by: Obaid K
Posted on 03.11.10 in All Horror Films > Slasher > Thriller/Suspense
Release Date: 1994

Despite a great premise, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare suffers from poor execution of an intriguing concept and ultimately disappoints. This is basically a “movie-within-a-movie” the story being that Craven (playing himself) is working on a new Nightmare on Elm Street film and is trying to recruit the original actors for the “return of Freddy”.

This sounds like a gimmick that would have worked beautifully in a movie about a killer who stalks you in your dreams (and it does) but it becomes too repetitive towards the end to elicit any strong feelings in the viewer. It’s a movie that, no doubt, appeals to fans of the series and film critics because the direction, concept, and writing are all very good and there isn’t anything technically “bad” about this film. But I was, frankly, quite bored by the halfway mark and couldn’t help feeling that the potential to make a truly scary Nightmare flick had been wasted.

The movie takes place in California about 10 years after the first NOES and introduces us to Heather Langenkamp, who played Nancy, living her life as an actress remembered largely for her role in an 80s slasher flick. As with most actors who are remembered for a single iconic role, she distanced herself from the genre but soon becomes caught in a new wave of Freddy hysteria after rumors emerge that there might be a new movie in the works.

Langenkamp, who has settled down with her husband and young son, Dylan, turns down the offer to “play Nancy” again; but the film soon begins to take on a life of its own, blurring the line between reality and the subconscious, forcing Heather into a compromising position.

This was Craven’s attempt at returning his Freddy character to its roots but there’s actually a lot more going on than just that. The film’s self-awareness might be missed by casual viewers or people simply looking to get scared – it’s more of a commentary on the series and on what had become of his original concept.

Apart from a few minor inconsistencies, my main problem with this film was that it got repetitive midway through and dragged itself to a predictable and lackluster finale. Seeing Dylan “possessed” over and over again was unnecessary and the low-budget acting was more evident in a movie with decent production values. The redeeming factors, for me, were the ending (which tied together everything perfectly) and the self-referential humor, which was used sparingly but effectively.

With a remake of the original NOES slated for this spring (I’m not holding my breath), the series is about to undergo another potentially disastrous reinterpretation without Craven. While I didn’t enjoy New Nightmare, I understand that it’s a movie Craven made more for himself than for an audience – a complex, self-aware, therapeutic horror film intended to bookend the series. That’s something I respect even if I didn’t have any trouble sleeping after watching it.

• ★★★★★

  Acting:

• ★★★★★

  Blood:

• ★★★★★

  Violence:

• ★★★★★

  Partying:

• ★★★★★

  Language:

• ★★★★★

  Humor:

• ★★★★★

  Predictable:

• ★★★★★

  Girls:

• ★★★★★

  Gore:

• ★★★★★

  Sexuality:

• ★★★★★

  Torture:

• ★★★★★

  Overall:

When i saw this film i thought, "well...that was neat". New Nightmare is really nothing all too scary, but what it lacks in thrills it tries to make up for in creativity. I think Wes had a good time with this one. Maybe that's what counts the most.