It is a true testament to writer-director Wes Craven's genius that many people now first think of Scream rather than A Nightmare on Elm Street upon hearing his name. While Scream certainly re-energized the horror movie genre, A Nightmare on Elm Street revolutionized it entirely when it was released in 1984. Twenty years after the fact, the movie doesn't seem quite as scary as it did originally, but this movie has truly shocked and frightened many a moviegoer over the years, resonated with untold numbers of men and women in a new and undeniably powerful way, drawn in many viewers that had never cared about horror before, and introduced one of the greatest, most popular horror icons of past, present, and future in Freddy Krueger.
When you really look at the genesis of this movie, its incredible success is truly mind-boggling. Wes Craven had already made waves in the business with such horror classics as Last House on the Left, but the script for A Nightmare on Elm Street made the rounds of Hollywood for three years before the relatively unknown New Line Cinema stepped up to make the movie a reality. The total budget for the film was well under two million dollars, and the filmmakers basically worked miracles to make the film as viscerally shocking and beautifully gory as it is. A tremendous cast was assembled: veteran actor John Saxon and newcomer Johnny Depp (in his very first role) are terrific, Robert Englund needs no introduction for his unforgettable portrayal of Freddy Krueger, and a young and innocent Heather Langenkamp delivers a dazzling performance as Nancy Thompson. (Ronee Blakley's performance as Nancy's mother is over-the-top and rather poor in general, but this is essentially the movie's only weakness.Read more ›

Overall this two-set disc DVD is great. It includes many deleted scenes and the sound and picture is great as well.

Although this is certainly not definitive/complete. There are out takes, extended scenes, FX shots, TV spots, etc., that are not included. Such as a dialog between Lt. Thompson and Sgt. Garcia in the police station, more scenes of Nancy getting ready to battle Freddy (like pouring gasoline in that glass bottle she threw at him in the basement), another take of Glen's body rising out of the bed, an extended dialog between Marge and Mr. Thompson at the cemetery, a dialog between Lt. Thompson and Mr. Lantz (Glen's father), etc. These others were released in 1996 on laserdisc by Elite Entertainment and a two-cassette VHS by Anchor Bay. There is also trivia missing from the movie like, for example, the guy who was reading Hamlet aloud in English class is Daryl Hannah's brother. Although there is a discussion of the different types and ways of doing Freddy's makeup, there's no mention of what Wes Craven originally wanted (such as the teeth showing through the flesh above the jaws, which ironically was used on the "demon" version of Freddy when he jumps out of the lake in Jason vs. Freddy). Nor mention of all the actresses Heather Langenkamp beat out such as Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing), Demi Moore, Courteney Cox (Ave Ventura, Scream, Friends), and Tracey Gold (Growing Pains).

But this is as close to complete as currently available on DVD. Now that we have the infinifilm special edition, hopefully a special edition director's cut/uncut will appear one day with (if possible) the extended scenes placed back in the movie itself and not as special features to be viewed separately along with all the goodies in this and the VHS/laserdisc versions.Read more ›

Freddy Krueger is something else. Robert Englund plays the slasher/boogeyman with the relish of a Batman villian without sacrificing his menace. Compared to Jason or Michael Meyers, Freddy is the life of the party...or the death of it if he catches you asleep. Not that this first installment of the Nightmare series is full of laughs. In his first appearance Freddy is truly scary. But he enjoys being scary and as audience members we enjoy being scared by him. As a horror personality Freddy is unequaled and seeing how he was introduced to audiences you can see that he was both a charismatic monster and a terrifying threat from the start.
But I need to admit something: I generally think less is more where blood is concerned. It's a matter of taste, I know, but that said I decided I really like this movie.
This is an unabashadly bloody slasher movie but one cannot deny that it is an imaginative one. I have been more terrified by other horror movies But few horror movies stay with you like A Nightmare on Elm Street. You'll likely be dreaming of Freddy Krueger yourself afterwards.
I recall one horror movie historian saying that horror movies are our way of making friends with the monsters of our imagination. I think he's right. And I think therein lies the appeal of Freddy. He's a sick killer but we also want to make friends with him.
Finally, I think the extras on this two disc set are what really make it special. If it were the movie by itself I might subtract a star or two, but I really liked the making of video and extra documentaries. Wes Craven tells you about the origins of Freddy down to the reasons for the color selections for his stripped sweater. (That particular shade of red and green were said to be the most distressing color combination to the human psyche).
So if your a horror fan, get A Nightmare on Elm Street (if you don't already have it).