A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Collection Review (Warner Bros.)

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 slasher written and directed by Wes Craven (New Nightmare, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Scream franchise, The People Under the Stairs, The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, Shocker, Deadly Friend, Red Eye, Cursed, and Swamp Thing). It was produced by Robert Shaye (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, The Lord of the Rings franchise, Critters franchise, Alone in the Dark, Menace II Society, The Hidden, Freddy vs. Jason, Xtro, and Hairspray). It has spawned 6 sequels, a television series, a remake, and a crossover with Friday the 13th with Freddy vs. Jason. New Line Cinema was saved from bankruptcy by the success of the film. It’s the film debut of legendary actor Johnny Depp. The budget was $1,800,000 it grossed $25,699,618 worldwide at the box office. On Elm Street, Nancy Thompson (played by: Heather Langenkamp from A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, The Demolitionist, Shocker, American Horror Story, The Midnight Club, and Hellraiser: Judgment) with her friends Tina Gray (played by: Amanda Wyss from Silverado, Better Off Dead, Highlander, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and Shakma), Rod Lane (played by: Nick Corri from Collateral Damage, We Were Soldiers, Predator 2, Vampire in Brooklyn, and Candyman: Day of the Dead), and Glen Lantz (played by: Johnny Depp from Benny and Joon, Donnie Brasco, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Ed Wood, Edward Scissorhands, Sleepy Hollow, Black Mass, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Blow, From Hell, 21 Jump Street, and Platoon) are all having nightmares about the same disfigured vicious killer with a sharp glove. His name is Freddy Krueger (played by: Robert Englund from A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy vs. Jason, Dead and Buried, Hatchet, V, Eaten Alive, Wishmaster, Urban Legend, 2001 Maniacs, The Mangler, Galaxy of Terror, The Phantom of the Opera, Behind the Mask, and Strangeland) and he wants to get revenge. Lieutenant Thompson (played by: John Saxon from Black Christmas, Enter the Dragon, Blood Beach, From Dusk Till Dawn, Tenebrae, A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Nightmare Beach, Beverly Hills Cop III, and Cannibal Apocalypse) is focused on the wrong person for these murders. The group of friends must figure out how to stop this monster that stalks them in their dreams. They need to stay awake to avoid their own gruesome deaths because on Elm Street, sleep kills!!!! A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the greatest horror films and slashers ever made. Legendary Wes Craven was no stranger to the horror genre before he wrote and directed this 80’s movie. This is one that changed everything for the director and it literally saved New Line Cinema from shutting down. I’ve always enjoyed that they went the Psycho format with Tina because you honestly feel like it’s her movie for awhile and they just flip it on you. After that, you never know what’s going to happen and it always keeps you on your toes. This original movie is not the wise cracking Freddy Krueger that most fans know. He is very dark and there’s not really much humor here. It’s a much smaller part than all the other movies. Robert Englund was a character actor doing smaller horror and science fiction projects at the time before he landed this iconic role. He was the perfect choice for this bladed killer that torments these kids in their dreams creating some extreme nightmares. The look of Freddy Krueger is haunting, it just stays with you right away. The special fx team did an excellent job with the classic horror villain plus all the gore that’s flooded in A Nightmare on Elm Street. It has some interesting graphic kills and it delivers when it comes to slashers despite having a lower body count. Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson is one of the better final girls of all time. It’s a shame that she didn’t have more of a career after this because there was so much potential. Nancy becomes one of Freddy’s worst nightmares over the years. Amanda Wyss as Tina Gray is very underrated in this. Like I said before, she is basically the main character at the beginning of A Nightmare on Elm Street. You get invested into the character and Wes Craven wakes you up from it. Johnny Depp as Glen Lantz is Nancy’s boyfriend. He’s the nice guy from the group of friends. He tries his best to help Nancy with the psychotic Freddy Krueger. He’s really good in this but I honestly expected him blow up the way he did and he’s one of the best actors around right now. Nick Corri as Rod Lane is your typical jock and popular highschool guy in this. His character goes through hell and he’s just trying to prove that he is innocent. John Saxon was the biggest name and actor when this production was originally set up. He’s great as Lieutenant Thompson, he’s the local law enforcement and the father of Nancy that doesn’t really believe what these kids are claiming. He’s doing his own investigation of this nasty situation. The rest of the supporting cast includes Ronee Blakley (Nashville), Charles Fleischer (Who Framed Roger Rabbit), Joseph Whipp (Scream), Lin Shaye (Insidious franchise), Joe Unger (Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III), and Mimi Craven (Swamp Thing). A Nightmare on Elm Street delivers all kinds of suspense and thrills especially during the finale. The score is tied to this classic horror series forever and it’s one of the best things about this. Freddy Krueger is still on the most unique horror icons ever created, no one really tried the killer invading his victims dreams except for Dreamscape that came out at the same time as this one back in 1984. This is one of the few slashers that really elevated the entire sub-genre. 80’s horror was very popular and this inspired so many future movies. A Nightmare on Elm Street still holds up great after all these years, it has amazing replay value. It’s always been forever entertaining and so much fun on each revisit, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! These 2160p (1.85:1) transfers with HDR10 are from a brand new 4K restoration. It has two different versions of A Nightmare on Elm Street which includes the unrated and the theatrical. They are both 91 minutes but the extended cut has 8 additional seconds of uncensored material on it. I’ve owned A Nightmare on Elm Street on basically every home video format that it’s been released on over the years and I can say with 100% confidence that this is the sharpest and highest quality that this 80’s slasher has ever been. