Search - A Nightmare on Elm Street on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Not For Children, Profanity, Gore Movie Release: 1984 DVD Release: 09/07/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 32 mins Studio: New Line Home Video Members Wishing: 0 Genres: Horror, Slasher Film, Teen Movie See Also: A Nightmare on Elm Street [Special Edition]

A decade of wisecracking sequels have not diminished the power of this striking horror film from the director of Scream. Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter (Heather Langenkamp) traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger (Robert Englund), who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. The teenaged leads are sympathetic and intelligent, unlike the dumb victims presented in most films of the period, and they are ably backed up by veterans like John Saxon and Ronee Blakley. Director Wes Craven creates moments of real dread by examining the line between nightmares and reality, as well as the "sins of the parents" theme, and although the film is quite gory, it never resorts to cheap bloodletting for its effect. A unique and disturbing experience, this film is highly recommended for horror buffs. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

John Saxon - Lt. Thompson
Ronee Blakely - Marge Thompson
Heather Langenkamp - Nancy Thompson
Amanda Wyss - Tina Gray
Nick Corri - Rod Lane
Johnny Depp - Glen Lantz
Robert Englund - Freddy Krueger

The shocker that started it all, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street is terror to the tenth degree. New Line has done a great job of restoring this 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer to its (almost) original glory. The color schemes and black levels are all very well rendered with only the slightest amount of grain marring the image. The flesh tones all look natural without any edge enhancement, digital artifacting, or shimmer present any time during the film. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 as well as Dolby 2.0 Mono. While the range on this mix isn't fantastic (the source elements were not great), there is a fair amount of fidelity and depth in this soundtrack. Also included on this disc are captions in English.
This edition of A Nightmare on Elm Street features some decent special features, starting with a commentary track by director Wes Craven, director of photography Jacques Haitkin, and actors Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon. This is a very insightful commentary that features the cast and crew having a lot of fun while discussing different aspects of the production. Also included on this disc is a theatrical trailer for the film, some cast and crew information, and some DVD-ROM content for PC users. While this disc is a nice edition of this classic horror film, the box set is recommended for true Freddy fans. ~ Patrick Naugle, All Movie Guide