A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984 Film)

One of those “classics” that is easier to admire than enjoy. The soundtrack is A+ and aspects of the filmmaking hold up some thirtysomething years later, mostly the parts where Fred Krueger takes to pursuing prospective victims, but there’s a weightlessness to it all that makes it hard to remain engaged with the material. The kills themselves aren’t special, and past passive watches had me thinking I missed the scenes that lend gravity, prospective, or meaning to these proceedings but nope, those scenes don’t exist. “Nightmare” feels torn between its tones, consistently entertaining but never coalescing into something that resonates.

5