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, and English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono on the UHD. The picture quality isn’t the only thing that has been improved with this brand new 4K. The audio is a major improvement, the iconic theme and classic scenes have an extra punch to them now. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the nightmares are elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it especially it’s flawless score. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, and Swedish subtitles. There’s no new or exclusive bonus material here but luckily A Nightmare on Elm Street has always been loaded with so many fantastic archive extras. It has the 2001 “Audio Commentary” with director Wes Craven, actors Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and cinematographer Jacques Haitki. They chat about the origins of the project. They talk about the overall shoot and their experience on the production. They share some stories and drop some behind the scenes knowledge. It has the 2006 “Audio Commentary” with director Wes Craven, New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye, actors Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Ronee Blakley, producers Sara Risher, John Burrows, cinematographer Jacques Haitkin, composer Charles Bernstein, editors Rick Shaine, Patrick McMahon, mechanical special effects designer Jim Doyle, special makeup effects artist David B. Miller, and film historian David Del Valle. All the participants recommended their parts separately and it’s all edited together here. It doesn’t really have the chemistry vibe as the other one because they are not actually together recording this. It’s still very interesting to hear from so many people on the same track about this legendary feature. There’s so much information discussed during the track and you will definitely learn something new if you haven’t heard it yet. It has the “Ready Freddy Focus Points” that you can watch along with the movie. It has lots of behind the scenes material. It has interviews. It has some alternate takes. It has some similar footage that’s by itself on this disc but it’s still a fascinating mix of extras added together. There’s so much stuff on here that plays while you are viewing A Nightmare on Elm Street. It has 3 different “Alternate Endings” which includes “Scary”, “Happy”, and “Freddy”. It has the almost 23 minute “The House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror”. It has a variety of interviews. They chat about the popular horror franchise and it’s movies. They talk about the iconic horror villain. They bring up New Line Cinema and how A Nightmare on Elm Street has impacted the studio. They mention some of the other horror projects that they have worked on. It has the almost 50 minute 2006 documentary “Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street” directed by Jeffrey Schwarz. It has interviews with Wes Craven, Robert Shaye, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Ronee Blakley, Charles Bernstein, Sean S. Cunningham, and many others. This is my favorite personal extra on this 4K. It goes over Wes Craven’s early career before he did this. Influences and inspirations about this feature are brought up. It has the story about it’s beginning of what started it all and it’s process that lead to it going to New Line Cinema. It covers the cast, characters, and filming it. They go into detail about the Freddy Krueger role and what it took to achieve that look. I’ve always enjoyed this, it’s a very interesting and entertaining watch. It has the almost 16 minute “Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares”. It has a few different professionals breaking down sleep and nightmares. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is a 1985 slasher directed by Jack Sholder (Alone in the Dark, The Hidden, Tales from the Crypt, Tremors, Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, and Renegades). It was written by David Chaskin (Monsters, The Curse, Midnight’s Child, and I, Madman). It was produced by Robert Shaye (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, The Lord of the Rings franchise, Critters franchise, Alone in the Dark, Menace II Society, The Hidden, Freddy vs. Jason, Xtro, and Hairspray). It had 5 additional sequels, a television series, a remake, and a crossover with Friday the 13th with Freddy vs. Jason. The estimated budget was $3,000,000 and it grossed $29,999,599 worldwide at the box office. Jesse Walsh (played by: Mark Patton from Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, Misplaced, Family Possessions, Amityville Clownhouse, and Anna to the Infinite Power) moves with his family into the home of the lone survivor from a series of attacks by dream-stalking maniac Freddy Krueger (played by: Robert Englund from A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy vs. Jason, Dead and Buried, Eaten Alive, Hatchet, Fear Clinic, Strangeland, Urban Legend, 2001 Maniacs, The Mangler, The Phantom of the Opera, V, and Wishmaster). There, Jesse is bedeviled by nightmares and inexplicably violent impulses. It turns out Freddy needs a host body to carry out his gruesome vendetta against all of the youth of Springwood, Ohio. Freddy gains influence over Jesse and his crush Lisa (played by: Kim Myers from Hellraiser: Bloodline, Illegally Yours, In the Mood, and The Pretender) try to race against the clock to figure out how to stop this lunatic from killing everyone in their town while they are asleep!!!! A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 is probably the most controversial sequel from this popular horror franchise. Veteran director Jack Sholder was behind the camera here and he definitely brought something different compared to the original. The script from writer David Chaskin is packed with all kinds of gay undertones and it’s always sparked a number of debates over the years. It’s one of the bigger LGBT horror features of all time and I guess most of it was unintentional but that’s hard to believe considering all of the moments in this. Robert Englund is excellent as Freddy Krueger for this follow up. He continues his darker portrayal of the infamous child killer. He wasn’t doing all of those silly one liners and cracking jokes non stop like the rest of the movies that came after this. I feel like this might be his most underrated performance in the series as the villain. Mark Patton is solid as the lead Jesse Walsh. He’s a very confused teenager. He’s trying to figure everything out in