Undeadcow

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Franchise Discussion Thread
October Horror Movie Challenge 2010

Spiderbite

I have always felt that if you stick with the "Nancy trilogy" with these films (I, III, & NN), you are good. Everything else seems unbearably bad and/or hokey. Haven't seen the remake yet so I can't comment on it.

Fist of Doom

Love:
Dream Warriors
The Original
New Nightmare
Freddy vs. Jason

Like:
Dream Master
Freddy's Revenge

Don't care for the others, and I didn't bother to watch the putrid-looking remake.

DRG

Funny this thread appeared as I just went to my first-ever convention last weekend, where there where a lot of cast members from the franchise present. I got to see Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, and John Saxon and actually got to talk to Amanda Wyss. She's just a super friendly person.

Melmoth

My top three: 1st for scares and the 3rd and 4th for the fun.

sb5

I'm in the "1,3, and New Nightmare are the best" camp.

2 isn't a very good as a horror movie, but with the gay subtext aspect (which, in the "Never Sleep Again" documentary, the screenwriter admits was intentional, even if no one else involved in the production seemed to realize), it's kinda fascinating.

4 is fun in an 80's nostalgia way. I'm sure I'd think less of it if I didn't grow up in that era, but it's entertaining on that level.

5 seems to go in two separate directions - part of the movie seems to want to take NOES back to a darker, gothic place, while simultaneously pushing some of the nightmare sequences in a more over-the-top, goofier direction.

6 pretty much sucks from what I remember, though I haven't seen it in awhile.

FvJ could have been better, but it's still fun as is.

Haven't seen the remake.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I liked 2 because it was still in the horror realm before he became Freddy McOneLiners.

Adam Tyner

I could post my reply, but sb5 pretty much already wrote it for me.

Well, except I have seen the remake...definitely didn't affect my rankings.

Undeadcow

I'm trying to watch all the Nightmare on Elm Street films this week and am up to three; here are some of my thoughts.

Part 1 is a classic and I love the surreal flavor and Freddy's creepy taunting of Heather. It's brutal with a nice slow burn. Clever plot development but I wish the mother was a better actor.

I really think part 2 is a stronger film than it gets credit for.

Part 3 is trash, I can't understand the respect it gets. I think this is the film that takes the Freddy mythos and pisses on it fundamentally changing the character not just making him a comedic act but also his backstory. It is great they brought Healther back.

JOE29

i picked the original and freddy vs jason.
I don't remember too much of the other ones. I haven't seen the remake yet.
Absolutely hated the new nightmare

JohnnyMovie

Im watching ANOES series marathon this week and Im fan of Freddy Krueger and so Im seen all of series and enjoying all of series/remake and so here mine is:

first one (original) ANOES
Dream Warriors
Dream Master and
Freddy's Dead

Hokeyboy

Honestly, the first one is the best but hindsight is rose-colored. Scared teh piss out of me as a kid. Recently rewatched it, and I couldn't stop laughing throughout the entire film. Still some great scenes and scares in it, no doubt, but holy carp! When Nancy goes all Home Alone in the last act? I ruined yet another chair!

Still a fun movie though.

Part 2 is SO awful (I remember seeing it in theaters and wanting to kick a bevy of pigeons afterwards), it hardly abides the telling, except the whole homo thing. Part 3 is kinda half cool, half WAY 80s shit. ("In my dreams I'm beautiful... *flick*... and BAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!") Part 4 is full descent into one-linerville, albeit with some nifty sequences and a neat visual style. 5 is 4 redux, but not as interesting, and 6 just plain SUCKS.

As a movie, probably 7 is the best of them, but it's not as fun as 1 or even 3.

Haven't seen the remake yet.

Undeadcow

Ended up picking 1, 2, 5, and New Nightmare. I really think 2 and 5 are very underrated gems despite the common dislike. Finished my marathon and found Freddy's Dead and Dream Warriors the hardest to sit through. Techincally I think New Nightmare is the best of the lot.