Robert Chipman
Welcome to this column dedicated to my appreciation of physical media supplements called Feature Presentations. The goal of this column is not to say whether a film is good or bad and worth picking up or not — I would like to highlight the discs that go the extra mile and provide film fans with enough tasty tidbits to satisfy even the hungriest of cinephiles. Today’s article will focus on Wes Craven’s 1984 horror masterpiece, A Nightmare on Elm Street, newly released via Warner Bros.
I never have or will claim to be an expert in reviewing the technical specs of a physical media release. There are plenty of knowledgeable people in this realm of commenting on the audio and video aspects of a disc with better setups than I’ll ever own. This column, Feature Presentations, is a way of highlighting the supplemental material within a given disc. With all that out of the way, let’s get to the good stuff and dive into my review of this 4K/Blu-ray release of A Nightmare on Elm Street.
As a disclaimer of transparency for this episode of Feature Presentations, my review of A Nightmare on Elm Street comes from a review copy that Warner Bros. provided for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Each person comes across certain films that leave an indelible impression on them. Whether it’s the first film they recall seeing or the first trip to the cinema for a couple, different films have different meanings to different people. For me, A Nightmare on Elm Street holds a special place in my heart as being the only movie ever to terrorize me. To be fair, I first watched A Nightmare on Elm Street when I was way too young, and as such, I didn’t pick up on the technical prowess and superior craftsmanship that went into the film; I just knew it scared me.
Now that Freddy Krueger’s first foray into the dreamscape celebrates its 40th anniversary; and I have watched the film more times than I can count, instead of being known as the only film to scare me, I celebrate it for the towering achievement of low-budget horror that it is (plus the only movie to ever scare me). And with the Springwood Slasher hitting the 4-0 milestone, Warner Brothers have decided to bring the Wes Craven classic to 4K UHD.
For some reason, the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise has never gotten the physical media love it deserves on home video. Sure, New Line Cinema released an, at the time, stellar box set in 1999, and the OG entry got a lavish DVD release in 2006, but overall, it’s always felt like, for one reason or another, Elm Street gets the short end of the stick with home video releases. Does the 40th anniversary help rectify this? In some ways, yes, but it’s not entirely a dream come true.
One of the most important reasons for picking up this release is we finally get both the theatrical and unrated cuts of A Nightmare on Elm Street on 4K. The unrated cut is slightly longer than its theatrical counterpart, but having both available and looking as fine as both cuts are is a major selling for this 40th anniversary 4K. As I state in every Feature Presentations article, I’m not an A/V guy, but to my eyes, I’ve never seen A Nightmare on Elm Street look better than it does here.
“The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror” is a hastily edited documentary looking at the rise of New Line Cinema and how Freddy is the company’s cornerstone. New Line chairman Bob Shaye, producer Sara Risher, Wes Craven, and others discuss the production company’s humble beginnings, how Shaye risked everything by banking on A Nightmare on Elm Street, and how the subsequent franchise entries helped propel to the A-List, culminating in the blockbuster success of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Even if “The House that Freddy Built” offers the Cliff Notes version of New Line Cinema, it’s fine enough and is an entertaining feature.
A collection of “Focus Points” and “Alternate Endings” feature a collection of alternate and omitted material from the finished film. The various endings prove that those involved didn’t know how to end A Nightmare on Elm Street in a satisfying manner. The focus points are more interesting, showcasing trimmed bits such as Tina’s extended death, Freddy constructing his glove, and additional takes of the bathtub scene. You get moments peppered throughout from Wes Craven and the cast and crew on certain points, but “Focus Points” is one of the finest bits on this disc due to the quantity of alternate material not found in the final product.
“Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street,” not to be confused with 2010’s “Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy,” is another documentary, focused solely on the 1984 original. Similar to “The House that Freddy Built,” the editing on this making-of is cut pretty tight, but the basics on how Wes Craven’s classic came to be are here. If you’re familiar with “The Elm Street Legacy” doc, most of what is dispensed in “The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street” will be old hat. Even still, “The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street” is welcome for those seeking behind-the-scenes production of this horror classic.
“Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares,” is a misleading and disappointing featurette looking to understand dreams. While Wes Craven does appear to offer a few comments, most of the runtime is dedicated to authors and those in the medical field ruminating on what dreams are and their meaning. There’s a lot of talk from the contributors on what they believe causes dreams, but, as some of the speakers state; they do not fully understand the human dreamscape, it’s an opinion piece with historical tales interwoven. “Night Terrors” might pique your interest, but this extra left me disappointed.
Warner Brothers also ported over two archival commentaries: the first, listed as 2001, but the commentators state the recording is for the Laserdisc, and is the same conversation from the 1999 box set, features Wes Craven, actors Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon, and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin. The second commentary, recorded in 2006, features all participants from the 2001 discussion sans John Saxon and added most of the cast, including Robert Englund, and many of the production team.
Whenever a Wes Craven commentary pops up, your mileage may vary in terms of listenability. The writer/director is highly knowledgeable but speaks in soft, measured tones, which sometimes lean toward long pauses and have the potential to create boredom for some listeners. Thankfully, the older discussion finds Craven having a naturalistic and casual flow with the other contributors as all parties recorded their chat together. This allows Craven time to offer his thought processes and production details, and not fall into lapses of silence as occasionally happens in other commentaries featuring the director. Craven, Langenkamp, Saxon, and Haitkin have a friendly rapport, each bringing their perspective to the discussion, and quite enjoyable.
The second commentary is less scene-specific and more a collection of interview snippets edited together to form a cohesive discussion. Craven, Langenkamp, and Haitkin occasionally rehash topics and details mentioned in the prior commentary, but having other contributors such as New Line Cinema chairman Robert Shaye, actors Robert Englund, Ronee Blakley, and Amanda Wyss, composer Charles Bernstein, makeup effects artist Jim Doyle, and others help fill in gaps and add additional insight into the film’s production. Even with the multitude of participants on this track, it’s never an overwhelming listen and pairs well with the older commentary.
And there you have it! Wes Craven’s 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street slashes its way onto 4K as only Freddy Krueger can. While I am pleased that the “bastard son of 100 maniacs” gets his due on 4K, and the disc is packed with a heaping helping of archival extras, one can’t help being left somewhat disappointed with the lack of any new supplemental material. Even still, the film has never looked better; getting the theatrical and unrated cuts in 4K is terrific, and porting over most of the prior releases’ bonus material makes this the finest release of A Nightmare on Elm Street out there!
