Beware The Spaceman

Category: Retro Reaction Posts

  • Ranking Elm Street: Nightmare on Elm Street

    After that viewing of Part 3 and needing to be walked home despite being at secondary school, those words from my friends rang true:

    “If you thought that was scary, you should see Freddy 1.”

    We did indeed watch “Freddy 1”, more well known of course as A Nightmare on Elm Street.

    This film hits different. It opens with a horror segment — a teen running through a nightmare landscape. You automatically settle in, assuming we’re following our protagonist Tina… only for her to be killed in the first few minutes.

    The message is clear: no one is safe.

    What the film does next is build tension absolutely perfectly. We meet Nancy and her friends. The adults — always a step behind in horror — have Tina’s boyfriend down as her killer. As the characters talk about their nightmares featuring the same “creep”, we know that night has to come. It’s this cycle that ramps up the tension massively. You know, because it’s universal, that they will have to fall asleep.

    Unlike the other films, Freddy is on screen here for a grand total of seven minutes. This monster makes the version in the sequels look like a parody. His story is told through the other characters, and that is so much scarier. Proof, I think, that what you don’t see can be scarier than what you do.

    But those story beats we do get… wow. One line on first watch from Nancy’s drunk mother: “He’s dead, Nan. He can’t get you. Mommy killed him.”

    In this ghost story, the spectre, demon, or whatever Freddy is has the children paying for their parents’ sins. This is why none of the adults on Elm Street believe the kids.

    Then there’s the ending. Bob Shaye, the producer, wanted to keep Freddy “alive”, seeing the potential in Elm Street as a franchise (he was right). Wes described a different ending — one that is actually a much better fit for the film (he was also right).

    After pulling Freddy’s hat from her dream, Nancy realises she can bring Freddy back into the real world where he can be hurt. Today we’re used to seeing characters like Nancy in horror — but back in ’84, girls in these films usually did a lot of running and screaming. This was wonderfully against the norm.

    Towards the end she faces Freddy and tells him: “I want my mother and friends again. I take back every bit of energy I gave you. You’re nothing. You’re sh*t.”

    With that, Freddy is gone.

    In Wes’s proposed ending, this wasn’t undone. Nancy goes to school the next day, her friends still alive.

    The ending we got… well, you’ve likely seen it. The car has Freddy colours, and he drags Nancy’s mum through the door. The seeds of MTV Freddy are planted right there.

    But imagine for a moment that Nancy’s powerful victory was left to stand. That Wes Craven’s ending was the one we got. A Nightmare on Elm Street would be a one‑and‑done masterpiece.

    As it is, though, it’s still a masterclass in tension and a perfect Halloween watch.

    Had Wes got his way, would I have watched Part 3 at my friend’s house? Would my friends even know who Freddy Krueger was? Would I be writing this blog to you all on Hallows’ Eve?

  • Elm Street Ranked:Dream Warriors

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    Number2:Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors

    I’m going to go back to that night — the one I mentioned in the introduction. Because the first Elm Street I ever saw, taped off Sky onto a VHS, was Part 3: The Dream Warriors. It’s remained a favourite, and it came close — really close — to being as good as the original.

    The opening scene sees Kristen falling asleep while making the matchstick house she keeps seeing in her dreams. Freddy’s house. I remember an eerie guitar riff here, but I’m glad to see my Blu‑ray restores the true “Into the Fire” track by Dokken — the rock music she uses to stay awake.

    Her falling asleep leads to a very frightening (to my thirteen‑year‑old brain) run through Freddy’s house of horrors. It’s easy to see now that the little girl she tries to save is a puppet, but back then it was terrifying. When Kristen wakes, everything seems fine. She heads to the bathroom — and jump scare. He’s in the mirror. Never trust a mirror in a horror movie. The taps morph into razors and slash Kristen’s wrists just as her mother walks in to ask what she’s doing.

    At the time, I hadn’t seen anything like it. I didn’t have the words. Freddy is staging these murders to look like suicides. The adults can’t see the threat. They see cries for attention, and later tragedies of the teens’ own making. It’s clear Freddy is a metaphor for depressive mental illness.

    Luckily for the teens, someone does know what they’re going through, as we’re reintroduced to Nancy from the first film.

    This is the first Elm Street to use the psychiatric ward setting. And despite what might sound doom‑and‑gloom so far, the film pivots from horror to dark fantasy. To defeat Freddy, our Dream Warriors use a psychiatric drug and have to find their inner powers (the depression metaphor really keeps coming, doesn’t it). The X‑Men film New Mutants would later credit this movie as a heavy influence.

