“Insomnia can be an unhealthy condition, but in some cases….it just might save your life!”

By the time the 80’s rolled around, the slasher genre was starting to fizzle out.  Just when it looked like all hope was gone, 1984 saw the birth of one of the most iconic horror films of all time in A Nightmare on Elm Street!  Written and directed by horror master Wes Craven (The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, Scream), the film still stands strong to this day as one of the most frightening and impactful horror franchises in existence.  Inspired by real documented deaths of sleep deprived people unexplainably dying in their sleep, Craven took this intriguing event and turned it into something that everyone can relate to.  We all have nightmares, and he gave it a name…Freddy!

THE PLOT

Set in 1981 suburbia, the film follows a group of teenage friends that all seem to be having the same problem…their nightmares!  While some of them try to shrug it off simply as a bad dream, Tina (Amanda Wyss) seems to be the most troubled by it.  So much so, that she asks her best friend Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) to come stay with her while her mother is out of town.  Along with Nancy’s boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) and Tina’s bad-boy boyfriend Rod (Jsu Garcia), they all try to ease Tina’s mind and assure her that there’s nothing to be afraid of.  Boy, are they wrong!  As night falls and everyone falls asleep, Tina’s nightmare starts again as she is being hunted by the burned, razor gloved dream demon Freddy Krueger, brilliantly played by legendary actor Robert Englund!

As the days pass, it seems like there is nothing that can stop Freddy’s dream stalking as he starts to pick off the teens one by one.  While Nancy tries to survive by keeping herself awake, she starts to put the pieces together learning that there seems to be a connection between their parents and Freddy’s past.  In turn, she discovers that Freddy has a motive, and not just a thirst for random teenage blood!  Now it’s up to Nancy to find some way to stop Freddy, before she too falls victim to his glove.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

A Nightmare on Elm Street is easily my favorite (and first) horror movie of all time.  It truly terrified me and caused me to have VERY vivid nightmares of Freddy stalking and killing me in the exact ways as the victims of the movie. I still feel that the scene with Tina and Freddy in her alley is the scariest horror sequence I’ve ever watched. This film is the very reason why I love horror movies as much as I do, so I may be a little biased with this one.  Recently meeting the cast was a dream come true for me, and I’ll never forget it.  The recent passing of Mr. Craven definitely impacted me as well as millions of fans around the world.  He created something so special and gave us one of the most iconic characters in pop culture…Freddy Krueger. Even the non-horror fans know his name, and we all recognize these words: “Whatever you do…DON’T FALL ASLEEP!”