Reviews (261)

A True Terror Classic
When the onslaught of 80's slasher films was in high gear, most ripping off "Halloween", and "Friday The 13th", there were hardly any original frights in the bunch. " A Nightmare On Ellm Street" came along and changed that. This movie, like "Psycho", and "Halloween" before it, and "Scream" after it, changed the world of horror. Good horror films can still happen. A bunch of kids are having nightmares of a ghastly looking killer with knives for fingers. Is he for real?. Will they die if they sleep?. That is such a great, ingenious premise. The movie has several heart pounding scenes that will leave you holding on to your seat. It's that good. Robert Englund, as Freddy Krueger, helped create one of the most memorable and incredible cinema villains of all time. The movie always has that eerie feel and pull of a horrible, sweat soaked nightmare. Wes Craven is truly a master. Heather Langenkamp, as the heroine Nancy, is one of the all time great Scream Queens. This movie is frightening. If you don't like it, you must be an alien. A brilliant, legendary classic. Don't fall asleep!.

One, two...Freddy's coming for you....
Horror films usually have the reputation as being mindless slasher movies filled with half-naked (and invariably stupid) bimbos. I mean just how many times can someone trip over nothing just to be slashed to bits by some masked axe/knife-wielding maniac? Is "Nightmare On Elm Street" an exception to this rule? In a word, YES!

Wes Craven's masterful creation known as Freddy Kruger is more than just a disgruntled maniac looking for sex starved teens. He is clever and dark and witty and horrifying and well, creepy as hell. There is actually a story line to this movie. Freddy was once an actual person...a monster in his own right, that was destroyed (burned to death, no less) by the good people on Elm Street. An eye for an eye? Well, Freddy's not finished yet...he re-emerges as a nightmare for Nancy, the daughter of one of the people who burned him years ago. Only Freddy's more than just a bad dream as Nancy (wonderfully played by Heather Langenkamp)and her friends (keep an eye out for a very young Johnny Depp) soon find out. He has gained power through their dreams and has very real consequences in the waking world.

Make no mistakes, this is a horror film, but the thinking person's horror film. You want to unravel the mystery of this creepy nightmarish figure that seemingly can do or become anything. Craven keeps it real, while managing to keep it fascinating...something few horror movies can claim. Freddy himself, is never really revealed or completely seen until the very end. This adds a great deal to the overall darkness of this movie. This film is gory but somehow that is not the focal point. It also explores the characters, especially Nancy, who emerges as the unlikely role-model/heroine.

"Nightmare On Elm Street" is a good flick, period. It is smart, clever, creative, witty, creepy, dark and down-right SCARY. Kudos to Wes Craven and his most-original masterpiece. Freddy is a force to be reckoned with!

Good night, Sleep tight, Don't let Freddy Kreuger bite!
I must say that this is by far the most...Incredible thing I have ever seen!!! A lot of people didn't approve of it(when I was 6 I didn't approve of it but more on that later.) Because this movie had a low body count.(Find out wich one did on www.freddyvsjason.com) But even thought the BC was low, the Blood Count was phenomenal. Remember the scene where whatsherface was wrapped in that sheet with blood all around it? what about when that dude got pulled through the bed?(I hate to admit it but to make a long story short I didn't sleep in my bed till the next time I saw it!) But I wont spoil the movie for you 'First Timers'. But If you are a first timer, watch this movie by yourself in the middle of the night, door locked, lights off, (And maybe some rubber pants and a blanket! If you think it's that scary) Good night, Sleep tight, Don't let Freddy Kreuger bite!