    I actually loved this change. It’s perhaps the last Nightmare film where you’re rooting for the teens, not the killer. There are a couple of very memorable kills — one where he takes out a Harry Potter lookalike years before that was a thing, using a wheelchair (it’s bizarre). And of course, the iconic moment where he pops out of a TV and, after slamming his victim’s face into it, quips: “Welcome to prime time, b%tch.”

    It’s with this line that you can trace the steady decline. Once the monster starts taunting his prey with one‑liners, a layer of mystique is lost. But in my opinion, this film is darn near perfect anyway.

    We do lose some key characters. Nancy is killed in the story — though, as you already know, this isn’t her last appearance. But overall, the film is surprisingly hopeful.

    If you wanted to see the best this franchise has to offer, you can make an unofficial trilogy of Wes Craven’s films: the first, the third, and New Nightmare. Everything from the soundtrack, those really dark subtexts, and the practical visuals make this a classic.

    But that just leaves one. The one that started it all. Meet me on Elm Street. This Halloween.

  • Ranking Elm Street: New Nightmare

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    Number 3: Wes Cravens New Nightmare

    It’s 1995. I’m over at my friend’s before school. He has horror movies on, which isn’t unusual. The trailer (yes, VHS tapes did this before the main feature — it wasn’t just a cinema thing) was for Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. My friend smiles and says, “Freddy’s back.”

    But “Freddy’s back” was no longer a surprise. This was the VHS release, but looking at the cinema dates, Freddy had been declared dead in 1992 only for a new film to be advertised in 1994. “Freddy’s back” was becoming as predictable as EastEnders being on tonight.

    There had been six films, and when we last saw Krueger, his daughter had banished him to hell for what was promised to be the final time.

    What came out in 1994 was, in this Analyst’s opinion, an absolute stroke of genius. The film didn’t undo Freddy’s death. It brought back Nancy from the first film despite her being “dead” by Part 3. Except it didn’t. Nancy remained dead. Heather Langenkamp returned — and there lies the film’s difference.

    One of my favourite scenes in the entire franchise follows Heather on a talk show. The host brings out Robert Englund in full MTV Freddy mode. He gets a standing ovation from the studio audience as he teases, “You’re all my children now!” It’s a famous quote from Nightmare 2. But wow, what a creative way to make a point.

    This boogeyman — whose picture on a VHS box once sent me home with nightmares — had become something else. An icon still, yes always. But somewhere between saying “Welcome to prime time!” in Dream Warriors and rapping with the Fat Boys in 1988, the curtain had been pulled too far open. The mystique of the dream stalker had long gone with every lore dump in every sequel. In this one scene, Wes told his audience he knew that.

    Wes writes a film here that puts his Dream Demon — the thing we call Krueger — back to his darkest. He stalks Heather, her son, and other Elm Street cast members. The way to defeat him is to play Nancy one last time. She faces off with him in the boiler room. After Freddy’s defeat, we learn this was all a screenplay, and that Freddy is once again trapped inside the story. Leaving us all safe until next time.

    Among our group at the time, I don’t think this one got the love it deserved. Partly because it came towards the end of the Elm Street run — we’d seen a lot of the scares done before. But also because it was, whisper it, a bit creative and arty. When you’re that age, you don’t usually go for that kind of thing.

    This concept though — where the characters know they’re in a horror film and know the rules — well, that could be expanded upon by Wes a couple of years later in a film called Scream. It became quite big. A story for another time, I think.

  • Ranking Elm Street: The Dream Child

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    Number 4: Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5: The Dream Child

    We’ve reached one of the more difficult parts of the countdown. There’s a strong argument that Part 4 could sit in this spot. The Dream Child is often seen toward the back end of the Nightmare series, and there are downsides to it — plenty of them.

    Here’s my reasoning. Of the two movies where our Dream Master Alice defeats Freddy, this is the one that doesn’t dismantle the previous film in the first twenty minutes. Much like The Dream Master, it’s unmistakably 80s in tone and effects. But more importantly, it tries something different with the franchise this far in. Probably just a personal opinion, but I found the question of whether unborn babies dream interesting enough to carry the story.

    We also build on some of the lore introduced in The Dream Warriors: Krueger being the son of a nun who was abused in an asylum. The doors were locked, the guards left for a few days — unlikely, yes, but it’s a ghost story. Amanda Krueger first appeared under the alias Sister Mary in Dream Warriors, and in The Dream Child she has powers to haunt and stop Freddy… at least until Part 6.

    We get another round of very 80s deaths. A character is killed inside a comic book. But Freddy retains a darker edge not seen for a few films at this point. The Amanda Krueger ghost story and some more unsettling kills alongside it give the film a tone shift away from the “MTV Freddy,” though not completely.

