Nightmare on Elm Street, A: 7-Film Collection (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Oct 14, 2025
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Wes Craven/Jack Sholder/Chuck Russell/Renny Harlin/Stephen Hopkins/Rachel Talalay

Release Date(s)

1984/1985/1987/1988/1989/1991/1994 (September 30, 2025)

Studio(s)

New Line Cinema (Warner Bros. Entertainment)

Film/Program Grade: See Below
Video Grade: See Below
Audio Grade: See Below
Extras Grade: C-
Overall Grade: B-

Review

A Nightmare on Elm Street was one of the most popular horror franchises of its day, spawning multiple sequels, a TV series, books, comics, and an endless supply of various forms of merchandise the world over. The original 1984 film continues to stand today as one of the most original horror films ever mounted, untainted by everything that came in its wake. The rest of the series, particularly films three and four, were mainstream successes for the MTV masses. Though the series has lapsed in the wake of the 2010 remake, which is all but forgotten, it maintains its popularity with long-time devotees and younger viewers discovering the films for the first time.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)

Fresh off of the mildly successful Swamp Thing, Wes Craven had already established himself with the horror classics The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes when A Nightmare on Elm Street finally came to fruition. He based his screenplay on a series of non-correlated articles in the L.A. Times about individuals whom had died due to Brugada Syndrome, otherwise known as Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome. In one particular case, a young man had convinced himself that something in his dreams was coming to kill him, refusing to take his prescribed sleeping medication and hiding a pot of coffee in his closet to stay awake. He eventually succumbed to sleep and died soon thereafter, with no explanation as to why.

Bafflingly, no Hollywood studio was interested in the idea. Even Wes Craven’s closest colleague Sean Cunningham, director of the original Friday the 13th and producer of The Last House on the Left, insisted that the idea wasn’t scary enough. Undaunted, Wes continued to pursue other producing entities, happening upon Robert Shaye, an independent film distributor who immediately recognized the project’s potential. At the time, Shaye was looking for conceivably successful projects for his fledgling distribution company, New Line Cinema. After much toil on Shaye’s part to raise the funds necessarily, production was soon underway.

Wes had originally envisioned Freddy to be older, but found that the energy needed to portray him could only be found in younger men. Enter Robert Englund, a classically-trained actor who was fresh off the hit miniseries V, and no stranger to low budget filmmaking himself. Bringing a swagger, a stance, and a personality to Freddy, he also reached into his own dark recesses to make the character more sinister and nastier than even Wes had envisioned. A great protagonist was also found in Heather Langenkamp as Nancy, whose inner strength gave Freddy a worthy opponent. Joining also was newcomer Johnny Depp, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri (aka Jsu Garcia), and seasoned veterans John Saxon and Ronee Blakley, the latter of whom had been nominated and won awards for her performance in Robert Altman’s Nashville several years prior.

Shot in less than four weeks at break-neck speed, Wes and his team made something special. Even with a meager budget, Nightmare manages to pull off arresting visuals and fantastic mechanical special effects, Tina’s death scene chief among them. It also cleverly blurs the line between dreams and reality, leaving viewers unsure if characters are awake or asleep. Freddy himself is left in the shadows and often obstructed from view so that the audience never really gets a good look at him, allowing their imaginations to work harder at filling in the details.

Although the cast and crew got along during filming, Wes Craven and Robert Shaye often had heated disagreements over story content. Shaye felt that the original ending was too upbeat, insisting that a jump scare be implemented to give the audience a high to go out on. It’s a decision that forever affected the trajectory of the franchise, despite there being no thought of one at that point. Wes eventually compromised, despite feeling that it was demeaning to the rest of the film. The matter was settled, but his relationship with Shaye was strained thereafter, and he wouldn’t return to the director’s chair until much later in the series, moving on to other projects.

In November of 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street was released, turning a profit almost immediately with an effective ad campaign and good word of mouth. It instantly signaled to Robert Shaye that there could be more to it, and a sequel was soon rushed into production.

A Nightmare on Elm Street was shot by cinematographer Jacques Haitkin on 35mm film using Arriflex 35 BL2 and 35 III cameras with spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The 4K Ultra HD features the theatrical and uncut versions of the film, both taken from new scans of the original camera negative, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10, and presented on a dual-layered BD-66 disc. It’s the exact same disc released in 2024, which we also reviewed. Jacques Haitkin’s dark and shadowy cinematography for the film wound up being difficult to translate outside of a movie theater, especially on LaserDisc and VHS. Though this presentation manages to pull more detail out of the darkness, with added help from the HDR grade, it appears a little less organic with grain having apparently been scrubbed away excessively during the restoration, hampering the film’s textured appearance. It’s certainly not the worst example of noise removal, but it’s obvious. Bitrates sit in the 50 to 70Mbps range most of the time, though they can be erratic. Colors are also uneven, especially flesh tones. On the other hand, blacks are super deep without any apparent crush. It’s a watchable image that’s stable with good contrast, but could be improved upon.

Audio for both versions is included in English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. For years, the film has been available with varying soundtracks, but both of the tracks included here restore the majority of the original sound effects and music cues. The Atmos track certainly opens things up in the surrounding speakers, giving Charles Bernstein’s iconic score more room to breathe, and anchoring dialogue primarily to the front. Non-dialogue elements are occasionally buried in the mix, the prime example being Rod playfully tackling Glen from behind, which is stifled by the Atmos track. Freddy’s grunts and groans as he builds the glove in the opening are present on both tracks, which weren’t a part of the soundtrack for the stellar Elite Entertainment LaserDisc release. The largest flaw is in the several extra seconds of uncut footage, which sounds more like a scratch track than a final mix. If you compare this section of audio to previous presentations from Japan and Germany, you can hear the difference. It’s not a major blight, but it slightly mars what was at the time of the original UHD release the US home video debut of the uncut version. (Differences in the video and audio are more detailed here .)