Freddy Krueger was the Boogeyman...
Wes Craven provided the final truly great film of his directorial career with A Nightmare On Elm St, initiating yet another successful horror franchise that deteriorated quickly but made Freddy Krueger a viable part of North American horror film iconography.
In this film, the teen residents of Elm St. are tormented by recurring nightmares of a razor fingered, fedora wearing maniac horribly scarred beyond recognition. When the teens begin to meet untimely and gruesome deaths, it would seem that their nightmares have become reality. Child molester and murderer Freddy Krueger has returned from the grave to wreak vengeance on the offspring of the vigilantes who burnt him alive many years previous.
The film benefits from a great cast of notable actors such as John Saxon (Black Christmas, Cannibal Apocalypse), Robert Englund (Eaten Alive, Tv's V mini-series) and a pre-stardom Johnny Depp (Donnie Brasco, Pirates of the Carribean). Heather Lagenkamp is also terrific as the main protagonist Nancy, who takes it upon herself to stop Krueger's murder spree. Lagenkamp would return in Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and Wes Craven's New Nightmare.
The film offers a surreal tone that consistently blurs the line between dream and reality making for a unique and terrifying experience, the viewer never knows what to expect, quite a departure from the usual predictable slasher film.
In Krueger, Craven and Englund have fashioned a completely hideous and unforgettable villain. Far removed from the ridiculous caricature that Krueger would later evolve into in the many sequels that followed.
The film will also please gore fans as a plethora of gruesome effects are employed that far surpass those in either Halloween or Friday The 13th. The murders are very imaginatively orchestrated and original.
A Nightmare on Elm St. is a fast paced and very effective horror film that deserves to be seen. Too bad the myriad sequels failed to live up to the promise of this first outing. After this Craven would move on to more mainstream material like the mega-failure Deadly Friend and the hugely successful teen horror parody Scream.

Revolutionary Modern Classic
Director Wes Craven was inspired by a series of newspaper articles to create "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Children were suffering terrible dreams and in desperation, told their parents they were frightened of dying. Then, one by one, the kids started inexplicably dropping away.

And what better foundation to create a horror film? Craven decided that his generation's horror films weren't up to snuff, and tended toward the "slasher" genre that was becoming very popular after the release of "Halloween." He upped the ante by attacking vulnerable young people the only place they felt safe: asleep.

This is an effective and unsettling idea, and is executed with masterly precision. Craven knows how to create suspense while building strong, endearing characters the audience will actually care for. The dream sequences are put together very well, and while the special effects seem dated as compared to today's high-budget Hollywood standards, it is perhaps their gritty, slimy quality that enhances the fright factor.

Overall, the acting is fairly decent. Johnny Depp isn't quite the Johnny Depp we know and love yet, so don't get moist in the panties when you see his name. Heather Langenkamp is convincing as the innocent, virginal girl caught in a web of parental lies and secret cover-ups. But it's Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger who steals the show. Later in the "Nightmare" series, Freddy became a comedic character, and all the scariness was lost. Sure, his face became more mangled, and his style of slaughter grew sophisticated and detailed, but the true allure of the Freddy character is portrayed only in this film.

"Nightmare" revolutionized the modern horror film, and brought science fiction and horror one step closer to each other. This allowed writers and directors to take more challenging projects and demand an imagination of their audience. Like all good things, though, Freddy was sucked in by Hollywood and New Line Cinemas and turned into an absolute joke. It wasn't until the final addition to the straight-up Freddy series, "Wes Craven's A New Nightmare" that the fright and creativity was redeemed, as once again Craven took it to the next level of horror and surreality.

Not only is Craven masterful in his directing, the film is an enjoyable hoot. It's a fun and scary journey into the black heart of a ruthless serial killer -- and cultural phenomenon -- you cannot escape. ... Read more

Description

Born the bastard son of a hundred maniacs, demented killer Freddy Krueger is back for fresh victims in this hallucinatory shocker co-written by original creator Wes Craven (Scream 1, 2 and 3). The last of the Elm Street kids are now in a psychiatric ward where Freddy haunts their dreams with unspeakable horrors. Their only hope is dream researcher and fellow survivor Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp of the original "Nightmare"), who helps them battle the supernatural psycho on his own hellish turf. ... Read more

Reviews (129)

