(https://i.imgur.com/GE4fbRf.png)
Studio: Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment
Release Date: 10/15/2024
Rating: R
Film Grade: B
The Story: Four highschoolers start experiencing recurring nightmares about a freakish-looking man wearing a glove with long, sharp metal fingertips. Wondering how this could even be possible, it’s not long before the unthinkable happens as one of them is brutally and unexpectedly murdered. What’s connecting the kids to this mysterious dream man?
My Take: This movie has been such a cultural force over the past 40 years that I’m sure most readers are well aware of it. Watching it again for the first time since its initial release, it reinforces just how influential and important it was in the 80s and beyond.
The decade was ushered in by Friday the 13th. While it wasn’t the first slasher movie, it certainly set a tone for the decade. Between its sequels and numerous knockoffs, the genre was beset by killers stalking teens. Enter Freddy, and the Nightmare films. While they share common elements with the others, they weaved in the concept of a killer who enters and kills them through their dreams. A brilliant twist.
The plot is fairly basic, but what sets it apart is that blending of real and nightmare. The audience isn’t always able to tell if they’ve entered the dangerously deadly dreamworld or if they’re still safely nestled in reality. There are numerous instances when Wes Craven slowly morphs mundane events into dire ones that catch viewers off guard. This element elevates what would be a normal slasher into something that was fresh for the time.
Of course, Robert Englund steals the movie as Freddy, but it was surprising just how little screen time he has. It’s at testament not only to Englund, but also the character’s design, from makeup to costume, and especially to that glove. The rest of the cast is typical for that time. I specifically remember not being impressed with Heather Langenkamp’s performance back then but found her to be much more sympathetic and likeable this time around, and therefore much more invested in the character and her plan. We also have some nice surprises in the cast. Everyone remembers it as Johnny Depp’s debut, but we also get Lin Shaye, who’s become a grande dame of horror, and Roger Rabbit himself, Charles Fleischer, in a serious role.
Considering the budget of the movie, it includes some surprising special effects. We have scenes that defy gravity, evil literally bulging from the walls, and a geyser of blood, all of which help set it apart from the other horror movies of its time.
Visuals: Given the limitations of the source material, this new 4K UHD transfer looks good overall. There’s stark contrast in the dark scenes that are occasionally punctuated with bright elements, creating just the right mood for the creepier scenes, especially the ones shot in the underground boiler room. And the deep richness of the over-the-top blood effects look fantastic in this release. Outdoor shots can look a little soft at times, and some scenes show chromatic aberrations at the edge of the frame, but that’s a limitation of the original film and lenses.
There are some signs of DNR. While not egregious, I spotted occasional waxiness to faces, especially with the adults, like John Saxon at the police station. Yet in others, there’s plenty of grain to be found, so the application isn’t plastered across the board. I would have preferred a little less DNR, but it’s not offensive, and likely a reasonable compromise between purists and those who expect a smooth, seamless, modern look.
I usually try to compare a 4K disc to the Blu-ray release, but this set doesn’t include a copy, and I was shocked to find that I don’t have the Blu-ray in my collection.
Audio: The disc comes with an Atmos remaster, and it has some odd features. At first, I thought it was a simple upmix of the mono soundtrack, with music and ambient effects added to the surround and top speakers. Critical listening revealed that there was some intelligence applied to it. For example, when indoors, voices are heard from the center speaker and in the left and right at lower volume, and even more quietly in the surrounds. While in outdoor scenes, voices only come from the center. I also found a good sound effect of metal on glass that is predominantly in the right surround speaker, but also extends to the right rear and top right, and just barely audible in the left rear and top left, indicating that there was some intentional placement involved.
While all of this expands the mono soundstage, it can’t replicate a native Atmos mix, resulting in a general sameness. It also seems to boost the bass a bit, which is a welcome touch. I will say that I really liked hearing Charles Bernsein’s wonderful and lively score being pushed through all those extra speakers.
For purists, the 2.0 DTS mix appears to be the original mono sent to the left and right speakers. Listening to either the Dolby or DTS upmixers and muting the left and right channels resulted in no sound whatsoever from the other speakers, indicating that they had nothing to extract from the differences between the two channels. I did spend a little time listening to the Auromatic upmixer. It works differently than either Dolby’s or DTS’s methods, and it produced a pleasant compromise between the mono and Atmos tracks, spreading the sound around the room.
I appreciate that Warner gives us a choice between the original or remix options.
Special Features: It looks like this is repackaged from earlier releases, but it is filled with information for those of us that like the stories behind the movies. Craven reveals the inspiration for Freddy. Special effects are detailed. There’s talk about the financing challenges. A potpourri that’s well worth watching for any fan.
- Ready Freddy Focus Points
- Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronnie Blakely, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher.
- Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin.
- Alternate endings
- The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
- Never Sleep Again: A Nightmare on Elm Street
- Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares
Final Verdict: It’s hard to believe that 40 years have gone by since this movie first hit theater screens, and it’s left its mark on movie goers ever since then. Even people that haven’t seen any of the films know exactly who Freddy Krueger is.
It’s no secret that Craven wasn’t thrilled with Freddy’s direction after his debut, but he did help with the third movie (a close second place to the first), and would return to the character a decade later with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. After viewing it again, it’s easy to see why he was disappointed with the sequels. Here, Freddy is a mostly serious villain, with some over the top moments. As the series progressed, he leaned more into the camp/silly side of things, dealing out puns for the audience alongside punishment to his victims.
This disc is an easy recommendation to anyone that has ever enjoyed this movie. While filmmaking techniques have improved since then, the story and hook of the movie still remain fresh, and it has earned a place in any horror fan’s library.
Fun Trivia: In 2021, The Library of Congress added A Nightmare on Elm Street to the National Film Registry, placing it in the company of Halloween. (Jason and Leatherface have yet to make the cut.)
https://youtu.be/CBcVZcornjI
My Review System:
JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
Elite Screens Sable Frame B2 117” Width with Infinitely Variable Height
Monolith by Monoprice HTP-1 16 Channel Processor with Dirac Live
Monolith by Monoprice 7x200 Watts Amp
Monolith by Monoprice 3x200 Watts + 6x100 Watts Amp
JBL Studio 590 for Left, Center, Right, Wides, and Rears
JBL Studio 580 for Side Surrounds
JBL Studio SCS 8 for Tops
JTR Captivator 1400 Subwoofer X 4
Panasonic DP-UB420 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
NVIDIA Shield Android TV - 4K
Xbox One X
HTPC Running madVR (work in progress)
Remote: URC MX-780
Mini DSP 2X4 HD controlling all subwoofers
APC S15 Power Conditioner with Battery Backup