Wes Craven's greatest creation, in a way, is A Nightmare on Elm Street. Not because it's his best film. But rather, because it's his most enduring film, and the series of sequels it spawned are a phenomenon unto itself. That hasn't changed today. And in the early 90's, when Freddy Krueger died in New Line's sixth film, it was an even bigger deal because it was still producing new and somewhat thought-provoking material. People were clearly getting tired of it, but it was still a creative and fairly innovative series. The formula had stretched near to its' breaking point, but the films continued delivering watchable and high concept fantasy sequences, mostly skilled and expensive special effects, spacey music, and inventive "kills" (as they're known online). It went through several permutations. And each new director brought their own unique take on it, visually. It wasn't what Craven had set out to make in his original, nor did it follow the rules he would have laid down had he stayed involved. But in its' own way, it was always fresh. And for people who got tired of the sleaze of Paramount's Friday the 13th, it was REfreshing as well.
The problem with the later sequels was always story. The agonized process of writing and filming Part 4, 1988's The Dream Master, had the films' writing staff turn to the John Hughes school of weepy melodrama and the next two sequels would also feature those same unfortunate, put-upon teens. The angst always came first. Wes Craven decided a new sequel should switch the focus onto some adults for once. His finished product, this 1994 film, was not very successful at the box office. But got the critics raving. Some even gave this sequel more praise than the original. Is it worth it? I think- a little Yes, but a little No as well. Switching the focus to an adult main character is risky. Because teenagers are expected to daydream. As an adult myself, I can tell you that- you spend too much time daydreaming, and you're in deep trouble. Not because dreams take over. But because real life is something you don't turn your back on. Craven covers himself a little by making the main character an actress, living in a very nice, quite big house, doing well in her career. And she does struggle with real life problems as well as the nightmares the film needs her to have.
The film is also an experiment with using actual real life people in the film business as actors in the story, playing themselves as they would behave were this film's situation happening in reality. That results in some awkward scenes, though it's in the interest of keeping the film feeling real. It's definitely one of the most realistic movies I've ever seen about an actor or actress's life, though I assume most of Heather Langenkamp's private details were kept out of the movie. She's not actually married to the gorgeous, sexy David Newsom. But she really was a mother and had a stalker. Not that any of that is truly important to the film itself, it's just part of what Craven wrote in, knowing that it was relevant to actresses in the movie business. Many TV and film actresses from the 80's and 90's were beginning to attract weird, obsessive fans. None moreso than women who had appeared in successful low budget horror films of the time- including Halloween's Nancy Kyes, Friday the 13th's Adrienne King, and Halloween 4 and 5's Danielle Harris.
As a formula, this New Nightmare is nowhere near as visually interesting or cool as the previous films. It trades in that creepy, dark feel of intangibility, and trademark surreal Alice in Wonderland style (especially of Renny Harlin's sequel, The Dream Master), for a sense of complete reality. Where the nightmares look like everyday life. This of course, was better done in 1979's Phantasm, not to mention Dario Argento's extraordinary films. But, it was the 1990's. And things were starting to get gritty and hi-tech. So, New looks slick. But it's not as compelling or dreamlike. Or fun, as the previous films. However, it is an improvement on the formula in a few regards. The acting is much better. And though the film takes quite a while to get the viewer into the story, when it does, it becomes progressively more interesting. The film really begins to cook though once Miko Hughes' Dillon character winds up in a hospital, being tested by a presumptuous pediatrician with a distaste for Hollywood celebrities' choices when raising their kids. It's a devilishly perfect method of slipping in some social commentary on how authority figures impose their views of people who work in the horror genre onto others. As well as the character outright saying she thinks horror movies make children unstable.
