A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection
[4K]
Horror movies are tricky, aren’t they? I mean, they shouldn’t be. Why would a genre be tricky? I’ll tell you why. Because most horror movies aren’t scary. They’re either dumb or dependent on jump cuts. At least lately they are. Don’t believe me? Just look at Midsommar (dumb), Sinners (dumb), or Malevolent (jump cuts but also really dumb). What’s really scary is a smart script. Ironically, it’s what horror movies nowadays are also scared of. Blame the fans.
When I was a kid, I loved Freddy Kreuger. I don’t know why. I don’t think I had seen an entire Nightmare on Elm Street movie. But, I dressed up as him for Halloween. I had the poorly-knocked-off-but-official shirt. The glove (I wonder what happened to it) and put weird dried-up dough on my face to mimic the scars. Hey, Freddy was cool to a pre-teen, I guess. He crossed oceans with his influence.
The Freddy-verse continues to expand and this box set collects all the classics (but unfortunately, not the Freddy vs Jason gem). How are they on a rewatch? Well, the first A Nightmare on Elm Street is still surprisingly cool. You’re learning about Freddy Kreuger and the concept. Also, it’s got some cool practical effects and body horror. The sequels are a mixed bag. Yes, the practical effects are still admirable, but the more we dig into what makes Freddy what he is, the more confusing and unruly it becomes. We kind of don’t want too much of a backstory on the guy, especially not one that identifies him as an all-powerful demon, whose fixation on tormenting kids is confusing. How does it benefit him? What does he WANT? How much time does he spend exactly devising these elaborate death scenarios. What are his powers exactly? The concept grows frustrating and stale and after the third movie, you kind of lose interest. I know I did. For a cultural phenomenon, you’d think they’d write smarter scripts.
The Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film 4K collection might not be for me, but it’s sure to please Freddy and/or horror movie fans. If anything, they’re good for a laugh.
