One, two, Freddy's coming for you...
In the realm of horror movie serial killers, Freddy Krueger is king. Besides the mask they wear, is there really any difference between Jason and Michael Myers? They stalk you silently with a machete or kitchen knife...boring. But no one can kill a motha fucker with as much flare as child murderer, Fred Krueger.
Horror cinephiles will always lean on the argument that Freddy isn't as scary as his murderous counterparts because of his cheesy one-liners and ridiculous kill scenarios. To that I say, Watch the original Nightmare and you tell me how many quips Freddy delivers. The dude is straight-up terrifying in that first movie! Let's just get this out of the way: Every movie in the series (with the exception of Craven's New Nightmare) is total shit. And that's mainly because Freddy becomes a total comedy act in the sequels.
In the original, Freddy is a straight-up badass. He's barely even in the movie, but when he is, he's swallowing Johnny Depp into a bed and vomiting a blood tsunami all over the ceiling (best death scene EVER!). I want you to think about this...really think about it: Fred Krueger is a child murderer, hunted down and burned alive by a group of pissed off parents in the neighborhood who comes back and kills teens...IN THEIR DREAMS! There's no escape. The dude's not even real. You HAVE to sleep and when you do, he'll get you. Wes Craven is a sick, sick man.
Similar to the original Friday the 13th, what the original Nightmare does so well is tone and mood. I still remember watching the scenes as a child of the smoke-filled boiler room where Freddy dwelt and being totally creeped out beyond belief. His burnt-off face and knife gloves...terrifying. You did NOT want that guy showing up in your dreams. You'd take walking into bio class in your underwear any day of the damn week.
With all that being said, it's certainly not a perfect movie by any means. The acting is fairly atrocious...which is pretty much on par with most horror movies of the era. Some of the effects even for the day were kind of cheesy and looking back look really pretty awful. And I've always been a little miffed by the fact that Wes pussied out and made Freddy a "child killer" instead of the more appropriate "child molester." A small thing but I think it would really crank up Freddy's creep factor. He could molest and kill the kids and get the best of both worlds.
Still, despite the flaws and the eventual slip into Cheese City, I'll still take Freddy over Jason or even Michael Myers any day of the week (even if it's Friday the 13th). There's a reason why Freddy was the bad guy in Freddy vs. Jason instead of that hockey mask-wearing robot. He is a true Rembrandt of serial killing.
Nine, ten, never sleep again...
Why It's Awesome:
It's Freddy. 'Nough said.
Best Quote:
Rod: I had a hard-on this morning when I woke up, Tina. Had your name written all over it.
Tina: There's four letters in my name, Rod. How can there be enough room on your joint for four letters?
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