his life. He seems a little too close to his best friend rather than his actual potential girlfriend. He changes so much as it goes on. He has a rememberable scream and A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 flips the cliche formula making a guy the final one. Kim Myers as Lisa was fantastic as the love interest. She’s trying her best to get Jesse out of his comfort zone and explore a little more. She’s the one that throws the party that would later turn into a legit nightmare. The rest of the supporting cast includes Robert Rusler (Weird Science), Clu Gulager (The Return of the Living Dead), Marshall Bell (Stand by Me), Hope Lange (Death Wish), Melinda O. Fee (The Invisible Man), Tom McFadden (Uncle Sam), Sydney Walsh (Point Break), Christie Clark (Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice), Lyman Ward (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), Donna Bruce (Forever Fernwood), and Steve Eastin (Con Air). I actually love that Freddy’s Revenge turns into a body horror film. This 80’s slasher does whatever it wants and it tries a different approach than all of the others. Freddy interacts with people that are awake in this which wasn’t done previously. That scene was one of my favorites from this entire horror series. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge is a love it or hate it type of movie, it probably has the most mixed reactions from all of them. The special fx and gore from artist Kevin Yagher (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Trick or Treat, Bordello of Blood, The Dentist, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, Demon Knight, Child’s Play, and Freddy’s Nightmares) are some of the highlights when it comes to this sequel. I don’t really get the hate for Freddy’s Revenge because it’s definitely not the worst one. It’s a nice time capsule for the 80’s and it’s all over it’s atmosphere. It’s an extremely entertaining and dark fun that has a smooth flow to it. It has solid replay value, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! This 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with HDR10 is from a newer 4K restoration. This is a nice upgrade compared to all of it’s older versions. Everything is much sharper when it comes to the visuals. It has all kinds of audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, German: Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 on the UHD. The audio is very impressive here especially when Freddy really goes all out on his victims. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the suspense is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Dutch subtitles. All of the archive extras were carried over for this one. It has the “Freddy on 8th Street”. It has interviews with Robert Englund, Jack Sholder, and Jeffrey Wells. They bring up the publicity and original concepts for it. They chat about screenings where all kinds of people dressed up as Freddy would show up there besides a few people that they hired to do it. They talk about the popularity of Freddy and how It grabbed so much attention. It has the little over 6 minute “Heroes and Villains”. It has interviews with Robert Shaye, Wes Craven, and Jack Sholder. They go over the original being successful and seeing potential for a franchise. They chat about how this follow up was developed. Wes Craven talks about not being a fan of the script for the sequel and turned it down when it was offered. It has almost 3 minute “The Male Witch”. It has interviews with Jack Sholder and Kevin Yagher. They bring up how Kevin Yagher was picked for this project for the fx. It shows the actual work that got him the gig. Yagher goes over his process and why he did certain things for this production. He says he wanted a male witch look to Freddy. It has the little over 3 minute “Psychosexual Circus”. It has interviews with Robert Englund, Jack Sholder, and Rachel Talalay. They mention rushing this one out to capitalize on it’s success. They admit some of the mistakes made for the sequel. They point out Patton was more feminine than your typical male lead. They chat about the gay undertones that some of the crew might not have noticed right away. They go over some of the stuff added that didn’t fit the original. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is a 1987 slasher co-written and directed by Chuck Russell (The Blob, The Mask, Eraser, Bless the Child, and The Scorpion King). It was co-written and executive produced by Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Shocker, Swamp Thing, The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes franchise, Scream franchise, and The People Under the Stairs). It was co-written by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, The Walking Dead, The Fly II, Tales from the Crypt, Frankenstein, and The Mist) and Bruce Wagner (Wild Palms, State of the Union, White Dwarf, and Maps to the Stars). It was produced by Robert Shaye (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, The Lord of the Rings franchise, Critters franchise, Alone in the Dark, Menace II Society, The Hidden, Freddy vs. Jason, Xtro, and Hairspray). The budget was $4,500,000 and it grossed $44,793,222 worldwide at the box office. During a hallucinatory incident, Kristen Parker (played by: Patricia Arquette from True Romance, Stigmata, Boardwalk Empire, Severance, Lost Highway, Bringing Out the Dead, and Little Nicky) has her wrists slashed by dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger (played by: Robert Englund from Galaxy of Terror, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Night Terrors, Dance Macabre, and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer). Her mother just thinks it’s a suicide attempt. She sends Kristen to a psychiatric ward, where she joins a group of similarly troubled teens. Someone from Freddy’s past Nancy Thompson (played by: Heather Langenkamp from A Nightmare on Elm Street, New Nightmare, The Midnight Club, American Horror Story, Hellraiser: Judgment, and Growing Pains) works there with Neil Gordon (played by: Craig Wasson from Body Double, Schizoid, Tales from the Darkside, and Ghost Story) and Max (played by: Laurence Fishburne from The Matrix franchise, John Wick franchise, Deep Cover, King of New York, Higher Learning, Hannibal, Mystic River, and Apocalypse Now). Nancy senses so much potential in Kristen to finally rid the world of Freddy once and for all with her unique abilities!!!! A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is one of my all time favorite sequels. It’s the best Nightmare film besides the original. I think after 2, they wanted to go back to what