Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) New Line/Horror RT: 112 minutes Rated R (language, explicit horror violence and gore, frightening images, terror involving a child) Director: Wes Craven Screenplay: Wes Craven Music: J. Peter Robinson Cinematography: Mark Irwin Release date: October 14, 1994 (US) Cast: Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Miko Hughes, Tracy Middendorf, David Newsom, Fran Bennett, John Saxon, Wes Craven, Robert Shaye, Sara Risher, Sam Rubin, W. Earl Brown, Lin Shaye, Jessica Craven, Sandra Ellis Lafferty. Box Office: $18 million (US)
Rating: ***
I didn’t really like Wes Craven’s New Nightmare the first time I saw it. I knew what it was about when I went in and thought it was a clever idea. In short, the character of Freddy Krueger leaves the reel world and enters the real world to haunt the cast and crew of the NOES flicks. I admired its originality, but felt it came up short in execution. The audience at the pre-release screening I attended weren’t into it either judging by their tepid reaction to the action onscreen.
Well, I’m a firm believer in giving certain movies a second chance and New Nightmare seemed like a worthy candidate. About ten years later, I sat down and rewatched it very closely. That time, it clicked with me. It’s not a perfect film by any means. It’s overlong and I don’t like Freddy’s makeover. For the first time, the character looks more artificial than frightening. What I do like is that returning writer-director Craven depicts him as more menacing than comical. He never intended Freddy to become a stand-up boogeyman. In New Nightmare, he’s closer to who and what he was in the original 1984 movie. It’s a decidedly more serious piece that addresses the issue of the effect that horror movies have on those who create them. This is NOT what Freddy fans were expecting which explains why it’s the lowest-grossing film in the franchise.
Typical of the series, New Nightmare opens with a nightmare. In this instance, it’s actress Heather Langenkamp (Nancy from parts 1 and 3) dreaming about a horrific on-set incident in which Freddy’s claws come to life and kill two crew members. Also present are her husband Chase (Newsom) and young son Dylan (Hughes, Kindergarten Cop). She wakes up to an earthquake, the latest in a series of shake-ups that have been plaguing Los Angeles. Adding to her stress is an obsessed fan that keeps phoning her and talking in a Freddy voice.
One day, Heather’s called to New Line for a pitch meeting with studio head Robert Shaye (playing himself). It seems that Craven has written a new NOES film and wants Heather to reprise her famous role. She turns him down for several reasons, but mainly because Dylan has been behaving strangely as of late. He’s becoming obsessed with Freddy, convinced that the evil figure is coming to get him. The kid gets more unstable after his father, who’s secretly been working on the new Nightmare film, is killed in a car accident caused by Freddy’s glove. He’s terrified of going to sleep and suffers from frequent seizures. It eventually lands him in the hospital. Is he delusional or is Freddy really coming to get them both?
The answer to the latter, of course, is yes. What’s most fascinating is how Freddy managed to cross over into reality. Craven (as himself) explains that it’s the duty of the storyteller to keep the evil contained within the pages. Once it’s complete, it can escape. In this instance, Freddy entered reality after the completion of the NOES series. He sees Heather as Nancy, the girl that defeated him in the first movie, and wants revenge. This actually sounds plausible.
Craven’s script shows great intelligence by not insulting that of the viewer. New Nightmare is that rare slasher flick where you have to use your brain. Any hack can put together a slasher flick and make it work on a very fundamental level. New Nightmare transcends the genre.
The cast delivers good performances across the board. Langenkamp has matured as an actress in the ten years since the first movie. Englund pulls double-duty as he plays both himself and his iconic character. The dichotomy between actor and character is fascinating. John Saxon (Nancy’s dad from 1 & 3) also appears and is the subject of a neat little twist in the final act.
The visuals and special effects are quite good. I love the scene where Freddy appears above a freeway in pursuit of his young prey. There are a couple of decent gory killings including one that pays homage to a classic scene in the first movie. In fact, there are several nods to the first movie in New Nightmare. I also like how the ending draws on Hansel & Gretel. I think it’s a bit too long, but at least it’s never boring. The fact that it’s original helps greatly. I can see why it’s generated a small cult following in the 20 years since its initial release. I’m so glad I decided to give it another chance. It really paid off.