    It’s mixed. The latter half of Part 4 is probably stronger. But for me, the different premise and the change in tone just edge it over Part 5.

    And now we’re heading into the top three — the films with the most involvement from series creator Wes Craven. The three that most people think of when they look back on A Nightmare on Elm Street.

    Next time, we look at the film that took the whole saga and turned it on its head. An influential entry with DNA that runs through so much of modern horror. I’ll see you in the next one.

  • Ranking Elm Street: Freddy Vs Jason

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    Number 5: Freddy Vs Jason

    We’re moving outside of the Elm Street series here. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare in 1994 would see that out. (Here in the UK, the marketing even labelled it Elm Street Part 7.)

    Almost a decade later, in 2003, Englund picks up Freddy’s iconic glove one more time. This time his opponent isn’t Nancy, or Jesse, or the Dream Warriors, or Alice. It’s another iconic 80s slasher: Jason Voorhees.

    The Friday the 13th series predates Elm Street, its first outing landing in 1980. By 1982, Jason is wearing the hockey mask we all associate with him. By 1986 — and quite possibly influenced by Elm Street — Jason is resurrected, and the more supernatural elements of his character are in place. At the end of Jason Goes to Hell, the supposed finale for the series, Freddy’s glove appears. The stage is set for the crossover.

    Full disclosure: I haven’t seen all the Friday the 13th films. Maybe they should be on my list. But I saw enough back in the day to know what they were about, and a lot of the mythology was covered again in the Never Sleep Again documentary.

    What we get here is a battle that takes us to the iconic locations. There’s a psychiatric hospital very reminiscent of Dream Warriors. Camp Crystal Lake is also a key setting. The film is packed with callbacks to both franchises.

    Who wins? Well, that depends on how you read that final scene. But as an Elm Street guy… You thought Jason won? You must be dreaming.

  • Ranking Elm Street: The Dream Master

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    Number 6: Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

    We’ll come to the Dream Warriors a little later in the countdown. Why are they relevant here? Because Part 4 is a direct episodic continuation of Part 3. And Part 3 is one of the best Elm Street movies. (Do I think it’s the best? You’ll have to wait and see. But it’s damn close, and honestly it can vary depending on the day of the week.)

    So why would a direct sequel sit this low? A sequel with so much to like — and the highest‑grossing entry in the series, at least until Jason got involved.

    Let’s get the “bad” out of the way first, if you can even call it that. The Dream Warriors brilliantly tied up the Elm Street saga. It was a direct sequel to the first film, and Freddy was written out in a way that felt neat and final.

    Until a dog pee brought him back to life. How? Why?

    I guess the idea was that the ground the Dream Warriors buried him in was no longer hallowed. Then the newly resurrected Freddy slaughters the Dream Warriors in the first twenty minutes. I’m not sure why they decided to do that. If you watch these films back‑to‑back, it’s jarring.

    Now onto the good — and I’ve probably been harsh with this one’s placement. This is Freddy at his most MTV. He kills off the kids in more imaginative, over‑the‑top ways. There’s a scene where a character is turned into a giant cockroach. In many ways, this is the most 80s film I’ve ever seen.

    We also have a new heroine, Alice, who goes from shy and timid to defeating Freddy in the finale. And it’s not a fluke — her arc is earned.

    From here, we depart from the Elm Street formula. The next film pits Freddy against another horror icon in a grudge match that winds up being a lot of fun.

  • Ranking Elm Street: Freddy’s Dead

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    Number 7: Nightmare on Elm Street 6: Freddy’s Dead – The Final Nightmare

    Remember how I mentioned that as the films went on Freddy became more of a parody? Here he flies on a broomstick quoting The Wizard of Oz. This is the film largely known for jumping the shark. The kills come in very early‑90s ways — one character is even killed inside a video game. Because of this, I couldn’t rank the film any higher. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to like.

    I remember the scenes showing a child‑free Springwood being quite surreal. It’s a “what happens if Freddy has killed all the young?” scenario. The adults of Springwood have all gone crazy. It’s not subtle, but it definitely leaves an impression.

    Then there’s the stuff with Freddy’s daughter, Maggie, being the one to finally kill him. It’s poetic, and almost certainly added just as a way to end Freddy for good. Because there are five films before this, and Krueger having a wife and daughter is never mentioned previously.

    It’s played too much for laughs, but it also feels like there might be a missed opportunity here. Could you imagine the weight of being Freddy’s daughter? The revelation comes too late in the film to really be explored, and the tone doesn’t try beyond Maggie existing to be the good and Freddy the bad.

    This film is fun. But it didn’t feel like the right send‑off for the series. That would come later.

