Retro Trailer: "A Nightmare on Elm Street" Trailer (1984 - you know, the good one?)
As BGH re-visits the horror podcast classics, I'm continuing the theme with my first horror obsession - Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street". You know the story - the kids of Elm Street are being visited in their dreams by scarred man in a fedora, a green & red striped sweater and a gloved hand with razor fingers. The movie continually blurs the line between reality & dream as the teens are picked off one by one - because if you die in your dream.... you die for real.
This was one of the heavy hitters of the 80s splatterfest genre. Unlike many of today's big name horror flicks, it wasn't loaded with CGI, big name stars or a blank check budget. Quite the opposite was reality for this movie - it was shot on a shoestring budget, and instead of multi-million dollar effects, it relied on the creativity of its crew and actors. The trailer reflects it as well: it's not flashy & isn't drowned out by some high profile obnoxious sound track. It starts slow and builds speed until it hits the frantic pace at the end - showing you just enough to make you want to see more and just enough to know you'll like what you see. A nice change of pace from the majority of trailers today that like to condense the entire movie into 30 seconds.
For most people my age, this is one that sits on our list of all time favorites. We grew up on this. We watched it spawn sequels, copycats...and unfortunate remakes. I wish more new movies were as original - and as memorable - as this one. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go scream at some kids to get the hell off my lawn.
