One…two…Freddy’s coming for you…Three…four…better lock your door…
So begins the chant that will stick with you long after you have seen this classic horror film written and directed by horror movie maven Wes Craven. The movie stars Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, and Johnny Depp (in his first major motion picture role). Robert Englund also stars in his ground breaking role as Fred Krueger, a name and role that would become infamous with his remarkable portrayal.
Once upon a time, the parents of Springwood, Ohio had enough of the legal system and took matters into their own hands when a technicality set a child murderer loose on their streets. Years later, the fruit of their actions has ripened and the children of Springwood are paying the price for their crime.
The movie begins with a dream. We witness the creation of the ultimate weapon, a glove fashioned with four razor blades extending from each finger tip. The setting is an old boiler room with narrow walkways and hissing steam. A young teenage girl runs through the walkways as she is being stalked by a hideously scarred man wearing these gloves. Right when he catches up with her she awakens screaming in her bed only to find her nightgown slashed where he held her.
This is only the beginning for Springwood as many of the teenagers all share the same dream of a heavily scarred man in a red and green striped sweater wearing a bladed glove as he taunts them in their dreams. As one by one they are murdered in their sleep one girl tries desperately to find a way to survive. When she uncovers the town’s secret she is determined to find a way to stop Freddy Krueger once and for all.
What I love most about this film is that it delves into the dream world, a place seemingly without reason and a time when we are most vulnerable. With any other slasher film you can argue the logic behind certain behaviors and fool yourself into believing it could never happen to you. However with dreams, anything is possible and we are left with one simple question: how long can you stay awake?
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