Whatever_You_Do,_Don't_Fall_Asleep

Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep “One, two, Freddy’s coming for you… Three, four, better lock the door… Five, six, grab a crucifix… Seven, eight, gonna stay up late… Nine, ten, never sleep again.” Once these chilling words are uttered, it’s hard not to get goose bumps. Not only do the words carry scary imagery, but they are also uttered by creepy kids. It’s hard not to be scared during Wes Craven’s film, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). The film showcases a cast who play their characters relatively well. The character of Glen was Johnny Depp’s first movie role, and he plays his character better than anyone else. It’s obvious he was an excellent actor from the start. The movie begins in the dream of a teenager named Tina (Amanda Wyss); she is being chased through a boiler room by a man. Although she is not killed in her dream, her clothing gets sliced by the man. When she wakes up, she realizes her nightgown is slashed in the same way it was cut in her dreams. She is haunted by the memory of the scary, fedora- wearing man, clad in a red and green stripped sweater, with a razorblade fingered glove. We learn later that this man is Freddy Krueger. When Tina goes to school the next morning, she meets up with her friend Nancy (Heather Langenkamp), Nancy’s boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp), and Tina’s boyfriend Rod (Jsu Garcia). Tina tries to ask her friends if they had a weird dream the night before. The only person who will wait around long enough is Nancy, the boys run off to class. They get to talking, and they realize their dreams featured the same man. Later that night, Tina asks Nancy and Glen to stay at her house for the night while her mother is away. This is when things really start happening. But why are these things happening' Throughout the movie, we learn of Freddy’s background. It is then clear why these teens are being targeted. It is then up to Nancy to stop Freddy, by bringing him into the real world and killing him once and for all. There are many things that make this movie great to watch. The first, and most obvious, is the brilliant character of Freddy. However, most of the credit must go to Robert Englund. His brilliant portrayal will make Freddy Krueger haunt your dreams. In the sequels, Freddy is downplayed by being written as a wise-cracking silly killer. However, in the original movie, the character is dangerous and very scary. Craven keeps him in the shadows and, most of the time, faceless. His sinister laugh will make you cringe. Freddy isn’t crazy with rage, he stays calm and toys with his victims, while speaking to them as if he is mocking them. The makeup giving Krueger his iconic burned face is truly magnificent. Englund uses the makeup to his advantage, but he doesn’t let it control the performance. This allows the audience to feel the pure evil in the character. Another excellent quality to the movie is the murders. The death scenes are gory and very effective in producing fear. The first death is truly freaky. It is seen through a real-world perspective. We only see the slices and cuts without seeing what is producing them. The killings are imaginative for a movie in that time period. They are certainly bloody. Furthermore, the filming techniques are surely factors in why A Nightmare on Elm Street is great. The transition between reality and dreams is brilliant. The movie flows seamlessly from real world to dream world. In most movies, the person falls asleep and wakes up in a dream. In this movie, the person pretty much blinks and they are asleep. We don’t figure this out until we see Freddy. This is confusing to the audience regarding whether a character is dreaming or not. Wes Craven uses techniques such as lighting, camera angles, and transitions that create an eeriness not often matched by current horror movies. Sadly, this film is not without faults. Certain scenes are bizarre and seem out of place. For example, in one of Nancy’s dreams, she looks down the hall and sees a sheep. This is totally out of place; she was in a school building. Some of the dialogue sounds a bit off. Some conversations seem like the actor is just reading a line. Some sound robotic. Also, in some parts, the acting is just terrible. These parts are mostly delivered by Nancy’s mother, and Nancy herself. Whether it is the awkward way they carry themselves, or the way they deliver their lines, it is obvious why they aren’t award-winning actresses. There are also a few scenes that seem forced and obviously included as filler. For example, when Nancy’s mother insists Nancy goes to a sleep clinic, the conversation with the doctor about “what dreams are” seems pointless. The lines are delivered poorly, and it is obvious that the scene was included because the movie is about dreams. Another silly component is the running done by the victims. In horror movies, the victim is always seen running away from the killer. The way these teens run is overly dramatic and just plain bad acting. Regardless of the weaknesses, A Nightmare on Elm Street is a chilling horror movie capable of producing jumps and frights. This movie has slasher elements, regular horror elements, and supernatural elements. All of these elements combined, have a truly terrifying result. The premise that a serial killer can stalk you in your dreams is horrifying. Dreams are supposed to be a place where we can escape from life and live out our wildest fantasies, if that place becomes a death trap there is nowhere to run.