01-19-2015, 12:18 PM
A Nightmare on Elm Street ('84)
Watched this for the first time last night. Some clunky dialogue and acting, but also some suspenseful and artful sequences. The climax, though, in which Nancy defeats Kreuger by renouncing her fear, was much too pat a resolution for my tastes. It was like something out of a Disney movie - and, indeed, is pretty much the same resolution as that of James and the Giant Peach. And then the Freddy car coda was just dumb.
A better ending would have had Nancy and her dad simply drive off into the night, vowing never to return to the town, not knowing if doing so would ensure her safety. But maybe an even better ending, albeit a much darker one, would be for Nancy to confront Kreuger in her mother's bedroom... and accept her fate, eyes open, uncomplaining. He'd stab and kiss her at the same time, then take her down a staircase through her mother's bed (oh, the symbolism!) into the underworld. If you're going to make a horror story, why not go all out?
C+
Watched this for the first time last night. Some clunky dialogue and acting, but also some suspenseful and artful sequences. The climax, though, in which Nancy defeats Kreuger by renouncing her fear, was much too pat a resolution for my tastes. It was like something out of a Disney movie - and, indeed, is pretty much the same resolution as that of James and the Giant Peach. And then the Freddy car coda was just dumb.
A better ending would have had Nancy and her dad simply drive off into the night, vowing never to return to the town, not knowing if doing so would ensure her safety. But maybe an even better ending, albeit a much darker one, would be for Nancy to confront Kreuger in her mother's bedroom... and accept her fate, eyes open, uncomplaining. He'd stab and kiss her at the same time, then take her down a staircase through her mother's bed (oh, the symbolism!) into the underworld. If you're going to make a horror story, why not go all out?
C+