One of the better installments of the series
After the waste that was Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Wes Craven returned to co-write this third installment (which thankfully ignores anything that happened in Part 2) with director Chuck Russell (The Scorpion King) at the helm. Here we are introduced to Kristen (Patricia Arquette) who is admitted in a mental institution with other teens who all share the same dreams of being stalked by a familiar razor clawed killer. An older Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp returning in her role from the original film) is now a dream specialist and she tries to help the kids, and the final solution is to enter the dream world and do something no one else has dared do: beat Freddy at his own game. Dream Warriors is one of the better installments of the series, and the return of Langenkamp and Craven as a co-writer are reasons why enough, but Russell's great direction helps elevate Dream Warriors above many of the other films in the series. My only problems are this is where Freddy began to pop out one liners and be funny, and while that is amusing itself for a while, it does get boring and Freddy just doesn't seem as scary after a while. Also, the film can be a bit cheesy at times, and don't even get me started on the theme song done by Dokken. Laurence Fishburne has a small role, and John Saxon has a brief returning role as Nancy's father. All in all, next to the original film and New Nightmare, Dream Warriors is the best in the series, but sadly most of the remaining films in the series would continue a downward trend.

Elm Street 3 delivers well designed sequel by series creator
After a lackluster 1st sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, attempts to take the series back to its roots. It has been an unmarked amount of time since part 2 and Freddy has returned since then to slaughter the children of the parents who murdered him. Our prime location changes, for the first time, from Nancy Thompson's house to an asylum full of kids who are scared to sleep. A new patient, Kristin Parker (played by Patricia Arquette) arrives and also dreams of a red and green sweatered man with knives for fingers. The doctors decide that all these kids need is a good night's rest and usually sedate them. Sadly, this leads to the children being unable to awaken fro their Freddy nightmares.

A suprise entrance by Nancy Thompson (played by Heather Langenkamp), who has not been seen since Elm Street 1, is a welcomed addition to this movie. Her past with Freddy adds immediate extra excitment to the film when the killer lays eyes on her and whispers only "... you..."

The film shows off group unity against Freddy instead of the usual kill-off-one-by-one formula. Another first for the series is the deaths become much more spectacular. And Freddy's darkness begins to fade in favor of quip one-liners.

Overall, I do not know exactly what Wes Craven's role in this movie was, but this sequel remains hailed as the best sequel in the series. A huge step up from part 2 indeed.

psycho therapy
a burnt up freak is nasty to look at and child murder is disgusting in the very least.at least theyre teens so its not quite as bad.the teens are in a asylum in this one and freddy comes to thier dreams to hack them up again.they explore dream powers and use them to ward off his attacks.if you let your kids under 12 at minimum watch this,someone should lock you up.even at 12,this is an abselute minimum.16 is far better.wes craven dreamt this one up.his movies-with the freddy exceptions-all suck!#3 is the best of them all!scary?not really.intense?you bet!a nurse chick takes off her top just before trying to kill one of the patients.she was really freddy who used the dudes wet nurse dream to lure him into a deadly trap.as with all the freddy flicks,all the male stars are losers and the chicks arefly by night hussies.the special effects rock in this one.there are 8 parts to this series now,the last one where freddy and jason went at it.who knows whats next.i thought up freddy vs jason in the mid 80s.hollywood is just so slow.

Three down... four to go
Sigh... it seems the further I delve into the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' movie series, the more underwhelmed by the 'scariness' of it all. Was this stuff really considered horrific when it first came out? Personally, I think it's more of an unintentional comedy, 'cuz I laugh most at the nightmare/death scenes, rather than get all shocked an grossed out by them.

