A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K UHD review: Dir. Wes Craven

Just when you thought it was safe to dream again, A Nightmare on Elm Street comes to 4K UHD in time for Halloween.

Just when you thought it was safe to dream again, A Nightmare on Elm Street returns with a new 4K UHD release from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, giving us the opportunity to revisit the hugely popular supernatural slasher film that kick-started a whole franchise of sequels, reboots, crossovers and a TV series.

With this year marking 40^th anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm Street, it’s never been a better time to stay awake…

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K UHD (Standard Edition)

Can your nightmares be fatal? In this classic of the horror film genre that launched a movie franchise, a hideously scarred man who was murdered by a lynch mob returns years later in the terrifying nightmares of his killer’s teenage children… and the dreaming teenagers are starting to die in their sleep.

This was my first time watching A Nightmare on Elm Street, although I was familiar with all of the iconic moments, such as Freddy’s hand reaching up in the bathtub, the extending arms and Nancy’s reminder “whatever you do…don’t fall asleep”. It’s immediately clear why Freddy Krueger became such such a memorable horror villain, combining Robert Englund‘s chilling performance alongside the spectacular make-up and infamous razor glove. Writer-director Wes Craven wisely ensures that Freddy remains in the shadows, becoming a chilling presence throughout much of the film even when he doesn’t appear on-screen (what some could call the Jaws effect). Heather Langenkamp (Nancy), Amanda Wyss (Tina), Nick Corri (Rod Lane) and Johnny Depp (Glen) are all excellent in the lead teen roles, although the ‘adults’ seem admittedly less invested in the slasher material. Freddy’s backstory is reduced to a slightly stilted monologue from Nancy’s mother which sets up a theme about generational trauma that the rest of the film never quite capitalises on.

One of the best touches in A Nightmare on Elm Street is the way Craven’s screenplay sets up Tina as its main protagonist (via a chilling prologue dream sequence) before Kreuger murders her in a truly grisly fashion, at which point her friend Nancy takes over in the ‘final girl’ role. It’s great to see Nancy take an active role in trying to stop Freddy, even if the final act becomes a bit slapstick at points, while the ambiguous ending concludes the film on a spine-tingling note. There’s a couple of really great jump-scares peppered throughout the film, and the use of some terrific practical effects means that the visuals hold up incredibly well 40 years later.

This new 4K UHD disc release from Warner Bros features a brand-new 4K remaster and HDR10 grade on both the theatrical and uncut versions of the film (with the latter including 8 seconds of additional unrated footage). It’s a very detailed image, with the HDR grade enhancing Jacques Haitkin‘s shadowy cinematography, although there are signs of DNR (Digital Noise Reduction) applied, reducing the film grain quite a bit. Purists may not be happy with just how ‘clean’ the image looks – especially for something made in 1984 – although your personal taste will vary. The new Dolby Atmos sound mix is incredibly immersive though, further adding to the film’s atmosphere. If you have a surround-sound set-up at home, or if you can see the film at the cinema, it really adds to the overall experience.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K UHD (Steelbook Edition)

Special Features

All of the special features have been carried over from previous releases and are available on the 4K disc (there’s no remastered Blu-ray disc included in the standard edition).

Ready Freddy Focus Points
Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronnie Blakely, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher.
Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin.
Alternate endings
The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
Never Sleep Again: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K UHD (Collector's Edition)

All in all, this 4K UHD release of A Nightmare on Elm Street is a great way to revisit the film if you’ve seen it before, or if you’re watching it for the first time like me, it’s a fantastic opportunity to experience an iconic slice of horror cinema. The new 4K remaster is good, although the DNR implementation is a little disappointing, while the new Atmos mix is brilliant, and all of the extras have been carried over.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is available on 4K UHD in a standard edition, a steelbook edition (exclusive to Zavvi in the UK) and a collector’s edition (including the film on 4K UHD & Blu-ray, the aforementioned steelbook, a rigid slipcase, double-sided poster, art cards, booklet and numbered element).