Day 02 - A Nightmare on Elm Street '84

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I think everyone who knows me knows that this was a title that was going to make the list. 'Nightmare' and I have a long and colourful history, going way, way back to my childhood in the 80s. I was one of many children who knew about Freddy Krueger despite him being R-Rated material. But Freddy didn't stand alone, either. Back then, exposure to horror was almost like some sort of right of passage. This was something I never fell into, however, as my nerves were less than worthy.

When I was a kid, I had a whole bunch of fear wandering around my brain, and perhaps the number one source of my fears was, ironically enough, viewing material. But when I was around 9, one day, even I decided to give horror a proper chance. It all started with 'Freddy's Dead', rented at a family friend's house. It's ridiculous to think about now, but that movie really got under my skin. I barely slept a wink that night, largely due to a scene involving a giant Q-Tip and a hearing aid. As the years passed, I pretty much just avoided horror altogether until around the age of 16. 

Once I was well into my teens, I eventually tested my horror bravery with 'The Exorcist' while I had the house to myself for the weekend. Thankfully, it didn't really bother me, and I figured I managed to shake horror movies off. And I have to say, I wouldn't take back the whole experience for the world. It was really cool to have the gates of horror open for me when I was as old as 16, and only just seeing characters like Freddy, Jason, Chucky and Michael for the very first time. Of course, because he successfully scared the crap out of me as a kid, 'Elm Street' was my first stop on this adventure. I went to Blockbuster, rented all seven Freddy Flicks (at the time), and just binge-watched them over a week or so. 

While I had fun with all of them (some less than others), there was something about the original that just had me coming back time and time again. I was utterly fascinated by this movie and everything surrounding it. Sure, you had things like Johnny Depp's first role, before he got famous, but things just went beyond that and into whatever was going on behind the scenes. I actually ended up getting a book about the making of 'Elm Street', and a lot of the low-budget special effects and how they did them really stood out for me. I never would have thought about the innovation behind a low-budget flick until this movie. One could say that 'Elm Street' is single-handedly responsible for turning me into a retro horror geek (although I've still got some big titles yet to go through).

A lot about this first chapter still stands out today for me. Some of it has to do with Freddy actually being a bit more scary than usual. Some of it has to do with Nancy's heroism. A lot of it is the cool practical effects and the stories behind them. And I'll admit, a lot of it is how cheesy it all looks as well. Despite that, it still features things like its perfectly haunting score all the way through it, atmospheric lighting that suits the idea of a nightmarish world, and as far as I'm concerned it's still probably the best bet for a good scare - although 'New Nightmare' is a solid contender. For as fun as a lot of the others are (especially 'Dream Warriors'), I do see this one as the big "classic" of the series (perhaps for obvious reasons), and still love showing it off to my friends for their first time (even if they end up thinking it's corny).

​Eventually, my love for this would lead me to get Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon's autographs at Fan Expo in Toronto in 2014. Remarkably, considering a lot of the celebrity faces there at the time, those three were the only faces I wanted to meet that day (along with a photo op with Bruce Campbell). It was actually fairly quick. Englund had the longest line, and he helped a star-struck me have a conversation with him. Langenkamp had absolutely no one at her table (which is criminal - she's just as important to this movie as Englund), but she was sweet, and I complimented her documentary DVD 'Never Sleep Again'. As for Saxon... well, he just kinda sat there, signed his name, and sent me on my merry way.

I think, all things considered, I can probably say without question that this is my all-time favourite horror movie. Freddy has certainly been the horror icon that has stuck with me the longest, and the first I was exposed to as a kid. I gained an interest in practical effects (the accompanying pic might be my favourite low-budget effect ever) as well as what went on behind the scenes. What some don't know is that this is often a go-to as well, when I've got nothing better to do at about 2am. Atmospherically, it scratches that supernatural itch we sometimes get - a strange desire for fear. Just make sure if you do check it out for the first time, do it with all the lights out, your PJs on, and immediately before bed. Sweet dreams!

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