Additional audio options for the theatrical version include French, German, Italian, Spanish (Castilian), and Spanish (Latin) mono Dolby Digital. Additional subtitle options include Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Norwegian, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin), and Swedish.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): A+/B+/B+

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE

After the fallout between Wes Craven and Robert Shaye, it was clear that Wes had little interest in returning for a sequel. Jack Sholder, who had directed Alone in the Dark for New Line Cinema three years prior, was cutting trailers together for the studio during development on A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge and was offered the job of directing.

The most troublesome aspect of the casting process was that Robert Englund wasn’t initially brought back to play Freddy. An uncredited extra was used instead with the idea that he would be overdubbed later. At that time, both the Friday the 13th and Halloween series had managed to turn a profit without using the same actor every time to portray Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, respectively. But because of Robert Englund’s impact on the character, the film couldn’t be accomplished without him. Once production was underway and they realized their error, Englund was quickly brought back on board. Newcomers to the cast include Mark Patton, Kim Myers, Robert Rusler, Clu Gulager, Hope Lange, Sydney Walsh, and Marshall Bell.

That wasn’t the only problem that plagued the shoot and eventual release of Freddy’s Revenge. It’s clear that without Wes Craven in the director’s or writer’s seats, no one quite understood what made the original film work, long before facets of the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street became scripture. Everything about Freddy’s Revenge, from the role reversals of the main characters to Freddy appearing in the real world, shows that it was meant solely to cash in on the success of the original. In the final film, Freddy literally metamorphosizes through the character of Jesse and steps into reality to do his dirty work. According to the now established mythology of the series, Freddy is always in a dream unless he’s specifically pulled into our world (which happens more than once). Seeing him slashing up teenagers at a pool party not only rubbed fans the wrong way, but even Robert Englund himself who expressed his dissatisfaction with it.

Fortunately, Freddy’s Revenge also gained a fresh face in the makeup department, Kevin Yagher, who was brought in to re-design Freddy’s makeup since David B. Miller, who performed the task in the first film, was busy on another project. Yagher’s re-design and application for the film, as well as the next two, became the iconic look for Freddy, giving him more of a tightened burned look, complete with a hook nose in Freddy’s Revenge. Also in the special effects department was Mark Shostrom, who would go on to create makeup effects for the third film, as well as Evil Dead II and Phantasm II. Though some of the effects aren’t particularly stand-outs, Jesse’s transformation into Freddy is one of the most memorable moments of the entire series.

The most-talked about aspect of Freddy’s Revenge is its homoerotic overtones, partially due to the role reversals of the lead characters. Usually in most horror films, the protagonist is played by a woman, but in Freddy’s Revenge, they chose to make the lead a male. Coupling that with Mark Patton’s closeted personal life amplified many moments in the script as overtly queer, more so that they already were. For years, the filmmakers denied any intentions in making a gay-themed or bisexual-themed horror film, including screenwriter David Chaskin, It wasn’t until 2010 with the release of Never Sleep Again that Chaskin changed his mind and admitted his intentions for there to be just such a subtext, but was shocked at how blatant it was in the final film. Otherwise, nearly everyone else involved, including Jack Sholder, pleaded ignorance. As such, Freddy’s Revenge remains one of the most hotly-debated films in the series.

Freddy’s Revenge was released in November of 1985 and was a greater financial success than the first. It was snubbed by critics and Freddy fans, but subsequently became popular in the gay community. Mark Patton, who has since come out of the closet, continues to celebrate his status at the singular male “scream queen,” which was examined in the wonderful 2019 documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street. For quite some time, Freddy’s Revenge was viewed as the red-headed stepchild of the series due to veering so far away from Wes Craven’s notion of the character, but time has proven kind to Freddy’s Revenge, and this fan (among others) considers it to be one of the strongest and most interesting sequels.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge was once again shot by cinematographer Jacques Haitkin on 35mm film using Arriflex 35 BL cameras with spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Ultra HD debut of the film features a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10, and presented on a dual-layered BD-66 disc. There are some obvious advantages over the original film’s presentation, mostly in terms of color grading. It’s a much more even palette with excellent contrast, and some impressive HDR that deepens blacks appropriately while soaking up various hues in the palette. Bitrates sit in the 50 to 70Mbps range, but thankfully, noise reduction hasn’t been dialed quite as high as the original film. Grain is more naturally refined and the presentation as a whole is stable and clean. It’s a notch above its predecessor, but one can’t help but wonder how much better it would look in Dolby Vision.

Audio options include English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. The new Atmos track carefully spreads the film’s soundtrack out without adding anything new, and even takes advantage of some of the atmospheric moments, moving them around in the sound field effectively. The original theatrical soundtrack is included in a split container, but the Atmos track gives the film’s sound design some added muscle, especially in the lower registers. It’s a much cleaner and more robust experience.

Additional audio options include French, German, Italian, Spanish (Castilian), and Spanish (Latin) mono Dolby Digital. Additional subtitle options include Dutch, French, German SDH, Italian, Spanish (Castilian), and Spanish (Latin).

FREDDY’S REVENGE (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): B+/A-/A-

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 3: DREAM WARRIORS

After Freddy’s Revenge received such a mixed reception, Robert Shaye and company decided that in order to make another Nightmare sequel, they needed to go back to the man who created it. Wes Craven, along with screenwriter Bruce Wagner, were brought on and asked to write a treatment with the possibility of Wes directing. The script that was eventually delivered was one of the more controversial approaches in the history of the series initially, but had enough interesting ideas that were worth pursuing. The studio hired the writing team of Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont to give it a spit and polish, and Russell was subsequently hired to direct.

