Disc Reviews
A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection 4K Review
Finally – Elm Street has landed on 4K. Despite not having had a single film released in over a decade, Freddy Kruger remains a hot topic in the slasher genre and this Halloween is pit front and centre once again in this new set of films. This set includes the first 7 original films from the franchise. There isn’t much in the way of new bonus features, largely all pulled over from previous releases, but certainly enough to keep people informed on the making of the series.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The original, and arguably, best film needs no further smoke blown up its skirt. Wes Craven’s initial film feels the most intimate of the lot. The plot follows four teens as they are stalked in their dreams by presumed dread former child murderer, Freddy Kruger. Their parents don’t want to hear about it, and yet also seem to have something to hide. The focus largely looms on Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) who remains one of the series mainstay characters. It is a film that shows, through various slow reveals, the killer within people’s dreams. Each horror sequence opens up the dream world and delivers some disturbing and eerie imagery to bolster the thrills. The original Elm Street kept a straight face about itself and remains a horror classic full of terror and invention.
Freddy’s Revenge
The second film in the franchise remains the eyebrow raiser it is. Freddy is himself still in development, but he at least retains his harder edge and a gruffer sounding voice. Having said that, this does contain a couple of superior Freddy moments in the film including his emergence from the body of the leading man (still a great sequence) and also that classic line “You are all my children now” at the pool party.
The film suffers however from having such whiplash of tones to the comedic, and poor Mark Hatton has been stuck with a role that has scarred his professional life since. Of course, he’s confronted that issue with his own documentary “Scream Queen,” and seems a bit more at peace with the film. And the film itself has gained a cult following that has grown and developed over the literal decades.
The Dream Warriors
The third film got back on track and with no less thanks to Craven himself for returning as writer, with the addition of writer Frank Darabont, and director Chuck Russell, all making for a game effort. Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon also make welcome returns in what is probably the most fun Freddy movie of them all. It’s also where Freddy is most fully formed in the performance by Robert England. He’s truly the star now and has various set pieces with which to play against a game cast of fun characters with which to dispatch. The premise of the dream world is expanded and the rules come with interesting adjustments that make sense and add a sense of fun and tension to the setting.
Now, whilst the third film has become the fan favourite, that fan base is not going to be happy with the picture quality on this one. There is an awful lot of soft grain on this one, which is a shame as it is easily one of the better films of the series, why a better print couldn’t be found to work on is a mystery. I guess it is still the best version of the film made available but it sticks out like a sore thumb of this disc series when it comes to picture quality.
The Dream Master
Renny Harlin’s fourth film continues the ideas of the third film. The cast of new teens aren’t quite as successful as the previous film, but it seems that the filmmakers are only interested in focussing on a new heroine whilst Freddy has his fun. The fiendish fun though is a mix bag. Some sequences are delivered well (the cinema sequence), others are very rushed (the karate fight sequence). The deaths of the returning characters raised eyebrows (and it seemed to be a common thread with Freddy sequels – Kill off the survivors of previous films). Still, it’s engaging enough of an experience but is definitely where the tone starts to shift into the mega-pop culture figure that Freddy became.
The Dream Child
Stephen Hopkin’s film drops a couple of levels of quality, whilst continuing the narrative of the series. Alice returns, and finds her unborn child being the focus for Freddy this time. The film is slower and has a much more gothic look to the imagery. It also has less of a body count. The ensemble here doesn’t quite strike a chord as a group, and often look dated in what they are wearing. This film does come with two versions to choose from. Highly recommend is the uncut version which features an insanely great bit of Cronenbergian body/machine horror involving a man and a bike. This was trimmed by censors back in the day and is well worth watching in all it’s full glory. Just as a make-up set-piece it is gloriously inventive. This is proof that even the lesser movies in the franchise still have something to offer.
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare also has two editions to play, one of which you can use the provided 3D glasses for the finale for. It’s still awful. It’s recommended you stick with the 2D version. That’s if you chose to watch the film at all as Freddy’s Dead is often thought of as the worst of the series, and there will be no argument about that here.