On the upside, I found quite a few of the various deaths and gags shown here rather creative, if not particularly chilling. The blood-vessel-stringed marionette sleepwalk, the giant Freddy-worm tryin' to chow down on a potential victim, one little lady's "big break in TV", Freddy's syringe-finger attack, and the wheelchair-from-hell were some of the more entertaining pieces in this flick. I also kinda liked the return of a couple characters from the first 'Nightmare' to help out our little wacko-ward-imprisoned dream warriors. Might as well try to get the fans of the original flick to come on down to the 'Plex after the downright silliness of Part 2, heh. Speakin' of the dream warriors: another cool angle they threw in here was that of the heroine leading a group of teenagers against the main man to try & take him out once and for all-- which, judging from the subsequent sequels, was ultimately unsuccessful. Which reminds me of what that kid in 'Last Action Hero' said: "Ya can't die 'til the grosses go down!" And yes, I DO like 'Last Action Hero', thank you very much! And yes, I AM ashamed of this fact...

Also included-- with the help of a mysterious nun-- are a couple more revelations regarding the origin and back-story of everybody's fave undead Christmas-sweatered dreamland slasher, which judging from the films I've seen seems to be a standard gimmick they throw into each 'Nightmare' flick. Eh, I guess slow, incremental character development is better than no development at all, hmm? And I'm glad to see they improved Freddy's 'burn' makeup job, which looks a little bit better than the one in the first flick, and a LOT better than what I saw in part 2!

Following the closing credits featuring a little tune by 80s hair-metal group Dokken (remember that whole MTv "Rockin' with Dokken" dealy goin' on at the time this came out? No? Me neither), the VHS edition of this film includes a teaser trailer, and interview sessions with the various creative folks involved in the project. Ya know, the director, producer, writers, and such. I tried to watch this particular segment all the way through, but after five minutes of watching & listening to these guys prattling on about 'taking Freddy back to his roots' and other such pretentious pap, I rewound the tape and returned it immediately to the place I rented it from. Sheesh, and I thought those endless effects-laden 'traveling inside of V'Ger' scenes from 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' were tedious to sit through!

'Late

Best out of them all..!! -A clever script..!! -By Wes..
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: -Dream Warrior's.. -1987.
Is the best out of them all.. -But is no excuse too
ignore the zany Part 2. -Freddy's Revenge. -Executive
producer. -Wes Craven.. -No what he was going two do.. -Is two
deliver a power house bomb.. -So he did.. -With the

clever.. -Dream Warrior's. -I herd that Robert Englund
did a pitch.. -Which was; -"Welcome too Prime time..!
Bitch..!" -Great line.. -Mr. -Englund.. -I've also
enjoy the beginning sequence.. -Such as Kristen ho
gets two sleep.. -Wake's up in the yard of the old
Thompson House.. -Now decaying and Rotting.. -Kriten
here's scratching noise.. -Which is Freddy's own

Claw.. -Kristen walk's up two the house.. -What is
the best thing of this sequel.. -That we get the Elm
street children.. -Jump roping.. -Singing that 1, 2
Freddy's, -comming for you.."? -I loved that tone it
has.. -A lot better then what Jesse Walsh's
sister in her bedroom..!

I also love the scene where Kristen is running from

Freddy after a huge explosion in the furnace.. -As
we see the skulls of dead children.. -What a moment..!
that was.. -And, -finding the butchard children
hanging in his hellish room.. -Which has full of
them..! -Really creepy..!

Then Kristen wakes up a scream.. -Run's in the bathroom..?
she turns on the sink.. -As Freddy's arm pops up two
life.. -A memorable moment their..? -But their are a
lot of memorable moment's in the Mental Hospital..?

Such as the girl getting her head suck in the T.V.
Set.. -By the powerless evil Freddy..? -I've also enjoy
where the kid walk's like a puppeter at the begining of
the hospital..! -And Freddy make's him fall's too
his timely death..

Freddy soon know's how the kid's work on their power..?
but the kid's won't know how too defeat him.. -One by
one they die off.. -The kid's are not that smart..!
but Kristen.. -Joey and Kincaid survive two.. -A
Nightmare on Elm Street -4: -The Dream Master..

Though.. -This is a great script..! -We've have the
nune ho talk's about Freddy being raised up by his
1'000. -Maniac's.. -Which is my favorite thus far
from the movie.. -I've also enjoy the ending.. -Which
down right suck's.. -Such as Nancy being gutted by
Freddy..

