witness the nightmare that haunts poor Tina Gray, played by Amanda Wyss, who soon learns she isn’t alone in her terrible dreams. She and her friends, lead Nancy Thompson, played by Heather Langenkamp, Rod Lane, played by Nick Corri, and Glen Lantz, played by Johnny Depp as his debut on screen, would soon realize the terror that would unwind, and so would the audience.
“I remember there was a lot of screaming in the movie theater,” said Lincoln East High School teacher Cara Heminger. “That movie kept you on edge the entire time.”
And rightfully so, because “it’s just a dream” isn’t the truth anymore. Any time you rest your eyes, you risk your life. Within the first 20 minutes of the film, the first teenager is slashed into a bloody mess by killer Freddy Krueger, played by Robert Englund, who has “knives for fingers.” This death, along with the several others of the film, was unseen before, with unique effects and creative execution. Established in this scene, the special effects design remains a “ten out of ten” throughout the entire movie, instantly enchanting audiences into believing they’re in the world of Krueger.
“We were all freaked out for weeks,” said Heminger, “About falling asleep and thinking about Freddy.”
His giant claws left crowds in fear of waking up to wounds, or not waking up at all. Further fueling the fear, the movie tricks audiences into a false sense of relief as Nancy Thomspon regains all the friends she lost to Krueger in its final minutes, where the green and red sweater comes back to continue the nightmare. From its unprecedented special effects, to its detailed plot design, almost all who watch A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) can agree upon the sheer masterpiece it is.