So, Freddy has an existing child in the world from before he was initially killed and there is some fun done with the plot around this mystery – it just isn’t delivered particularly well. There are some very strange and almost pointless cameos (Johnny Depp, Rosanne Barr & Tom Arnold, Alice Cooper). The body count remains low, so there are fleeting dream sequences and not many of them brandish anything in the way of new or exciting.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare remains an under appreciated classic. This works not only as a great bookend to the series with Craven returning for the final time to steer the narrative in a new and fourth wall breaking fashion, but also sowing the seeds for the meta-horror that he followed years later with Scream. New Nightmare is bold with its ideas, it’s even bolder as a sequel, and bold as a closing chapter to the main series. Proof that you don’t need to copy and paste, but instead reinvent the narrative and you can win big. Hats off then to Craven, England, Langenkamp and Saxon and the various behind the scenes cast and crew who agreed to play into the scenario by playing themselves. The idea of Freddy being kept prisoner in a film series is enjoyable and everyone gets to play the idea of fantasy versus reality. It’s a strong high note for the end of the main Franchise. This is also one of the best 4K transfers out of the bunch.
So, no Freddy vs Jason or Elm Street Remake in this box set. Whilst the former is fun, the latter certainly won’t be missed.
Bonus Materials.
Each disc has a scattering of various featurettes. Only the first and seventh films have commentary tracks. Some have random featurettes relative to the film, but there is a lack of a main series documentary. But I guess fans are happy with Never Sleep Again: the documentary to end all documentaries on the series released back in 2010.
Most of the extras are ported over from previous releases. There is one short featurette on the 7th disc that is more up to date with Englund musing on the series (Boiler Room Confessional) with the only other new featurette being Freddy’s Footnotes.
The good news is that the 4K transfers are largely all excellent (with one notable exception). Fans are going to be very happy with the polish done on most of these films.
Steven Hurst
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET
Special Features:
Ready Freddy Focus Points
Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher
Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin
Alternate Endings – Scary Ending, Happy Ending, Freddy Ending
The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street
Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE
Special Features:
Freddy on 8th Street
Heroes and Villains
The Male Witch
Psychosexual Circus
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS
Special Features:
Behind the Story: Burnout
Behind the Story: Fan Mail
Behind the Story: The House that Freddy Built
Behind the Story: Onward Christian Soldiers
Behind the Story: Snakes and Ladders
Behind the Story: That’s Showbiz
Behind the Story: Trading 8’s
Dokken Dream Warriors Music Video
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER
Special Features:
The Finnish Line
Krueger, Freddy Krueger
Hopeless Chest
Let’s Makeup
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD
Special Features:
Behind the Story: Womb Raiders
Behind the Story: The Sticky Floor
Behind the Story: Take the Stairs
Behind the Story: Hopkins Directs
Behind the Story: A Slight Miscalculation
FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE
Special Features:
86’D
Hellraiser
Rachel’s Dream
3D Demise
WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE
Special Features:
Commentary with Wes Craven
NEW – Boiler Room Confessional
NEW – Freddy’s Footnotes
Becoming a Filmmaker
Filmmaker
An Insane Troupe
The Problem with Sequels
Two Worlds
Welcome to Prime Time: It Really Happened
Welcome to Prime Time: A Childhood Memory
Welcome to Prime Time: Sometime in the Early 80s
Welcome to Prime Time: So It Began
Welcome to Prime Time: Beauty and the Beast
Welcome to Prime Time: Making the Glove
Welcome to Prime Time: Shapeshifter
Welcome to Prime Time: The Shoot
Welcome to Prime Time: The Revolving Room
Welcome to Prime Time: All’s Well that Ends Well
Welcome to Prime Time: Talalay’s Tally
Welcome to Prime Time: It Couldn’t Have Happened
Welcome to Prime Time: Alternate Ending Version
Conclusion: Where Gothic Plots Come From
Conclusion: Why We Like Gothic
Conclusion: Sadomasochism
Conclusion: Freddy vs. Pinhead
Conclusion: Freddy’s Manic Energy
Conclusion: Creating Lasting Characters in Horror
Conclusion: No More Magic Tricks
Conclusion: Monster with Personality
Conclusion: Freddy as Sex Machine
Conclusion: Campfire Stories
A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection is out on 4K Blu-Ray on October 27th