Director.. -Chuck Russell give's us a strong movie.
and the music is differ from Part's, -1, -2..

But; -Dream Warrior's.. -Knew what it was doing..
It just want's two entertain us with it's own imagination.. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Wes Craven's horror pictures always have a few wild ideas knockingaround inside them, and this 1989 slashfest is no exception. The electrocution of a mass murderer turns into a kind of cosmic jump-start:evil Horace Pinker is reborn as an elusive electronic phantom, capable of leaping from one body to another. (This trick is also used to good effect in The Hidden and Fallen.) Pinker's a stinker, and Craven was clearly trying to set up another franchise villain in the vein of his Nightmare on Elm Street champ, Freddy Krueger--perhaps a bit too baldly. However, amidst the mayhem, the film's real subject is the poisonous presence of mass media, as Pinker (played by The X-Files' Mitch Pileggi)insinuates himself as a free-floating spirit run amok in television itself. In its own pulp way, Shocker gets at the heart of media-culture inanity quicker than a ten-week college class on the subject, and although Craven occasionally lapses into generic bloodletting, he always snaps right back with some crazy angle on the TV nation. The hero is played by a young Peter Berg, the Chicago Hope star who would go on to direct his own shocker, Very Bad Things. Shocker failed to catch on with audiences (somewhere there's a warehouse full of unsold Horace Pinker action figures), but it's definitely worth a look for horror fans. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (31)

The Movie Isnt As The Name Says!!!!
Even with the title SHOCKER, it has nothing to do with the rating of the film! I like it. Sure, it's not the best thing Wes Craven has done, and it's very hard to scare me at all, and nothign about this film is scary to me, probably not to anyone else either. But I think it is a pretty cool movie.

Horace Pinker I think his name is? Is played by the bauld guy from X-Files (Skinner) who is a phychopath, killing not just people but entire fammilys, and some how a kid is having dreams of seeing him doing the murders, and eventualy helps in the capture and arrest of Horace.

But Horace has made a pact with the devil or somthing? and when Horace is sent to the electric chair, it dont kill him. Horace becomes a ....well, a spirit type/electrical/ghostly kind of monster who has the ability to jump into other peoples bodys! Which pre-dates that idea in "Jason goes to hell" But the cool stuff is the FX, there not super great, but there fun to watch as Horace is able to get into TV's and shows and things. I really think it's a pretty funny horror-ry/comedy.

It probably wont be for all tastes, I really like the soundtrack in the movie too. bit of Hard Rock and Metal went pretty good with it. I'm not sure if i'd recomend it to you or not? If you havent seen it, and happen to see it , then I urge you to consider giving it a glance.... But I guess it depends on everyones personal likes and dislikes really.

The bonus features are nothing to praise. Just some production notes, biographies, and trailers... be cool if there was some deleted scenes or somthing? even an Audio commentary maybe? But if you wanna see a slahery kind of flick that isnt just a mistery guy walking around cutting people up, and want to venture to a funny sort of wacko who becomes an electrical ghost type of guy, then give it a rent if you can find it?

Not Craven's best, but worth a look
This 1989 horror flick directed by Wes Craven (Last House on the Left, Hills Have Eyes, Nightmare on Elm Street) is far from Craven's finest hour, but it is still worth a look for horror fans. The story revolves around a serial killer (Mitch Pileggi, Skinner from The X-Files) who is re-born as a spiritual, electrical force which can jump from one body to another. His target: a young athlete (Peter Berg from TV's Chicago Hope and the director of The Rundown) who shares a link with the killer. Full of uneven pacing and more than a few loose ends, Shocker still manages to be entertaining despite it's faults, and thanks to the oddball, colorful casting and Craven's directing, Shocker avoids being the piece of horror shlock it seemed destined to be. The film is backed by a rocking metal soundtrack, highlighted by Megadeth's headbanging cover of Alice Cooper's "No More Mr. Nice Guy".