worked before. Dream Warriors has the most fun, remember-able, and entertaining script when it comes to all of the movies in this iconic horror series. Rising star Patricia Arquette is a quality lead as Kristen Parker. She’s able to do stuff that others couldn’t when it comes to Freddy. This gives her a powerful advantage over the known slasher. Her character is one of the best challenges and it’s a real shame that she didn’t return for the follow up. The other stand out challenge is Heather Langenkamp reprising her classic role as the feisty Nancy Thompson. She’s really grown up since the first film and she’s using her troubled past to help out teenagers experiencing the exact same situations. Robert Englund is top notch as Freddy Krueger in Dream Warriors. He has some of his best one liners here and this is the sequel where he uses more of his dark humor on his victims. I still think there’s a better balance of dark and comedy when it comes to this version of the prolific killer. The psychiatric ward staff has a few familiar faces which includes Craig Wasson and Laurence Fishburne. They are both very important members that help these struggling teens as they are trying to get better from all of their issues. I think this is the most talented cast for the whole Nightmare run. The supporting cast includes John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Priscilla Pointer (Carrie), Jennifer Rubin (Bad Dreams), Ken Sagoes (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master), Rodney Eastman (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master), Bradley Gregg (Stand by Me), Ira Heiden (Elvira: Mistress of the Dark), Penelope Sudrow (After Midnight), Clayton Landey (The Blob), and Brooke Bundy (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master). I love this group of kids. There’s so different personalities here. They give Freddy all kinds of trouble and some of them even manage to survive. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors has such a great soundtrack especially the theme song. It’s another one that takes you back to the 80’s. They got a bigger budget than the previous two and it really shows in every department. Everything is top notch for the slasher feature like it’s special fx, production design, cinematography, and locations. The violence, gore, and creative kills really shines for this. They were handled by an all star fx team which includes Greg Cannom (The Lost Boys), Screaming Mad George (Bride of Re-Animator), Mark Shostrom (Evil Dead II), and Kevin Yagher (Child’s Play). Wes Craven’s involvement elevates it. I wish he worked on more of the sequels to be honest because he always made them so much better with his presence. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is easily the most entertaining and fun experience from this legendary horror franchise. It’s a blast to watch with a crowd or friends, it always manages to keep getting better after each revisit so the replay value is amazing. There’s plenty of talent involved and it shows on it’s final product, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! This 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with HDR10 is from a newer 4K restoration. This is a very impressive improvement compared to all of it’s previous versions. This is the best that it’s ever looked anywhere. It has a variety of audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, German: Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 on the UHD. The audio is top notch for this especially it’s classic soundtrack. All of the dialogue is crisp, the killing is elevated, and the music has a huge boost to it. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, and Dutch subtitles. All of the older extras were carried over for this one. It has the 27 minute “Behind the Story”. It’s broken down in 7 different segments that includes “Burn Out”, “Fan Mail”, “The House That Freddy Built”, “Onward Christian Soldiers”, “Snakes and Ladders”, “That’s Showbiz”, and “Trading 8’s”. It has interviews with John Saxon, Heather Langenkamp, Bruce Wagner, Dick Cavett, Robert Englund, Rachel Talalay, Chuck Russell, Frank Darabont, Wes Craven, and Kevin Yagher. They chat about the first film doing good. They bring up working on the sequel. They talk about coming back for this follow up. They go over New Line Cinema getting much bigger by the time this one was made. They discuss the controversial concept. Wagner mentions that Craven was originally supposed to direct Beetlejuice. They chat about additions and taking more risks here. Robert Englund even wrote his own script for this but it obviously never happened. There’s a good amount of conversations about it’s screenplay and it’s changes during the production. They talk about comedy being brought to the series for the first time in this. The special fx highlighted towards the end. It has the little over 5 minute “Dream Warriors” music video by Dokken. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a 1988 slasher film directed by Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Prison, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Deep Blue Sea, Mindhunters, Exorcist: The Beginning, The Strangers franchise, and The Adventures of Ford Fairlane). It was written by Brian Helgeland (Payback, The Order, Legend, 42, and Tales from the Crypt), Jim Wheat (The Silent Scream, The Return, and Riddick franchise), and Ken Wheat (The Fly II, The Birds II: Land’s End, and After Midnight). It was produced by Robert Shaye (Alone in the Dark, Xtro, Freddy’s Nightmares, Critters franchise, My Demon Lover, The Hidden, and Blink). The budget was $6,500,000 and it grossed $49,369,899 worldwide at the box office. Dream demon Freddy Krueger (played by: Robert Englund from Stranger Things, The Funhouse Massacre, The Last Showing, Zombie Strippers!, and The Midnight Man) is accidentally resurrected and he wants payback. He viciously tracks down the rest of the Elm Street kids. Kristen Parker (played by: Tuesday Knight from New Nightmare, Mistress, The Amityville Moon, The Fan, and The Bloody Man) transfers her special ability to her best friend Alice Johnson (played by: Lisa Wilcox from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures, Watchers Reborn, Fear Clinic, and A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child). Alice realizes that Freddy is taking advantage of that her unique powers to pull in a new group of unlucky children into his dangerous world!!!! A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is a direct follow up to Dream Warriors. It was directed by the underrated Renny Harlin. It was written by a talented