The final shooting script for A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors had more of a biting satirical edge while still retaining a surreal and suspenseful framework. It also pushed Freddy’s character into more obvious comedic territory, going so far as to have a scene of talk show host Dick Cavett transforming into Freddy and killing his guest Zsa Zsa Gabor. Oddly enough, this ended up reflecting what happened to Freddy outside of movie screens once he was established as a pop horror icon. Chuck Russell has admitted to being partially responsible for this, but ultimately felt that it was the right way to go at the time. It was also the first film in the series to give Freddy a deeper mythology. By this point, audiences were well aware that he was the product of vigilante justice, but the inclusion of a backstory in which his mother, a young nun, had been accidentally locked in an asylum over the holidays, was repeatedly assaulted by the inmates, and eventually gave birth to Freddy, made him much less one dimensional than most of his horror counterparts.

The film’s biggest achievement is a cast of likable and sympathetic characters. The potential victims are seemingly suicidal teens who have been committed, but never taken seriously when they share their experiences with a collective “boogeyman.” On the other side are the doctors attempting to help them, constantly frustrated and feeling hopeless when they lose their patients. We’re introduced to the sleepwalking Phillip (Bradley Gregg), the wheelchair-bound Will (Ira Heiden), former heroine addict Taryn (Jennifer Rubin), wanna-be actress Jennifer (Penelope Sudrow), the mute Joey (Rodney Eastman), and the high-strung Kincaid (Ken Sagoes). New to the group is Kristen (Patricia Arquette), whose secret ability to pull people into her dreams helps in their battle against Freddy. Overseeing them is the concerned orderly Max (Laurence Fishburne), Dr. Gordon (Craig Wasson), Dr. Simms (Priscilla Pointer), and returning to Springwood, new intern Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp). Brooke Bundy also portrays Kristin’s mother in this film and the next, and John Saxon reprises his role as Nancy’s father.

Despite the difficulty of working with first time director Chuck Russell in a mostly tense, low budget working environment, the cast managed to pull off wonderful performances that tend to stand out more than other films in the series. Kevin Yagher returned for makeup and special effects, along with Mark Shostrom, Screaming Mad George, Greg Cannom, John Carl Buechler, and others. There’s an array of some very impressive practical and visual effects on display, including a very phallic but frighteningly oversized Freddy snake monster, and a character led to their death like a marionette by the tendons in their arms and legs. It all works extremely well, mixing the terror and comedy skillfully, even if some moments stray into schlock territory.

Dream Warriors was released in February of 1987 and was a huge success, bringing in even more of a profit than the first two films. Fans are fairly equal in their opinion that the third and fourth films in the Nightmare series are where it shines the most bright. Freddy Krueger entered the mainstream, replete with merchandise, video games, and Halloween costumes, while the constant revenue stream helped in building New Line Cinema into a full-fledged studio. However, the success was minor compared to what came next.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3: Dream Warriors was shot by cinematographer Roy Wagner on 35mm film (Eastman 125T 5247) using Arriflex 35 and Mitchell GC cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Ultra HD debut of the film features a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10, and presented on a dual-layered BD-66 disc. The film has a much more pronounced grain structure, which is handled well here, with bitrates primarily sitting between 50 and 70Mbps. The HDR grade pushes the palette quite a bit with natural flesh tones and excellent contrast, allowing for deep blacks and improved shadow detail. Outside of the optically-printed material, everything appears sharp, clean, and stable.

Audio options include English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 mono DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Like the previous film, the Atmos track here gives Angelo Badalamenti’s terrific score some spread, while anchoring most of the dialogue front and center. Dokken’s Into the Fire and Dream Warriors don’t have much spread to them, and atmospherics are a bit more restrained. It’s also a little flatter in terms of low end activity, but it nonetheless gives the soundtrack some push without altering anything. The split container mono is very satisfactory, as well. It would have been nice to have been able to watch the film with the original home video soundtrack which featured an instrumental version of the song Quiet Cool by Joe Lamont from the film of the same name, which was released by New Line the previous year.

DREAM WARRIORS (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): A-/A-/A-

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 4: THE DREAM MASTER

After the overwhelming success of Dream Warriors, New Line Cinema quickly got another sequel underway. A script was thrown together and Robert Shaye hesitantly hired Renny Harlin to direct A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master. Despite Shaye’s reluctance, Harlin managed to bring a fresh stylistic approach to the series that was colorful, fast, and frenetic, which was more appealing to the youth culture of the era.

The first direct sequel in the series, The Dream Master brought back the characters of Kristen, Joey, and Kincaid, portrayed by Tuesday Knight, Rodney Eastman, and Ken Sagoes respectively. Tuesday Knight replaced Patricia Arquette who chose to not participate, appearing in Sam Shepard’s Far North instead. Brooke Bundy also returned to play Kristen’s mother, while the new cast included Lisa Wilcox, Danny Hassel, Brooke Theiss, Andras Jones, Toy Newkirk, and Nicholas Mele. Wilcox, Hassel, and Mele would also appear in the following sequel, while Wilcox’s Alice quickly became one of the series’ most popular leads.

Returning also was a menagerie of some of the best special makeup effects technicians in the business, including Jim Doyle, John Carl Buechler, Screaming Mad George, Howard Berger, Steve Johnson, and Kevin Yagher, the latter of whom would be creating Freddy’s makeup for the final time (Berger did the actual application of it). As with the previous films, old school mechanical and special effects were in their prime, and whether they were being done in-camera or optically, they’re some of the best in the series.