  • Ranking Elm Street: Freddys Revenge

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    Number 8: Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge

    Many will disagree with me here. The reasons this one ranks eighth on our countdown we’ll get to soon, but let me start by saying there’s plenty to like.

    In later sequels, Freddy leans more into comedy than horror. In Part 2, he still has the menace of the first film, and the plot does something genuinely different with him.

    This is where the problem lies for me. I’m in agreement with Wes Craven’s take that this film exposes Freddy too much. His menace comes from being able to kill you while you sleep. In dreams, Freddy holds all the power. In this film, he crosses over into the waking world.

    Jesse is our main character — one of the only male leads in the Elm Street series, another departure from the usual formula. His girlfriend Lisa has a large role too. The story is essentially a possession film. Much has been said about the subtext, and you can very much class this film as of its time.

    It’s a short watch, clocking in at about an hour and twenty minutes. Definitely a part of horror history. And that VHS cover with the school bus was unforgettable.

    A few metres in the Dark Number 7:Freddy’s Dead

  • A Few Metres in the Dark

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    We go back to the 90s now. Barry’s video shop. The back wall was dedicated to what we now know as horror icons. You know the faces: Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, Chucky, Ghostface — and the one that both fascinated and scared me the most, Freddy Krueger.

    Of course, I couldn’t rent these movies. I was still watching Adam West’s Batman because the new films were fifteen‑plus. So for a while, Freddy remained an oversized VHS box. Older friends had seen the films, though. They were more than happy to fill me in on all the details — and the scare factor.

    “Freddy 3 is my favourite, but if you think that’s scary don’t watch Freddy 1,” was something I remember. So in my head, these films became much more frightening than they really were.

    What scared me at the time was this: unlike the other boogeymen, Freddy came for you when you were sleeping. Sooner or later, everyone has to sleep. Freddy also almost exclusively killed teenagers, and I had just become a teenager. Sad as it is, that’s where your mind goes at a young age. Being able to separate fact from fiction came later.

    Then, one night in the mid‑1990s, an older friend was “babysitting” another friend in my year. This friend had Sky Movies and wanted everyone over at his. Because it was time to meet Freddy.

    As a group of friends we laughed and talked through most of it. I remember friends who had seen that particular film jumping at various moments. Another used mock knives to make the claw sound. It was all good fun. The film that night was Part 3. It blended horror with dark fantasy and is still one of my favourites.

    Then came time to leave. My house was only a small walk — a few metres, in fact, from my friend’s. A few metres in the dark, that is.

    The babysitter looked at me, then out at the night, and sighed. “I’ll walk you home,” he said. Thankfully he didn’t add a phrase like I’ll be right back into that conversation.

    Thanks, Anthony.

    It’s October… it’s the dark month. It’s time to finally revisit Elm Street.

    Number 8: Freddy’s Revenge

  • When Nintendo’s Crown Jewels Washed Up with Ocean

    Retro Reaction in ZX Spectrum colours

    The early 80s was a difficult time for gaming. You hear many horror stories about the Video Games Crash of ’83 — those Atari carts of E.T. all being taken to landfill.

    However, these stories all come from the same place: the United States. Across here, there was no video game crash. Instead, we had classroom wars about whether the ZX Spectrum or the Commodore 64 was the best home computer. Gaming was very much still a thing over here, and we were in those years where Nintendo had yet to launch its home console.

    The story is very similar to how Nintendo games ended up on Atari: licensing deals. This era, though, had some UK anomalies. Atari had the US rights to develop games like Mario Bros. Here in the UK, Ocean Software had the converted licences to Nintendo’s crown jewels.

    You’ll hear a lot about Ocean and bad games, but it’s not necessarily true. The Batman 1989 game on the home computers — particularly the Amiga — wasn’t bad. Their versions of Rainbow Islands and Robocop were also pretty good, in my opinion. I’m sure, as the late Queen once said, recollections may vary.

    With the amount of games they were churning out in the early 80s, Ocean acquired licences for anything they could: Robocop, Rambo, Batman, Hook, Jurassic Park, Knight Rider, early WWF… I’m sure there were more. Turnaround times, from what I understand, were fast. If you had a home computer, chances are you had an Ocean game.

    Granted, I’ve now played the Atari version of Donkey Kong, and it’s probably slightly better — only because Mario’s movements seem more precise. I played that one years later on the C64 Mini. But the Ocean version is recognisably Donkey Kong, and had this been my introduction to the game, I wouldn’t have been too disappointed either.

    Plus, all those movie licenses meant that the Ocean games lined up looked like the VHS shelf at Barry’s Video Shop. Speaking of which… we’re approaching the haunting month of Halloween, and we never did get around to discussing those films Barry wouldn’t rent me …

    More next time