group that made this one real interesting. Several of the characters from that return to this. Patricia Arquette didn’t come back for her Kristen role, she was replaced by Tuesday Knight here. She does a really good job in this but I did prefer Arquette’s version a little more. It’s a different take on the unique previous final girl from the horror franchise. Lisa Wilcox as Alice is the unexpected lead in The Dream Master. I think she’s very underrated. Her transformation from a shy girl to a bad ass is some excellent development. She completely changes by the end of this. Robert Englund finally gets first billing in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. At this point, he could do this role in his sleep (no pun intended). He’s top notch as the iconic horror villain. The wise cracks and one liners are increased, the Nightmare films go more into horror comedy territory. It still has plenty of darker moments so it’s a nice balance for this wild universe. The rest of the supporting cast includes Rodney Eastman (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), Ken Sagoes (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), Danny Hassel (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child), Brooke Bundy (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors), Andras Jones (Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama), Toy Newkirk (A Different World), Brooke Theiss (Just the Ten of Us), Jacquelyn Masche (Repossessed), Nicholas Mele (A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child), and Linnea Quigley (Night of the Demons). A Nightmare on Elm Street movies continues to be creative when it comes to it’s violence, gore, and kills. The impressive special fx are done by Howard Berger (Army of Darkness), John Carl Buechler (Re-Animator), Screaming Mad George (Guyver), Steve Johnson (Big Trouble in Little China), Wayne Toth (Halloween franchise), and Kevin Yagher (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter). The Dream Master is the first one that the audience starts to root more for Freddy over the teenagers. It has a solid connection to the others. I appreciate that they tied everything together for most of this series. It has a consistent narrative that keeps you wanting more. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master is better than it’s reputation. It’s a total blast, it’s one of the last ones with a darker feel to it rather than over the top comedy. It has so much replay value and it’s always entertaining, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! This 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with HDR10 is from a newer 4K restoration. This 4K collection continues to impress with it’s picture quality and it’s massive upgrade. I’ve seen this one in every format over the years and this blows them all away. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, German: Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks on the UHD. The audio is way better than expected here. All of the intense moments and score stand out the most. All of the dialogue is very clean, the killing is elevated, and the music has a nice boost to it. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Japanese, Spanish, and Dutch subtitles. It has the little over 2 minute “The Finnish Line”. It’s an interview with director Renny Harlin. He says he turned in his final cut after being finished with it for 2 days. He goes over his experience screening it for the first time and the reactions from it. It has the little over 8 minute “Krueger, Freddy Krueger”. It has interviews with Al Shapiro, Renny Harlin, Robert Shaye, Rachel Talalay, and Ken Wheat. They bring up that 3 was the first one to get a real major release in theaters. They say 4 made more money than all of them at the time because how good the previous one was. Renny chats about his relationship with producer Robert Shaye. Shaye goes over giving a foreign guy a chance at the franchise. It has the almost 4 minute “Hopeless Chest”. It has interviews with Steve Johnson, Robert Englund, and John Carl Buechler. Previous work from the feature Prison with the director gave some of them this opportunity. They explain the creative pizza fx and gag for it. There’s some real interesting stories about the other special fx and some of the tricks that they used for it. It has some really cool behind the scenes footage here. It has the little over 2 minute “Let’s Makeup”. It’s an interview with special fx artist Howard Berger. His main job on this production was Robert Englund and the Freddy Krueger makeup. He shares all of the chaos with fans and supporters while working on it. It has some additional behind the scenes footage of the Freddy Krueger makeup process from this sequel. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child is a 1989 slasher film directed by Stephen Hopkins (The Ghost and the Darkness, Tales from the Crypt, Predator 2, Blown Away, The Reaping, 24, and Judgment Night). It was written by Leslie Bohem (House III: The Horror Show, Daylight, Dante’s Peak, and Nowhere to Run). It was produced by Robert Shaye (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy vs. Jason, The Lord of the Rings franchise, Menace II Society, and Critters franchise). Alice Johnson (played by: Lisa Wilcox from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Fear Clinic, Watchers Reborn, and Desert Fiends) is a previous survivor of the infamous Freddy Krueger (played by: Robert Englund from A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Eaten Alive, Freddy vs. Jason, Hatchet, Wishmaster, and Urban Legend). She’s just trying to start over with her boyfriend Dan (played by: Danny Hassel from A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Murder She Wrote, and The Outsiders). The nightmares come back for her when Alice learns she is pregnant. All of her friends start having problems, Alice suspects the man of her dreams is looking for retribution. Can she fight this brutal madman while still protecting her unborn child???? A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child follows The Dream Master. It brings back a few major characters from the previous feature. Director Stephen Hopkins is behind the camera for this over the top entry from the Nightmare series. He’s known for some violent work so he was a perfect fit for this. The script goes for a more live action cartoon approach rather than just straight up horror. Lisa Wilcox as the returning Alice Johnson is one of the best leading actresses from the Nightmare universe. She has the power to pull others in her dreams which causes issues from the the people around her. She’s