The storyline further developed the idea of Freddy requiring the souls of victims, which had been revealed briefly in Dream Warriors. In The Dream Master, they would be a part of his comeuppance. After the deaths of Kincaid, Joey, and Kristen, Alice becomes Freddy’s main foil, able to absorb the dream powers of his victims and use them against him. The most bizarre aspect of the film’s is Freddy’s resurrection, in which a dog urinates fire onto his resting place, allowing the ground to give away and reveal his remains. In the real world of the first film, his bones were laid to rest in hallowed ground in order to defeat him, but in the sequel, he’s able to re-form from those bones and return? It doesn’t make much sense, but as the series would continue, logic wasn’t always on the minds of the filmmakers, especially when they were rushed to meet a release date and had very little time to address any script issues.

The Dream Master was a relatively straightforward shoot, despite some behind-the-scenes problems, including a writer’s strike which prevented Ken and Jim Wheat from receiving any credit in the final film. It was also not totally harmonious since everybody didn’t fully get along with Renny Harlin, including Andras Jones, who felt estranged during press for the film. Rumors circulated that Tuesday Knight and Renny Harlin might have been less than professional with each other due to how much attention he was giving her, but both have denied any on or off set hanky panky. The biggest hurdle, however, was Robert Shaye’s reservations about Renny Harlin. By this point, New Line Cinema was becoming more protective of its very lucrative franchise and wasn’t easily swayed when it came to new approaches and fresh ideas. Harlin has stated that he was sure that he would have been fired from the project at any time since Shaye didn’t seem to have the utmost confidence in his ability to deliver a film that the company could sell. In truth, it didn’t matter all that much because Freddy’s popularity was bigger than ever, and even a bad film would have made its money back (and then some). Thankfully, Harlin wasn’t relying on that and attempted to make something that the Nightmare fans would embrace.

Given a summer release in August of 1988, The Dream Master was an enormous success, the biggest of the entire franchise up until the release of Freddy vs. Jason in 2003. Fans came out in droves to see Freddy’s latest outing, but because he such a part of the cultural zeitgeist, it was impossible to take him seriously anymore as a frightening, dark character, something that would harm future installments.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 4: The Dream Master was shot by cinematographer Steven Fierberg on 35mm film using Arriflex 35 BL3 cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Ultra HD debut of the film features a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10, and presented on a dual-layered BD-66 disc. Far and away, this is one of the best presentations overall, if not the best. A more aggressive bitrate is employed that pushes into 80 to 100Mbps territory, despite often sitting in the 50 to 70Mbps range most of the time. The film boasts a beautiful and varied palette, aided dutifully by the HDR, with super deep blacks and perfect contrast. The grain structure is slightly less pronounced than the previous film, but solid and refined nonetheless. It’s also a clean, stable, and highly organic presentation. Dolby Vision would improve it marginally, but the HDR10 grade is phenomenal.

Audio options include English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. Likewise, both soundtrack options are exceptional. This was the first film in the series to receive a Dolby Stereo soundtrack, and they utilized it well. The Atmos track expands upon the original stereo presentation, giving it a slightly cleaner but unmolested aural boost. It’s a testament to the original mixers, especially considering that the film only had a six month window to been written, shot, and completed before its August premiere. Whether you’re rocking the original stereo or Atmos track, you should be fully satisfied with either experience. They’re terrific.

THE DREAM MASTER (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): B+/A+/A+

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5: The Dream Child

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 5: THE DREAM CHILD

After its success, The Dream Master had the fastest turnover as far as developing a follow-up sequel in the history of the franchise. The studio was so eager to release another film they knew would be profitable that the creative process was a little lost in the mix. An unfinished draft of a screenplay, which was written by a variety of different writers, was rushed into development and the directing reins were handed over to a young visual director named Stephen Hopkins.

In A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5: The Dream Child, Alice (Lisa Wilcox), Alice’s father (Nicholas Mele), and Dan (Danny Hassel) reprise their roles. Alice and Dan now have a new group of friends, Yvonne (Kelly Jo Minter), Greta (Erika Anderson), and Mark (Joe Seely), all of whom have recently graduated from high school. Alice soon discovers that she’s pregnant, and through the dreams of her unborn child, Freddy returns. In order to stop him, Alice must set Amanda Krueger’s (Beatrice Boepple) spirit free from her Earthly prison, but not before Freddy makes a play for her child Jacob (Whit Hertford).

Working to deliver a visually interesting film (perhaps the most interesting of the series), Stephen Hopkins’ background as an art director gave him more of an artistic visual edge than previous directors in the series. The Dream Child sports a highly Gothic style and atmosphere, with influences from M.C. Escher and Francis Bacon, among others. It’s a much more mature work, dealing with issues of child abandonment, rape, and abortion, focusing on Alice’s struggles while the adults perceive her to be emotionally unbalanced during her pregnancy. The writers also delved more into Freddy’s backstory by bringing his mother to the forefront as an active participant, albeit spiritually. The convoluted aspect of the story involving Freddy going through Alice’s unborn child to continue invading teenager’s dreams ultimately doesn’t make much sense, especially during the finale, but it makes for some arresting visuals.

The Dream Child also utilizes many of the talented special effects wizards of the era, including David B. Miller (returning from the first film), Alan Munro, Robert Kurtzman, Howard Berger, Greg Nicotero, R. Christopher Biggs, and Brian Wade. Freddy’s literal rebirth gave the makeup artists a chance to re-design his look. Unfortunately, it’s one of the weakest and least-effective of the series, second only to Freddy’s Dead, and mostly due to being overly lit. Thankfully the rest of the film’s makeup and effects appliances and sequences are highly-imaginative, if nothing else. Everything from rear screen projection to stop-motion animation to artificial black-and-white photography was employed to give the film some visual variety.

