Freddy Is My Slasher Boyfriend

Growing up in the 80s and 90s we were lucky. We had freedom to go where we wanted and do what we wanted as long as we were home by the time the 5 O'Clock whistle blew. At least in small town midwest like where I grew up. We played outside, rode our bikes and went to the pool alone, without a care in the world. We also had "Friday the 13th"'s Jason Vorhees, Texas Chainsaw Massacre's Leatherface, Halloween's Mike Myers and the all time best in my opinion A Nighmare on Elm Streets Freddy Kruger.

From the moment we see him in the boiler room chasing after one of the teenagers of Springfield OH, Tina we know we are in for a wild ride with those razor blade fingers ripping open Tinas nightgown only to have her wake up and see that the rips are still there in the real world not just in the dream world. Poor Tina doesnt make it too long. She has her boyfriend staying over and dies in a brutal and bloody scene leaving her boyfriend to take the blame for her slaying. Not the child murderer chasing her in her dreams.

Then we meet Nancy. The plain looking girl-next-door type that becomes the heroine of the movie. Throughout the entire movie we see a little "seductive" dance and a game of cat and mouse until the end where Nancy thinks she has won. But has she?

There are 7 films in total in this entire franchise. Eight if you count Freddy Vs. Jason. And even though some of them are a little campy they are all very good in their own right. The one main thing I like about "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series is the dialog between the teenagers and Freddy. Which is one thing the other slasher films do not have, dialog of the antagonist. Freddy can be funny and terrifying at the same time. And the mix of the dream world and the real world makes you stop and think "are they awake or are they sleeping?" because you can never quite tell, until you see a glimpse of something red and green in the distance or hear the unmistakable sound of those razor fingers scraping against something metal.

If I would have to choose which ones were my favorite "Nightmares" they would have to be the first one and the last one "Wes Cravens: New Nightmare" and since I touched on the subject of the first "A Nightmare on Elm Street" It is only fair that I talk about the other favorite "A New Nightmare". This one what made as a 10th anniversary of the first one. And Wes Craven did not disappoint. Bringing back most of the cast, as themselves, in this version we get to see how the actors live work and kill Freddy as he is a fictional movie villan in this movie not just a dream demon. Brought back to life by Heather Langenkamp's movie son. This Freddy is not the same Freddy as we have seen in the past. This one is bigger, stronger, more menacing and less comical then the previous Freddy's but we still do get to see the great Robert Englund as himself.

All in all the reason why I think that "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is and always will be one of the greatest slasher films of all time is the comedic interaction between the characters and the element of surprise when you are just not sure...Is it a dream or reality.