A Nightmare on Elm Street

Truly great horror. I watched it when I was a kid and it hardly affected me, I didn’t understand it very well. I watched it again today and I’m thrilled. The awesome villain, the superb atmosphere and the pretty original murders (though considering the premise, they could have been better) put this movie among my all time favourites. And I even felt scared at times, so the full rating is really warranted. (06/06/2008)

An imaginative 80s horror film whose biggest weakness is actors, who were really annoying at times. Murdering in dreams and Freddy Krueger was a good start, but I just found myself at times gawking at the behaviour of the characters, which certainly didn't fit the situation. On the other hand, there are a few scares and the screeching of Freddy's claws is really unpleasant. All in all, an average horror flick that won't stay in your head for long, but then again I can't say that it was a complete waste of time. (18/07/2011)

The fact that this film has become such a cult-classic and the name Freddy Krueger is known even by people who haven’t seen any of his movies is quite difficult for me to understand. This bizarre horror creation simply didn’t entertain me. The atmosphere is brilliant, no doubt (especially thanks to the music and set design), Freddy is a terrific demon, and the script is relatively interesting, but that's about it. The actors are wooden (and I'm skipping the fact that they look twenty-five at the age of fifteen), the pace is uneven, and overall, it feels somewhat barren. Even the first film is not a groundbreaking work, so I don’t quite understand why the made sequels. Freddy is truly a legend, but it's more due to his appearance and his hand tricks rather than his personality as such. (18/11/2006)

I’m not really a fan of horror movies, but since such a classic was on and I haven’t seen it, I made myself watch it. I mean it was really that long even with all the commercials. Wes Craven sure is a guarantee of quality and some people tend to get crazy about his movies, which is why the movie has the rating it does on this site. I do understand, but for me Freddy Krueger will forever be a character that is cult to many, but that to me is no more than an ordinary character. I mean the jump scares are good, it’s all good but Freddy isn’t the kind of guy that will have me scared shitless even 30 years after the movie was made. (25/03/2013)

A Nightmare on Elm Streeet... Even after thirty years, it hasn't become stale, which is admirable. The main villain, burned boilermaker Freddy with a sense of rather brutal humor, is still a unique character and his actions still entertain and frighten at the same time. The fact that the special effects don't look the least bit ridiculous (the scene with Tina) and the atmosphere is still chilling only confirms that this is Wes Craven's best horror film, a timeless hit that is going to scare generations of viewers for generations to come. (13/04/2013)