This was also the second film in the series in which the MPAA was more overtly active in censoring its content, mostly due to two effects sequences that are intensely gory, one of which was inspired by Tetsuo: The Iron Man. The cuts made to these two death scenes wound up making them more confusing to audiences, but when the film was released on VHS and LaserDisc, an optional uncensored version was made available. For years, it was the only way to see the film in its full form, that is until now.

Released in August of 1989, The Dream Child saw a surprisingly disappointing decline at the box office upon its release. It was technically a success, but it was nowhere near as profitable as The Dream Master, performing the poorest of any of the films in the series at the time. Its aftermarket proved to be more lucrative. Between the lackluster reception, the disappointment of long-time fans, and the overexposure of Freddy in all forms of media, it signaled to New Line Cinema, who by this time were pursuing other avenues, that it was perhaps time to let Freddy go.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5: The Dream Child was shot by cinematographer Peter Levy on 35mm film using Arriflex 35 BL3 cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Ultra HD debut of the film features a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10, and presented on a dual-layered BD-66 disc. Like the previous film, it’s another attractive presentation with bitrates that sit in the 50 to 70Mbps range, often reaching into the 80 to 100Mbps sphere during some of the busier visual moments. The color palette is rendered well, though the HDR pass seems a little hot at times, but not overly so. Flesh tones come off well, as does contrast with super deep black levels. Grain resolves beautifully outside of occasional opticals, and in some of the uncut footage which is slightly dupey in appearance in a couple of shots. Otherwise, the picture is clean and stable, looking better than it ever has.

Audio options include English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. It’s not quite as impressive a soundtrack as its predecessor, but it holds its ground with terrific spread for atmospherics and score. Dialogue is mostly anchored to the front, while the new Atmos track gives some of the larger moments added height. Since the film was released theatrically in Dolby Stereo, the original mix is quite potent on its own. Put simply, both tracks are very satisfying.

Additional audio options for the theatrical version only include French, German, Italian, Spanish (Castilian), and Spanish (Latin) 2.0 Dolby Digital. Additional subtitle options include Dutch, French, German SDH, Italian, Spanish (Castilian), and Spanish (Latin).

THE DREAM CHILD (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): B/A/A

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE

Two years would go by before Freddy would make a return to the big screen. Story treatments for the sixth entry were being handed in by the likes of people like Peter Jackson, but it was the screenplay by Michael De Luca and Rachel Talalay that got the studio the most excited. Signing on to direct, Rachel had been a small but crucial part of the Nightmare series from the beginning, starting out as little more than a production accountant. Having worked her way up the ranks to the director’s chair, she was determined to send the series out on a high note.

The approach to Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare was to make it a less serious film than The Dream Child had been. Carnival of Souls and Twin Peaks had the heaviest influences, as did the work of John Waters, which Rachel was readily familiar since she had worked with him on Cry-Baby. Featuring cameos from the likes of Johnny Depp, Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold (billed as Mr. and Mrs. Tom Arnold), and Alice Cooper, she saw it as a chance to have some fun with the story after steering audiences through the previous film’s solemn, Gothic atmosphere. Hoping to win them back with a gimmick, it was also decided that the final portion of the film would be filmed in 3D. Although it ultimately worked in theaters, the story and special effects took more of a backseat in order to achieve it, an oversight that Rachel has often commented on.

The Final Nightmare was also one the least direct sequels in the franchise. Alice and Co. are nowhere in sight and the film takes place sometime in the future when Springwood has been wiped clean of all children. As such, Freddy has run out of victims and wants to jump ship, but the only way he can do that is through his daughter, Maggie (Lisa Zane). He sends the last remaining teenager in Springwood (Shon Greenblatt), who’s carrying a bad case of amnesia with only vague memories of Springwood, out into the world to bring Maggie home so that he can escape in her mind. Maggie and her colleague Doc (Yaphet Kotto) work at an inner city shelter for troubled teenagers, and after “John Doe” arrives, she realizes that her dreams and his dreams have similarities, leading them to Springwood, but with stowaway troublemakers Tracy (Lezlie Deane), Carlos (Ricky Dean Logan), and Spencer (Breckin Meyer) unwittingly in her charge.

Unfortunately, Freddy’s demise displeased most of the core fan base as it seemed to be walking down familiar territory. One might argue that Freddy’s defeat in the previous sequels was much more satisfying than (once again) bringing him into the real world to stab him with his own glove and blow him up with a pipe bomb in the basement of a rescue shelter. The fact that none of the previous film’s characters make an appearance, especially Alice, doesn’t do it any favors either. Despite the caliber of acting talent, it felt more like a cheap copy of what had come before, but with less interesting dynamics, Freddy makeup, and narrative threads. It was also one of the few entries in the series to have the most additional footage hit the cutting room floor, which wound up surfacing in a TV version of the film, as well as a low quality workprint. Bootlegs of this footage have been floating around for years but none of it has yet to make an official appearance.

Released in September of 1991, The Final Nightmare received a slightly more enthusiastic response than its predecessor financially, but was seen mostly as a failure, and a rather poor ending to a long-running and popular franchise. The film has its fans, and its reputation has improved slightly since its original release, but it’s still considered by many to be the low point of the series. Sad also was the fact that Wes Craven didn’t come back to somehow participate in it, but that would be rectified sooner rather than later.

