The early ‘80s were a bit of a wasteland for scary movies. A few great ones aside, Horror films at that time largely followed the “Friday the 13th” model. Maniacs with knives stalking oversexed teenagers out of either their own sexual rage or simple revenge. None of these films were particularly interesting, much less any good, so it was kind of a boring time to be a Horror fan. Then, in 1984, director Wes Craven introduced us to a new monster - a monster unlike any before. A monster that would use one of your most basic, biological necessities of life and use it against you. One that wouldn’t simply haunt your dreams, but one that would invade those dreams and kill you. This monster wasn’t just some masked lunatic wielding a blade and slashing through promiscuous teenagers. No, this monster was something else. The monster, of course, was Freddy Krueger, and he was unleashed when an apathetic and unsuspecting public was blindsided by the brilliant A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET.
More Freddy below...
From concept to image Freddy Krueger is a wholly original and terrifying creation. The finger knives, rumpled hat, burned face, and orange and green striped sweater quickly became iconic on the level of every great movie monster that had come before. The look was one thing, the concept was quite another. He is, in the words of the great Horror author John Skipp, ‘a metaphysical monster’. Freddy Krueger is, in effect, a dead man - but he’s not a ghost or a zombie. He’s not anything of our world. It’s difficult to express just how new this was - this simple idea of a monster hiding in your nightmares, just waiting for you to fall asleep. The whole concept of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is exciting enough, but Wes Craven delivered the goods on a cinematic level as well.
Coming up with interesting and original set pieces has been a staple of the Horror genre and a constant quest for the Horror filmmaker. Freddy Krueger’s dream world opened up the realm of possibilities in amazing ways - neatly bridging the gap between Horror and Fantasy. Wes Craven took full advantage of this and crafted a film that is real, surreal, fantastical, and utterly terrifying. Robert Englund propels the film with a menacing performance as Freddy - bringing a dark physicality to the role that even surprised the filmmakers. The rest of the cast is just as good. Heather Langenkamp is pitch perfect as our heroine, Nancy Thompson, John Saxton brings a great world-weariness as her skeptical father, and Amanda Wyss is terrific as Tina, the girl we think is the main character until she makes an early exit care of Freddy. Oh, and speaking of the cast, let us not forget that Wes Craven didn’t just introduce us to Freddy that year. He also introduced us to a promising young actor. A young man who’d never acted in a film before, who nevertheless won a leading role in the film and was given arguably one of the greatest screen kills ever conceived. That actor was, of course, Johnny Depp.
So in 1984, sitting in that darkened theater, did we know at the time that we were witnessing the birth of a new horror icon? Did we realize at the time that a new instantly-recognizable movie monster, on the level of Dracula, Frankenstein, or the Wolf Man, was being revealed to us as the film reels unspooled? Did we appreciate in our youth, as we saw Johnny Depp sucked into that bed, or Amanda Wyss gutted on the ceiling, or Heather Langenkamp licked by her own phone, that we were watching something truly groundbreaking and special?
You know what? We did. And Generation X's boogeyman remains the coolest of them all.
A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET fun facts - 500 gallons of fake blood were used during filming. Most of it for the infamous ‘bed’ kill.
The “Freddy stance” (a slight lean to one side) was the result of the glove being heavier than Robert Englund anticipated. The posture was so striking it was decided he shouldn’t correct it.
The name Freddy Krueger was taken from a neighborhood boy that bullied director Wes Craven as a child.
Nancy - “Whatever you do… Don’t. Fall. Asleep!”
Freddy Krueger - (holding up his glove) “THIS… is God!”
Dream Children - “One, two, Freddy's coming for you. / Three, four, better lock your door. / Five, six, grab your crucifix. / Seven, eight, gonna stay up late. / Nine, ten, never sleep again.”