A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare On Elm Street (NOES for short) is a series of horror films that were exceptionally popular in the 1980s. The series takes its name from the first film, A Nightmare On Elm Street, which was released in 1984 and was written and directed by Wes Craven. The central character of the films is supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger, played by Robert Englund. Krueger is able to attack and kill people through their dreams and does so with considerable violence and gore.

Sequels

The original film was directed by Wes Craven and remains among his most famous features. A Nightmare on Elm Street was followed by five sequels culminating in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991). Craven was largely not involved in these sequels, but did receive a producer credit for Part 3. In 1994, Wes Craven returned to the series with Wes Craven's New Nightmare, in which Krueger appeared in (a fictionalized version of) the real world, plaguing Craven and the actors who had appeared in the original film.

Related Topics:
Wes Craven - 1991 - 1994 - Wes Craven's New Nightmare

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As the series progressed, the films got gorier as new, creative ways were found to slaughter teenagers. The series managed to feature many up-and-coming young performers before their rise to fame (notably Johnny Depp, Patricia Arquette, and Laurence Fishburne).

Related Topics:
Johnny Depp - Patricia Arquette - Laurence Fishburne

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Almost every director involved with the sequels has gone on to direct higher profile films, as opposed to the fates of other slasher film directors, including veterans of the Friday the 13th series. The most successful among them was Renny Harlin, who would go on to direct the enormously successful ' and the Sylvester Stallone vehicle Cliffhanger. Chuck Russell, the director of Part 3 directed 1994's The Mask starring Jim Carrey and 1996's Eraser with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead.

Related Topics:
Friday the 13th - Renny Harlin - Sylvester Stallone - Cliffhanger - The Mask - Jim Carrey - Eraser - Arnold Schwarzenegger

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Eventually, a declining interest in gory teen slasher films towards the end of the 1980's led to the series' fade in popularity. Though the films still make profit when released, they have never matched the success they found in the first four.

Related Topics:
Slasher films - 1980

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Over the years Freddy has become a cult figure with his burnt face, red and green striped sweater, brown hat, and the metallic glove with sharp knife blades attached to the fingers. In the original film Krueger was a nearly silent, remorseless killing machine. As the series progressed, Krueger became a progressively more wisecracking, black-humoured character - frequently making a short witticism as he dispatches each victim. Englund described the character they had turned Krueger into as "Shecky Green with claws" (later apologizing to classic comedian Shecky Green, who took offense at the remark.) Part 6, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, represents the zenith of this trend. Horror critics and fans, claiming it to be a lazy way to reach potentially wider audiences and appeal to the lowest common denominator, have often criticized the sequels for this reason. Part 5 and 6 are the most common targets of this disapproval.

Related Topics:
Cult figure - Black-humoured - Wit - Shecky Green

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A constant feature throughout the series of eight films has been the nursery rhyme, which Krueger's victims hear in their dreams shortly before being confronted by Krueger. Sung by a group of young children (usually young girls) in the films and set to the rhythm of One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, it runs:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One, two, Freddy's coming for you

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Three, four, better lock your door

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Five, six, grab a crucifix

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Seven, eight, better stay up late

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Nine, ten, never sleep again!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There was also a TV series Freddy's Nightmares that featured Freddy introducing scary stories involving the nightmares of the citizens of Springwood, in the style of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The show managed to produce 44 episodes over the course of two seasons, before being canceled.

Related Topics:
Freddy's Nightmares - Alfred Hitchcock Presents

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 2003, the Krueger character was pitched against Jason Voorhees from the popular Friday the 13th film series in Freddy vs. Jason. The film opened on August 15 and was immediately the most financially successful film in either series. It cost $25 million to make and grossed $47 million in its opening weekend. Englund suggested in an interview that a further sequel may be planned. Further, a script entitled A Nightmare On Elm Street: The First Kills, describing Krueger's 'real-life' years set before the time of the first film, is currently under review by New Line Cinema.

Related Topics:
2003 - Jason Voorhees - Friday the 13th - Freddy vs. Jason - August 15 - New Line Cinema

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~