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare was shot by cinematographer Declan Quinn on 35mm film using a combination of Arriflex 35 BL3 cameras and spherical lenses with Panavision Panaflex Platinum cameras and Panavision Primo lenses for the dual-strip 3D sequence, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Ultra HD debut of the film features a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10, and presented on a dual-layered BD-66 disc. Probably the least appealing in terms of its visual quality, the film’s 4K debut still manages to inject the film with some new life. In terms of color, it looks about as rich as it always has, which is not all that much. The HDR manages to soak up the detail in the shadows and improve the film’s contrast, but there is one noticeable revision. Outside of the first time we see it, the world outside of Springwood at the city line is now an overt shade of purple, which stands out quite a bit and wasn’t a part of any previous presentation. Bitrates tend to sit comfortably in the 50 to 70Mbps range without much differentiation, but detail is high with well-resolved grain and a stable picture. The 3D sequence is about as effective as it’s always been in anaglyphic 3D, but one can’t help but pine for a proper Blu-ray 3D restoration.

Audio options include English Dolby Atmos and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. In many ways, the film’s soundtrack is more textured and impactful than its visual counterpart, especially in terms of atmospheric and low end activity, which the new Atmos track and the original Dolby Stereo both come armed with. Dialogue exchanges mostly sit in the front, but there are clever uses of them in the surrounding speakers. Some mild height is added to the Atmos track, but it unfortunately steers some of the elements a bit too wide at times. If you’re looking for a more propulsive and wider track, the Atmos is your best bet, though the original stereo properly decoded is the more ideal option here.

Additional audio options include French, German, Italian, Spanish (Castilian), and Spanish (Latin) 2.0 Dolby Digital. Additional subtitle options include Dutch, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish (Castilian), and Spanish (Latin).

FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): C+/A-/A-

Wes Craven's New Nightmare

WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE

Three years after Freddy’s final curtain call, New Line felt comfortable enough in bringing back the character for one more film. Most scoffed at the idea and made a joke out of it because of how much the studio went out of their way in declaring that the series was finished. The biggest victory was the strained relationship between Robert Shaye (now a major studio executive) and Wes Craven, which was ironed out in one fateful meeting. Shaye was happy to work with Wes in developing a new film, giving him carte blanche to create something entirely his own, while also paying him well and giving him retroactive financial compensation for all of the previous sequels. After reviewing the entire series, Wes decided to abandon it completely and jump outside of the films altogether. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare would explore the effects of the success of A Nightmare on Elm Street on those people who were a part of it, as well as how fictional horror affects reality.

In New Nightmare, Freddy is now a demonic and evil presence that has escaped into the real world, and Wes (as himself) is on a mission to write another sequel in order to bottle up that evil. Meanwhile, Heather Langenkamp (as herself) and her son Dylan (Miko Hughes) are being terrorized by the presence of Freddy, and though outsiders believe that she’s losing her mind, she must persevere and face down Freddy once last time. Robert Englund returned to the iconic role, as well as himself, but also among the cast are David Newsom, Tracy Middendorf, Fran Bennett, John Saxon, Robert Shaye, Sara Risher, W. Earl Brown, Lin Shaye, Nick Corri, and Tuesday Knight, the latter two of which make brief cameo appearances.

Needless to say, it was a very bold move for a mainstream franchise to go in such a radically different direction. An examination of those who produce horror films and how it affects them personally is certainly not your atypical Nightmare sequel in which Freddy simply dispatches another round of teenage victims. Wes was determined to make a film that carried a more meaningful message, aiming his sights at the critics who blamed horror films for all of the negativity taking place in the real world. It was the beginning of meta in the genre, which he would explore further in the Scream series with screenwriter Kevin Williamson two years later.

New Nightmare was also the first in the franchise to make use of computer generated special effects. It wound up being a detriment since many of them don’t hold up particularly well, but thankfully they’re infrequent and have more of a purpose in the storytelling. The biggest miscalculation, however, was Freddy’s look. To give the character a new identity as a pure agent of evil, he was re-designed to appear bulkier and far more sinister, with blades coming out of all five fingers instead of having trademarked glove. Even Wes Craven admitted that it might not have been the best of ideas, but it served its purpose to make Freddy more unique instead of a carbon copy of what had come before.

Released in November of 1994, ten years after the original film, New Nightmare turned out to be the very first film in the franchise to be received well critically. Unfortunately, audiences weren’t on the same page. Returning its budget but failing to capture the popularity of the previous films, New Nightmare became the least successful film of the entire franchise. Some fans felt that it was demeaning to Freddy’s character to take him out of the original series and make him symbolic, while others applauded Wes’ approach. Despite this, it’s had a strong aftermarket life and is considered to be an extremely smart and effective horror film, even with some minor flaws.

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare was shot by cinematographer Mark Irwin on 35mm film (Eastman EXR 100T 5248, EXR 500T 5296) using Arriflex 535 cameras and spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Ultra HD debut of the film features a new 4K scan of the original camera negative, which has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. The partial reason for this film to receive the three-layered disc treatment is because it contains the most extras, but it’s also the longest film of the series. Nevertheless, it’s one of most crisp presentations included with this release. Bitrates are often sitting in the upper range of 50 to 70Mbps, but soaring over it frequently. A fine layer of well-resolved grain is on display with extremely tight detail and textures. The HDR grade is once again slightly hot in certain areas, but nothing too distracting. Otherwise, the palette is well-represented with deep hues and black levels. Everything is clean and stable, leaving little to no room for complaint.

Audio options include English Dolby Atmos and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. It’s another powerhouse presentation in both cases. The new Atmos mix adds some height to the proceedings, but since the film was mixed for and released in DTS, the 5.1 track is a powerful experience in its own right. There’s plenty of aural textures in the surrounds, with a muscular score and explosive sound effects, aided dutifully by LFE. There are no issues with dialogue or volume to be had either. In other words, nothing but praise for both tracks.

WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE (FILM/VIDEO/AUDIO): B+/A/A+

The Warner Bros. Entertainment A Nightmare on Elm Street: 7-Film Collection sits in a red multi-disc Amaray case alongside a set of Digital Codes for each film on a paper insert. The artwork for the insert and slipcover use a piece of vintage promotional material from The Dream Master, but bathing Freddy in red. A Steelbook collection that was exclusive to Amazon sold out in pre-orders, but each Steelbook features the original theatrical artwork. Unfortunately, this release won’t be reprinted. The menus on each disc re-purpose the cover art from each film’s respective DVD and Blu-ray release, as well as the music from the original DVD main menus. All of the films also feature their original opening and closing New Line Cinema logos, and for each presentation, the original cinematographers and/or directors were consulted. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET)

Commentaries (Theatrical Only):
- Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin (2001)
- Wes Craven, Robert Shaye, Sara Risher, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, Ronee Blakley, Jacques Haitkin, John Burrows, Charles Bernstein, Rick Shaine, Patrick McMahon, Jim Doyle, David B. Miller, and David Del Valle (2006)
Focus Points (HD – 18:13):
- Alt Take Glove Construction (HD – 1:07)
- Alt Take Freddy Chases Tina (HD – :33)
- Alt Take of Rubber Ceiling (HD – :55)
- Tina and Worms (HD – :21)
- Alt Take of Freddy in Alley (HD – :47)
- Wes on Glove Sparks (HD – :49)
- Alt Take of Freddy in Alley 2 (HD – :41)
- Alt Take of Freddy Cuts Fingers (HD – :35)
- Alt Take of Freddy Face Peel (HD – :33)
- Dave Miller on Tina’s Chest Ripping (HD – :27)
- Alt Take of Freddy in Tina’s Death Scene (HD – :27)
- Alt Take of Stunt Double Falls (HD – :37)
- Alt Take of Tina’s Death (HD – :57)
- Miller on Maggots (HD – :23)
- Alt Takes of Freddy Chases Nancy (HD – :37)
- Alt Take of Bathtub Scene (HD – :33)
- Alt Take of Bathtub Scene 2 (HD – :38)
- Freddy and Feathers (HD – :28)
- Sleep Clinic (HD – :41)
- Marge Discusses Freddy (HD – :24)
- Nancy and Unused Phone Line (HD – :27)
- Alt Take of Phone Scene (HD – :24)
- Alt Take of Blood Pours from Bed (HD – 1:02)
- Robert on Freddy’s Voice (HD – :37)
- Ronee Talks About Her Dummy (HD – :50)
- Alt Take of Dummy in Bed (HD – :29)
- Haitkin Talks About Camera Effects (HD – :46)
- Alt Take of Freddy Comes Out of Bed (HD – :35)
- Alt Take of Nancy and Freddy (HD – :28)
Alternate Endings (HD – 4:58):
- Scary Ending (HD – 1:39)
- Happy Ending (HD – 1:32)
- Freddy Ending (HD – 1:46)
The House that Freddy Built (HD – 21:52)
Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street (HD – 49:54)
Night Terrors (HD – 15:33)

The 1996 and 2006 audio commentaries are invaluable, though one does tire of the latter when being forced to hear every participant identified before they speak (a subtitle track would’ve been a better option). The Focus Points are a collection of interview outtakes and deleted scenes, though mostly in fragments. There’s some fascinating material here though, including more footage of Freddy in various scenes that was deleted altogether. Interspersed are interview outtakes with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Ronee Blakley, David B. Miller, and Jacques Haitkin. The Alternate Endings reveal that the eventual theatrical ending was a combination of the three while the studio-produced documentaries explore the creation and impact of the Nightmare series with those who made it.

Like many releases of the original film, this release totally bypasses bonus materials that have been left behind or were never accessed in the first place. Some of the extras from the Infinifilm DVD and Blu-ray releases haven’t been carried over, including the picture-in-picture option for the Focus Points, the Fact Track subtitle commentary, the Freddy’s Coming for You Trivia Challenge interactive game, and the DVD-ROM materials which include a Script to Screen module.

DISC TWO (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 2: FREDDY’S REVENGE)

Freddy on 8th Street (HD – 5:34)
Heroes and Villains (HD – 6:27)
The Male Witch (HD – 2:53)
Psycho Sexual Circus (HD – 3:32)

DISC THREE (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 3: DREAM WARRIORS)

Behind the Story (HD – 27:00):
- Burn Out (HD – 3:44)
- Fan Mail (HD – :52)
- The House That Freddy Built (HD – :44)
- Onward Christian Soldiers (HD – 9:07)
- Snakes and Ladders (HD – 6:10)
- That’s Show Biz (HD – 2:06)
- Trading 8’s (HD – 4:15)
Dream Warriors Music Video (Upscaled SD – 5:10)

DISC FOUR (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 4: THE DREAM MASTER)

The Finnish Line (HD – 2:29)
Krueger, Freddy Krueger (HD – 8:18)
Hopeless Chest (HD – 3:47)
Let’s Makeup (HD – 2:22)

DISC FIVE (A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 5: THE DREAM CHILD)

Behind the Story (HD – 15:17):
- Womb Raiders (HD – 6:25)
- The Sticky Floor (HD – 5:47)
- Take the Stairs (HD – :58)
- Hopkins Directs (HD – :37)
- A Slight Miscalculation (HD – 1:28)

DISC SIX (FREDDY’S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE)

86’D (HD – 1:46)
Hellraiser (HD – :45)
Rachel’s Dream (HD – 2:55)
3D Demise (HD – 2:24)

DISC SEVEN (WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE)

