Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) #495

My second favorite entry in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" is "Wes Craven's New Nightmare"! There is so much to love about this film besides merely bringing more Freddy to the world. "New Nightmare" resets the tone back to a more serious, suspenseful slasher, foregoing the silly quips and one-liners. We get to see most of the original actors such as Robert Englund, John Saxon, and original "Nightmare" final girl Heather Langenkamp, and director Wes Craven. More so, these fine people all play a version of their real selves in the movie, creating a blur between fiction and reality.

Looking back, it's obvious that "New Nightmare" is the precursor to "Scream", two movies where Wes Craven examined horror movies in a very meta manner. The main difference between these two films is that "New Nightmare" had a finer scope, looking in at only itself while "Scream" played with all slashers that came before it. In real life, Heather had an obsessed stalker that was forced her to move out of the country; in the film she has a stalker who continuously calls her on the phone. Also in real life, her husband worked as a special effects artist, and so here movie husband is directly inspired by him. One of the producers portrays a version of themselves, attempting to convince Heather to star in one more Elm Street film.

In the world of "New Nightmare", the cast and crew have moved on from the Elm Street films and are working on various other projects. Robert Englund is still an actor but spends his free time painting. Heather is happily married and raising a young son Dylan. Heather still takes on some acting gigs and her husband works in special effects. Life is nearly normal in L.A for Heather, except for the violent earthquakes, the random phone calls, and the nightmares she's beginning to suffer from. When her son Dylan begins to become increasingly traumatized by a version of Freddy, horrible "accidents" begin to take place, starting with the death of her husband. The more Heather tries to find a reason behind the nightmares she shares with her son and Robert, the more likely it seems that the concept of Freddy Krueger is trying to force himself into the real world.

 

The blending of reality and fiction is best displayed by Heather and John Saxon's interactions. As the movie progresses, they naturally begin referring to each other as Nancy and Dad, as if they are crossing over into the fiction of the films. Another smart move with this production is in the makeup and creating a more organic, damaged looking Freddy Krueger character that is referred to as the Entity. This is the specter that is haunting Wes Craven himself, and when Heather seeks answers from him, she discovers that what he writes is coming true, much like Sutter Cane from "In the Mouth of Madness" which came out two years later.

Favorite moment - Heather is at the park with John discussing her concerns about Dylan. Dylan is off playing by himself on the park structures. Heather realizes that Dylan is standing on top of a high platform, raising his arms into the air. He falls but she's there to catch him. He looks at her and says "God didn't want me".