The film is a very good thriller, but isn't dangerous or dark enough to be a horror film. Another bone of contention is the film's wholly irritating sound design, from the bloated and bulky orchestra music score, to lame and clichéd booming bass crashes. This film already has an issue with choosing dozens of false scares over real ones, I wonder what they were thinking by making so many of the sounds so bass heavy. That doesn't make the film any more exciting. Nor does the film's big, stiff and unimpressive mythologically-set 'colosseum of dreams' finale. I do enjoy the film's references to Hansel & Gretel, and equating Freddy's power with that of a witch. The explanation for where he got that power has never been given but always fascinates me (Freddy's Dead tried and failed, miserably). I'm not sure exactly what sinks this as a horror film, but I truly recommend it as a good thriller which is meant to be pretty awkward. It's not prime Nightmare on Elm Street, but the series had to end somehow. This is as good a place as any.
The problem with the later sequels was always story. The agonized process of writing and filming Part 4, 1988's The Dream Master, had the films' writing staff turn to the John Hughes school of weepy melodrama and the next two sequels would also feature those same unfortunate, put-upon teens. The angst always came first. Wes Craven decided a new sequel should switch the focus onto some adults for once. His finished product, this 1994 film, was not very successful at the box office. But got the critics raving. Some even gave this sequel more praise than the original. Is it worth it? I think- a little Yes, but a little No as well. Switching the focus to an adult main character is risky. Because teenagers are expected to daydream. As an adult myself, I can tell you that- you spend too much time daydreaming, and you're in deep trouble. Not because dreams take over. But because real life is something you don't turn your back on. Craven covers himself a little by making the main character an actress, living in a very nice, quite big house, doing well in her career. And she does struggle with real life problems as well as the nightmares the film needs her to have.
The film is also an experiment with using actual real life people in the film business as actors in the story, playing themselves as they would behave were this film's situation happening in reality. That results in some awkward scenes, though it's in the interest of keeping the film feeling real. It's definitely one of the most realistic movies I've ever seen about an actor or actress's life, though I assume most of Heather Langenkamp's private details were kept out of the movie. She's not actually married to the gorgeous, sexy David Newsom. But she really was a mother and had a stalker. Not that any of that is truly important to the film itself, it's just part of what Craven wrote in, knowing that it was relevant to actresses in the movie business. Many TV and film actresses from the 80's and 90's were beginning to attract weird, obsessive fans. None moreso than women who had appeared in successful low budget horror films of the time- including Halloween's Nancy Kyes, Friday the 13th's Adrienne King, and Halloween 4 and 5's Danielle Harris.
As a formula, this New Nightmare is nowhere near as visually interesting or cool as the previous films. It trades in that creepy, dark feel of intangibility, and trademark surreal Alice in Wonderland style (especially of Renny Harlin's sequel, The Dream Master), for a sense of complete reality. Where the nightmares look like everyday life. This of course, was better done in 1979's Phantasm, not to mention Dario Argento's extraordinary films. But, it was the 1990's. And things were starting to get gritty and hi-tech. So, New looks slick. But it's not as compelling or dreamlike. Or fun, as the previous films. However, it is an improvement on the formula in a few regards. The acting is much better. And though the film takes quite a while to get the viewer into the story, when it does, it becomes progressively more interesting. The film really begins to cook though once Miko Hughes' Dillon character winds up in a hospital, being tested by a presumptuous pediatrician with a distaste for Hollywood celebrities' choices when raising their kids. It's a devilishly perfect method of slipping in some social commentary on how authority figures impose their views of people who work in the horror genre onto others. As well as the character outright saying she thinks horror movies make children unstable.
The film is a very good thriller, but isn't dangerous or dark enough to be a horror film. Another bone of contention is the film's wholly irritating sound design, from the bloated and bulky orchestra music score, to lame and clichéd booming bass crashes. This film already has an issue with choosing dozens of false scares over real ones, I wonder what they were thinking by making so many of the sounds so bass heavy. That doesn't make the film any more exciting. Nor does the film's big, stiff and unimpressive mythologically-set 'colosseum of dreams' finale. I do enjoy the film's references to Hansel & Gretel, and equating Freddy's power with that of a witch. The explanation for where he got that power has never been given but always fascinates me (Freddy's Dead tried and failed, miserably). I'm not sure exactly what sinks this as a horror film, but I truly recommend it as a good thriller which is meant to be pretty awkward. It's not prime Nightmare on Elm Street, but the series had to end somehow. This is as good a place as any.