Commentary with Wes Craven
Boiler Room Confessional (HD – 7:33)
Freddy’s Footnotes (HD – 7:48)
Becoming a Filmmaker (HD – 8:00)
Filmmaker (HD – 4:43)
An Insane Troupe (HD – :57)
The Problem With Sequels (HD – 1:41)
Two Worlds (HD – 2:10)
Welcome to Prime Time (Upscaled SD – 49:53):
- It Really Happened (Upscaled SD – 3:05)
- A Childhood Memory (Upscaled SD – 2:35)
- Sometimes in the 80s (Upscaled SD – :26)
- So It Began (Upscaled SD – 4:48)
- Beauty and the Beast (Upscaled SD – 8:42)
- Making the Glove (Upscaled SD – 1:09)
- Shapeshifter (Upscaled SD – 9:55)
- The Shoot (Upscaled SD – 7:23)
- The Revolving Room (Upscaled SD – 1:54)
- All’s Well That Ends Well (Upscaled SD – 4:05)
- Talalay’s Tally (Upscaled SD – 1:53)
- It Couldn’t Have Happened (Upscaled SD – 1:52)
- Alternate Ending Version (Upscaled SD – 2:00)
Conclusions (Upscaled SD – 17:27):
- Where Gothic Plots Come From (Upscaled SD – 2:05)
- Why We Like Gothic (Upscaled SD – 1:35)
- Sadomasochism (Upscaled SD – :55)
- Freddy vs. Pinhead (Upscaled SD – 2:46)
- Freddy’s Manic Energy (Upscaled SD – 1:41)
- Creating Lasting Characters in Horror (Upscaled SD – 1:34)
- No More Magic Tricks (Upscaled SD – 2:29)
- Monster With Personality (Upscaled SD – :34)
- Freddy as Sex Machine (Upscaled SD – 2:00)
- Campfire Stories (Upscaled SD – 1:44)

Here begins the re-purposing of the extras originally produced by Mark Rance for The Nightmare on Elm Street Collection DVD boxed set, which are scattered across each disc in this set without a lot of context. They’re comprised of interviews with directors Wes Craven, Jack Sholder, Chuck Russell (also co-writer), Renny Harlin, Stephen Hopkins, and Rachel Talalay (also production assistant and producer); actors Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Dick Cavett; producer Robert Shaye; co-producer Sara Risher; screenwriters Bruce Wagner, Frank Darabont, Ken Wheat, Jim Wheat, John Skipp, and Craig Spector; makeup and special effects technicians David B. Miller, Kevin Yagher, John Carl Buechler, Steve Johnson, Howard Berger, Alan Munro, and Joe Carlucci; (then) president of domestic theatrical distribution for New Line Cinema Al Shapiro; Freddy’s Revenge publicist Jeffrey Wells; filmmaker Sean S. Cunningham; author and filmmaker Clive Barker, and author Mark Edmundson.

In addition to the Dream Warriors music video by Dokken, the are two new featurettes included with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Boiler Room Confessional and Freddy’s Footnotes speak to cinematographer Mark Irwin, directors Chuck Russell and Jack Sholder, and Robert Englund. The former focuses mostly on the origins of and reactions to Freddy Krueger with Robert, while the latter speaks mostly to the filmmakers about the legacy of the series.

Warner Bros. should be commended for even bothering to carry over the majority of the film’s legacy extras, but there’s a still a mountain of material out there to mine, as well as items from previous releases. The previous Blu-ray and DVD releases included Constantine Nasr’s documentary Fear Himself: The Life and Crimes of Freddy Krueger; the It’s a Miserable Life and Killer Instinct episodes of Freddy’s Nightmares; the music videos for Are You Ready for Freddy by The Fat Boys and Any Way I Gotta Swing It by Whodini; and the main theatrical trailers for all of seven films. There’s also a treasure trove of material from the 1996 Elite Entertainment Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc (and subsequent Anchor Bay VHS release) of the first film that’s been missing in action ever since, which includes workprint-sourced deleted and alternate scenes, extensive still galleries, audio effects tests, and TV spots.

As far as content never collected for any release of these films, there’s the documentaries Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010), Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2020), and Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story (2023), all of which are available elsewhere, but not a part of any of the films’ releases. Also absent are additional alternate trailers; TV spots; radio spots; the longer TV version and workprint of Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare; the music video for A Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince (it’s time to acknowledge this one, Warner Bros.); additional behind-the-scenes footage and photos; stills of promotional items and ephemera; promotional videos; TV appearances; more deleted scenes from all of the films (if they still exist); the music videos for Into the Fire by Dokken, Anything, Anything by Dramarama, Love Kills by Vinnie Vincent Invasion, In the Flesh by Blondie, Heaven in the Backseat by Romeo’s Daughter, Livin’ in the Jungle by Schoolly D, and I’m Awake Now by the Goo Goo Dolls; footage from Fangoria’s Horror Hall of Fame II promoting Freddy’s Dead; footage from Freddy Krueger hosting MTV in 1987 and 1988; and the documentaries Elm Street U.S.A.: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Making of The Final Nightmare (1991), Slash & Burn: The Freddy Krueger Story (1991), Freddy Speaks (1992), Wes Craven: A Hollywood Nightmare (1994), and I Am Nancy (2011). There’s also lots of incidental material found in the Labyrinth section of The Nightmare Series Encyclopedia DVD that was a part of The Nightmare on Elm Street Collection DVD boxed set. Then there’s the matter of Freddy’s Nightmares, Freddy vs. Jason, and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), and any and all bonus materials associated with those films. (And I’m sure I’ve missed a few things.)

Needless to say, the extras massively leave something to be desired, but a pair of featurettes in which we briefly hear from some of the filmmakers today is at least appreciated. I have a feeling that only a company willing and able to sublicense the Nightmare series can work some bonus material magic on it. The video and audio presentations are mostly quite good, which is welcome news, but more needs to be done. The long wait for these films to appear on 4K Ultra HD is finally over, and while they’re not perfect, they’re still highly recommended for any film fan’s collection.

- Tim Salmons

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