by Krysta Black

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is a horror classic. As in most horror movies from the 80’s we are introduced to a group of teenagers who are being tormented by some bizarre killer! This being said, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is a bit different. We follow the story of Nancy Thompson. A teen with a troubled home life, and her friends. Nancy is portrayed by actress Heather Langenkamp (who did an incredible job). Nancy and her friends are initially tormented by a man in their dreams who is burnt up and wears a glove with blades attached. This man goes by the name of Freddy Krueger, portrayed by the incredible Robert Englund. 

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is created by Wes Craven who sadly has passed. The story goes that Freddy Krueger was the neighborhood child abductor and when the parents were unable to get justice they burned him alive in his own home, thus creating the curse where Krueger returns to haunt the dreams of the teens who now live on Elm Street. Krueger comes back of course and has powers beyond belief ,haunting dreams and killing people in their sleep. The parents, as most horror films do not believe the kids, cause why would they? Am I right? Parents in the 80’s man…

The film is old school, and the effects seem strange but for an 80’s horror it is beautifully shot, and overall a masterpiece of it’s time. Without giving too much away, the film is exciting from start to finish and Nancy must defeat Krueger to save her life and her friends. 

I must also add that this was Johnny Depp’s first-ever-film! That makes this a must-watch if you are a Johnny fan like myself. 

This film has plenty of blood for all you gory blood fans out there who love the slasher film style, but has the horror vibe that, if I am being honest,gave me nightmares as a kid for weeks after viewing. Overall, I give this film a 10/10 for being old school with an original story line, acting, and classic effects. If you have yet to see A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), you can rent it through Youtube and Amazon Video. This film is worth the watch if you’re a horror buff who has yet to see the film, or you just love films in general.