Retrospective Film Review

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) • 35 Years Later

The monstrous spirit of a slain child murderer seeks revenge by invading the dreams of teenagers whose parents were responsible for his untimely death.

Mysteries, incredible body hocus pocus, the truth is we still don’t know what [dreams] are or where they come from. — A Nightmare on Elm Street.

What a dream concept for horror: a killer who can only kill you while you’re asleep. It’s just surprising how such a fantastic idea would be so difficult to turn into a film. Trying to recollect a dream brings about all sorts of details that alter the feeling you had when you first awoke. I discovered new details with this latest rewatch of ’80s classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, refreshing my appreciation for how writer-director Wes Craven (The Last House on the Left) shaped such big ideas into a taut and confident slasher film.

A Nightmare on Elm Street follows teenager Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends as they try to evade Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a dead…