a very dangerous person to be associated with to be honest. Danny Hassel is back as Dan here and their life together is getting more serious with a child on the way. Robert Englund reprises his legendary role as the wise cracking Freddy Krueger. He always elevates these sequels no matter what. He chews the scenery in The Dream Child. It focuses a little on his origin story which is a nice addition here. The rest of the supporting cast includes Kelly Jo Minter (The People Under the Stairs), Erika Anderson (Twin Peaks), Joe Seely (The Iron Triangle), Nicholas Mele (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master), Michael Bailey Smith (The Hills Have Eyes franchise), Don Maxwell (Return of the Living Dead II), Whit Flint (Full House), Steven Grives (Highlander II: The Quickening), Beth DePatie (Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III), Beatrice Boepple (Quarantine), Clarence Felder (The Last Boy Scout), Burr DeBenning (The Incredible Melting Man), Valorie Armstrong (Santa Barbara), and Peter Trencher (Dragnet). A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child does have a creepy gothic atmosphere and vibe to it. It’s more about style than substance for this sequel. It deals with some mature scenarios with the main characters. My personal favorite thing was Super Freddy, I’ve always loved that part. It’s one of the greatest moments from the entire series so that alone makes this worth checking out. I just wish The Dream Child was more serious than silly but it’s still very fun. I still prefer over a few of them but it’s far from being the best. It’s the last of the 80’s productions, RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! These 2160p (1.85:1) transfers with HDR10 is from a newer 4K restoration. It has the 89 minute theatrical version and the 90 minute unrated uncensored cut to choose from. The Dream Child hasn’t been available unedited since the VHS days so this is one of best additions to this brand new home video release. This 4K collection keeps killing it with it’s upgraded picture quality and it’s an impressive improvement. I’ve seen this one so many times over the years and it looks so sharp now. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, German: Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks on the UHD. The audio is great for this sequel. All of the dialogue is crisp, the chaos is elevated, and the music has a big boost to it. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Japanese, Spanish, and Dutch subtitles. The previous release had a “Trailer” and 2 “Music Videos” but those weren’t carried over for some reason. It has the little over 15 minute “Behind the Story” that’s broken down into 5 different segments which includes “Womb Raiders”, “The Sticky Floor”, “Take the Stairs”, “Hopkins Directs”, and “A Slight Miscalculation”. It has interviews with Stephen Hopkins, Alan Munro, Robert Englund, Rachel Talalay, David Miller, Craig Spector, and John Skipp. They chat about wanting to make changes from all of the previous efforts. They bring up it’s gothic tone and atmosphere. The screenwriters explain and describe their ideas for this follow up. They mention what they added to this universe. They share some of their creative and artistic choices for The Dream Child. They break down some of the detailed fx and shots for the horror feature. It’s a nice inside look into this sequel. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (aKa A Nightmare on Elm Street 6) is a 1991 slasher film directed by Rachel Talalay (Tank.Girl, Dice, The Flash, Doctor Who, Supergirl, Doom Patrol, Iron Fist, and Ghost in the Machine). It was executive produced and written by Michael De Luca (Freddy’s Nightmares, In the Mouth of Madness, The Nightmare Begins Again, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Detroit Rock City, Blade franchise, and Judge Dredd). It was produced by Robert Shaye (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy vs. Jason, The Lord of the Rings franchise, The Hidden, Critters franchise, Xtro, and Alone in the Dark). The budget was $11,000,000 and it grossed $34,872,033 worldwide at the box office. Murderous ghoul Freddy Krueger (played by: Robert Englund from A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy’s Nightmares, Freddy vs. Jason, and Lake Placid vs. Anaconda) has eliminated everyone from his past. He ventures on to a new location to look for fresh young victims. He arrives in a small town where Maggie Burroughs (played by: Lisa Zane from Bad Influence, E.R., L.A. Law, Monkeybone, and Gross Anatomy), works as a therapist for troubled youths. He attempts to recruit them for his dastardly pursuits. One of them is his long lost child, he wants to reconnect. What will happen next for this family reunion???? Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare is my least favorite sequel from this iconic horror series. I always felt like director Rachel Talalay wasn’t right for this project. I know she worked on most of the other films with various other jobs but she had no experience behind the camera at the time and she wasn’t ready for something like this. She is actually a real solid director now, she does all kinds of television these days. Long time New Line Cinema producer Michael De Luca wrote the script here. It tries way too hard to be an over the top cartoon rather than a slasher. This is definitely the most comedy based production when it comes to Freddy Krueger. It just doesn’t work and most of it falls flat. The kids are more unlikable in this and it’s just set up for them to get butchered one by one. Lead actress Lisa Zane as Maggie Burroughs gives one of the better performances in this. She’s just trying to help these kids and find out who her new patient is after he can’t remember anything. She has an interesting backstory and she’s one of the best things about it. The talented Yaphet Kotto (Live and Let Die, Alien, Midnight Run, The Running Man, and Homicide: Life on the Street) is one of the doctors at the same location. He specializes in sleep studies and he’s trying to figure out what’s going with these bizarre situations. Kotto was consistently good in everything and he elevates the material the best that he can do in this. Robert Englund is always great as Freddy Krueger and this one is no different despite it’s many flaws. They water down his character down a little bit with too much comedy and silly one liners. One of the highlights for Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare is all of the prequel and backstory moments for the iconic villain. I would have liked to see more of that to be honest. One of A Nightmare