PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Originally released on October 14, 1994, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare offered a fresh, daring take on the Freddy Krueger character… or something like it. You see, New Nightmare is technically a Freddy movie, yet it definitely isn’t. The villain is actually an entity that takes the form of Freddy, because it finds the demon sexy. Because New Line had killed the franchise, this entity was somehow freed to attack actress Heather Langenkamp (who plays herself), her family and anyone else it can gets its claws into.
Watch Wes Craven’s New Nightmare now!
What Works
Right from the start, you know this isn’t the standard Nightmare on Elm Street film. Heather is Heather, not Nancy, and her family is supposed to be real as well. You have Pet Semetery’s Miko Hughes as Heather’s son, Dylan, and David Newsom (Black Circle Boys 1997) as Chase Porter. To emphasize the reality, franchise alumni John Saxon, Robert Shaye and Wes Craven appear as characterizations of themselves. Robert Englund is there, but isn’t wearing the sweater and glove the entire time. You can say what you want about this movie, but Craven had a bold idea when he said, “We’re going to do this!” Interestingly, the idea of an evil entity blending reality and fiction fits into the overall framework of the franchise thematically.
It’s like Craven said, “Okay, most see Freddy as a joke now, so what if we took him and made him real?” There are some scary moments in this film, though most of it involves buildup and anticipation, with no clear indication of what lies ahead. In that sense, this movie blends mystery with a sense of dread. New Nightmare also examines fairy tales and mythology, along with realistic scares like earthquakes, mental illness and loss. These elements add a certain level of complexity to the overall piece.
It should also be noted that the acting is solid throughout. In fact, Heather Langenkamp deserves extra credit as the film draws from events in her real life. As is revealed in Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, Heather had received threatening letters from an obsessed fan of the TV series Just the Ten of Us, which she also starred in. The irony, of course, is that one could naturally assume a Freddy fan would have been the culprit, not some fan of a TV spin-off of Growing Pains!
What Might Not Work For Some
I hate to say it, but Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is not for everyone. There are many reasons someone might dislike it (even if they’re fans of the other films). One of the most obvious reasons: It’s not really Freddy! If you can get past that (as I could), one might simply not like Freddy’s new look. This would actually be my biggest critique of the film, honestly. I thought Freddy looked best in parts 2 and 3. I don’t care much for his quasi-reptilian look, but I especially don’t appreciate that silly-looking glove. It’s hard to describe what’s wrong with it. It just does not look right.
This look impacts the movie a bit, too, because every other film supplied some scary looking Freddy glove. In New Nightmare, it looks like a toy. Some will hate me for typing that, but it’s true. It also seems that this movie could have spent more time examining what “the entity” is. This is a bit of a nitpick (some might prefer leaving things mysterious), but it seems like it would have given things more depth. Also, if you think my critiques are too harsh, you should see what some other people think of this movie. Sheesh!
Why I Still Like This Movie… And You Should, Too
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is pretty solid overall, even if it’s not everyone’s fave. It may have shortcomings, but the same could be said about nearly every horror film out there. Horror is, in many ways, the perfect genre to pick apart and critique. You are primarily looking at things that either scare us successfully (making us lash out defensively) or fail to deliver scares (making us lash out derisively). It seems that, for many people anyway, this movie is somewhere in the middle. Horror fans should be able to appreciate a new twist on an old favorite, especially when it’s directed by the original filmmaker.
It’s also a movie that can grow on people over time. If you watch it again, you may pick up on some nuances you missed before. It has many layers, as one might expect from the horror master. After all, Craven’s Last House on the Left is based partly on Ingmar Bergman’s The Virgin Spring (1960) — itself inspired by a medieval Swedish ballad. Wes Craven was an intelligent man, and it shows in his films, as twisted as they ultimately are. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare didn’t truly give every viewer new nightmares, but it did offer something decidedly new. Isn’t that what sequels are for?
Get Wes Craven’s New Nightmare right here!
What are your thoughts on Wes Craven’s New Nightmare? Let us know in the comments!