on Elm Street 6’s biggest gimmicks is all of the big cameos which includes Johnny Depp (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Alice Cooper (Monster Dog), Roseanne Barr (Roseanne), and Tom Arnold (True Lies). I enjoyed most of these scenes but they were all very random. The rest of the supporting cast includes Breckin Meyer (Road Trip), Shon Greenblatt (Newsies), Lezlie Deane (976-EVIL), Ricky Dean Logan (Back to the Future franchise), Peter Spellos (Sorority House Massacre II), Elinor Donahue (Pretty Woman), Cassandra Rachel Friel (The New Lassie), Marilyn Rockafellow (Ordinary People), Lindsey Fields (China Lake), Tobe Sexton (Offerings), Angelina Estrada (Ghost), and David Dunard (Freddy’s Nightmares). This is the first one that has absolutely no connection to the others except for Freddy. They try to keep it a mystery and somewhat suspenseful about who is actually Freddy’s spawn here but I always thought it was really obvious early on. Freddy’s Dead is a proper title for this follow up because it killed the franchise for a few years after it’s original release. It always made so much money at the box office and it saved it’s studio New Line Cinema from being bankrupt so this never felt like it was going to be the last one. I feel like New Nightmare was created so Freddy Krueger could have a quality finale for his impressive run. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare had a nice budget and they used wisely on it’s awesome special fx. That’s one department that shines no matter what when it comes to these movies. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare does keep itself entertaining and fun for the most part during it’s ridiculous scenarios. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy it and it’s still better than a good amount of horror films but when it’s compared to all the other Nightmare features, it’s a disappointment. Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! This 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with HDR10 is from a newer 4K restoration. Freddy’s Dead has always looked good visually and it has a different style to it compared to the others. It has two different versions to choose from here, it has the normal theatrical or the 3-D version to view. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, German: Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks on the UHD. The audio is great for this follow up and it’s one of the highlights for this. All of the dialogue is very clean, the comedy is elevated, and the music has a killer boost to it. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Japanese, Spanish, and Dutch subtitles. It has the almost 2 minute “86’D”. It’s an interview with producer Robert Shaye. The New Line Cinema founder sounds a little disappointed in the later movies for this conversation. He said they wanted to keep giving the fans material to enjoy. He brings up that this one didn’t do as good at the box office but his company was doing great so they could move on to other projects. It has the under a minute “Hellraiser”. It’s a short chat with horror legend Clive Barker. He chats about how it’s hard to make so many sequels for a horror franchise and it sometimes It shows in the final product. It has the almost 3 minute “Rachel’s Dream”. It has interviews with Robert Englund and Rachel Talalay. This focuses on director Rachel Talalay. Englund talks about his past and working relationship with Rachel over the years. Talalay says after Robert Shaye did his directorial debut, she wanted to give it a shot. She brings up being influenced by David Lynch and John Waters at the time while putting this together. It has the little over 2 minute “3D Demise”. It has interviews with John Carl Buechler and Rachel Talalay. It highlights the 3D from the movie with the filmmaker and special fx artist. Director Rachel Talalay goes over issues working with the format and how It limited her options on this follow up. Buechler points out how it changed how they went about their special fx for it. New Nightmare (aKa A Nightmare on Elm Street 7 and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare) is a 1994 horror film written, executive produced, and directed by Wes Craven (A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream franchise, The Serpent and the Rainbow, Shocker, The People Under the Stairs, Swamp Thing, Red Eye, The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes franchise, Deadly Friend, and Summer of Fear). It was produced by Robert Shaye (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy’s Nightmares, and Freddy vs. Jason). The budget was $8,000,000 and it grossed $19,721,741 worldwide at the box office. Reality and fantasy meet in unsettling ways when director Wes Craven (The Fear, Body Bags, and The Twilight Zone) plus actors Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and The Midnight Club), John Saxon (A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and Black Christmas), and Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, Freddy’s Nightmares, and Freddy vs. Jason) come back for one more nightmare. When Heather considers working on a new project with Craven, her son Dylan (played by: Miko Hughes from Pet Sematary, Spawn, and Kindergarten Cop) falls under the spell of the iconic disfigured villain Freddy Krueger but this time it’s not just a movie. Her cinematic past becomes very real, Langenkamp must confront this different version of Freddy to save the soul of her son before it’s all too late!!!! New Nightmare is a refreshing change from all of the other sequels for the Nightmare universe. The best chemistry and highest quality results always included the same exact people. That would be director Wes Craven, leads Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, and the underrated John Saxon. Producer Robert Shaye let’s the creative vision of Craven shine for this original concept. New Nightmare is more supernatural than slasher. Robert Englund gets to play himself and a completely new version of the legendary Freddy Krueger. I love the unique look of the character in this. This might be the most evil and dangerous variant of the infamous monster. It’s a balanced performance of reality and fantasy for skilled performer. Heather Langenkamp is excellent as the actress that just can’t escape her past and it’s starting to cause problems in her real life. It was a clever way to bring her back to A Nightmare on Elm Street. It was great to see John Saxon back here. He had a nice role in this and he got to show a more realistic side to himself. I liked how they switched between themselves and their famous characters in this. The rest of the supporting cast includes Wes Craven, Miko Hughes, Matt Winston (Halloween H20: 20 Years Later), Rob LaBelle (Watchmen), David Newsom (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Robert Shaye (Quiet Cool), W. Earl Brown (Scream), Nick Corri (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Lin Shaye (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Tuesday Knight (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master), and Tracy Middendorf (Scream: The TV Series). New Nightmare has a tense and supernatural atmosphere. It’s a very dark and serious approach unlike the previous few before this one. It has some familiar violence and kills from the Nightmare films that pay homage. It has all kinds of influence and easter eggs from this classic universe. I think it’s very misunderstood. Since it’s a complete switch, lots of people didn’t care for it but it brings a whole new vibe to it all. The special fx once again stand out for a New Nightmare. The talented fx artists included Howard Berger (Evil Dead franchise), Robert Kurtzman (Bride of Re-Animator), Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), and Wayne Toth (Halloween franchise). The only thing that I didn’t really care for was the ending. I understand why it was done but I thought it could be better with something else. New Nightmare has top notch replay value to it. It’s one of the most original horror features ever made. It keeps itself really entertaining and it’s a total blast. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!! Let’s discuss this high definition presentation and special features from Warner Bros Pictures! This 2160p (1.85:1) transfer with HDR10 is from a newer 4K restoration. This is the newest one from this set so it probably looks the best out of all of them with this impressive update. I’ve always liked how different New Nightmare. The sharp cinematography, quality production design, and excellent special fx shine here. It has a few different audio options which includes English: Dolby Atmos, English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1, English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, French: Dolby Digital 2.0, German: Dolby Digital 2.0, Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0, and Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 tracks on the UHD. The audio is top notch especially when it kicks into full gear. All of the dialogue is crystal clear, the atmosphere is elevated, and the music has a great boost to it. It has English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Japanese, Spanish, and Dutch subtitles. It has an “Audio Commentary” with director Wes Craven. Craven is always well spoken and intelligent when it comes to these tracks. Lots of personal stories and inside information are brought up in this. It’s a quality listen to teaches the audience more about this final feature. It has the brand new exclusive almost 8 minute “Boiler Room Confessional”. It has interviews with Mark Irwin, Chuck Russell, Jack Sholder, and Robert Englund. They chat about dreams and nightmares. They talk about how strong the franchise is and what it’s done to survive this long. They discuss the origins and influences. Englund brings up getting influenced from Nosferatu his iconic role. He goes over some personal motivation for Freddy. He describes some of his mannerisms. They tell some fun stories about the productions. It has the brand new exclusive almost 8 minute “Freddy’s Footnotes”. It has interviews with Robert Englund, Mark Irwin, Chuck Russell, and Jack Sholder. They all revisit some of their favorite moments and how It looks these days. They chat about challenges they had to deal with while creating this wild universe. It’s very detailed for it’s short running time and you actually learn some new stuff here. They talk about their personal favorite kills from the classic horror series. They break down some of their favorite scenes from their experience. It has the 8 minute “Becoming a Filmmaker”. It’s an interview with director Wes Craven. He chats about his early beginnings before he started making movies. He mentions writing and teaching. He goes over origins and what made him to decide to get behind the camera. It has the almost 5 minute “Filmmaker”. It’s an additional interview with director Wes Craven. He dives into his work and artistic views on stuff. He is very honest in this. It has the under a minute “An Instant Troupe”. It’s an interview with director Wes Craven. He talks about films and his ideas for the sub-genre. It has the almost 2 minute “The Problem with Sequels”. It’s more footage from the previous Wes Craven interview session. He shares his opinions on sequels and what happens with them. He brings up business reasons is what grabbed his attention to come back. It has the little over 2 minute “Two Worlds”. Wes Craven explains his concept and ideas for New Nightmare. He always knows how to break down on why he did certain things on these projects. It has the almost 50 minute documentary “Welcome to Prime Time”. It has interviews with Wes Craven, Sean S. Cunningham, Robert Englund, John Saxon, Heather Langenkamp, Dave Miller, Robert Shaye, Rachel Talalay, and Sara Risher. This is an older extra but it’s one of best ones from the entire collection. Wes Craven tells the influences and stories that inspire him to create this iconic world. They go over the development of it. Craven said it got rejected by everyone besides New Line Cinema when he tried to pitch it. Robert Shaye shares how he raised the funds to make this. They chat about the characters and casting for A Nightmare on Elm Street. They discuss how they got involved with this back in the day. This is one of the better documentaries about this classic villain and productions over the years. It has the little over 17 minute “Conclusion” is broken down into 10 different segments which includes “Where Gothic Plots Come From”, “Why We Like Gothic”, “Sadomasochism”, “Freddy vs Pinhead”, “Freddy’s Manic Energy”, “Creating Lasting Characters in Horror”, “No More Magic Tricks”, “Monster with Personality”, “Freddy as Sex Machine”, and “Campfire Stories”. It has interviews with a variety of people including Robert Englund, Clive Barker, and Sean S. Cunningham. They cover so many subjects related to A Nightmare on Elm Street. This is only Nightmare film in this set that has additional and new extras on it. It comes with a slipcover, a digital code, and 3-D glasses. It’s one of my personal favorite home video releases of the year and it should be in every collection. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!