Entertainment for the retarded
I remember seeing this film in theaters way back in the day. I laughed then. I saw it recently at a friend's house and can't believe Wes Craven's career didn't end with this schlock. I don't know what kind of movie this was meant to be. It was too lame to be scary and too stupid to be funny. Running from an 'electronic phantom' through scenes from 'Leave it to Beaver' is enough to make you roll your eyes in disbelief. But diving through a camera lense to end the movie is rock bottom. Wes Craven has had hiots and misses in his long career. Of all his films, this is somewhere at the bottom.

Awsome 80's horror flick. Loads of fun & great music score!
Whenever I see a film that's lots of fun but reletivly obscure I feel kind of sad, in a way, as I feel such a film deserves better recognition. That's how I felt when I saw this film. It was Wes Craven's attempt to create a new horror movie franchise as he did with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, with Horrace Pinker, a very Freddy Kruger-esque villian. Since everyone, even people who never watch horror movies, have heard of Freddy Kruger but Horrace Pinker is a much more obscure name, this film failed to catch on. That does make me sad, in a way, but then again if this movie had been a hit like ELM STREET was, they probably would have made a slew of sequels and Pinker would have become every bit as invincible as Freddy. I've always felt a sense of hopelessness when I'm watching a slasher movie series and the undead killer keeps coming back to life. Much as I do love this movie, I appreciate the fact that, from a story telling perspective, this is a stand-alone film.

Ahem. Anyway, the plot: Horrace Pinker is a T.V. repairman by day, serial killer of whole families by night. He also walks with a limp (we find out later in the movie why that is). High school football player Jonathan seems unconnected to all this, until he has a dream where Pinker murders his family, and then finds out that it has really happened, leaving only Jon and his police leutenant foster dad left. Jonathan's dreams lead police to finding out the killer's identity, but that doesn't save Jon's girlfriend Allison, whom Pinker later kills. Finally Pinker is captured and sentanced to death by electric chair...and the film's second act begins. You see, Pinker practices black magic, and after his execution he becomes an evil spirit with the ability to jump into other people's bodies...

I love pretty much everything about this movie. It's got an awsome 80's metal sountrack that you can really bang your head to, some really cool kill scenes and gore (the lip-chewing scene is probably the most shocking thing in the film) the killer is certainly Freddy-like in many ways, yet still different, in that he invades people bodies rather than their dreams. The good characters are also interesting enough and easy to root for. I especially liked the bit where Allison's ghost comes back to warn him that Pinker may be dead but isn't gone. I also like the thing where Pinker practices black magic, thus giving us an explanation as to how he's able to come back after death; Freddy was able to, apparently, just because he wanted to badly enough. I love the film's climax, and one other thing.

(WARNING! MAJOR PLOT SPOILER!)

I like how this film DOESN'T have one of those "Oh my God the killer/evil spirit's STILL ALIVE!" endings. Pinker is vanquished at the end, and since there were never any sequels, we know he's been permenantly laid to rest. If you like horror movies check this one out!

An underrated classic!
Wes Craven's renown for many of his classic horror films, but Shocker is one of his better movies, despite getting little accord from most critics. It's got great thrills throughout, especially considering that the psychotic Horace Pinker (played by then-unknown Mitch Pileggi) can transform his spirit into other people to do his bidding, including at one unnerving point a police officer. This is a horror film for sure, but there are also some elements of dark humor thrown in for good measure. As if Pinker's unhinged persona wasn't a captivating proposition enough, "Shocker" even features cameos by Timothy Leary, Eugene Chadbourne (of underground band Shockabilly, oddly enough) and the godlike John Tesh. I couldn't ask for much more than that.

The budget for this film, in retrospect, does appear to have been somewhat low, but it only enhances the experience, giving it a street-level power. It's like comparing a lean 1980s Megadeth album to a one of the more recent, bloated Metallica albums. (Speaking of which, Megadeth offers up a pretty rocking rendition of an Alice Cooper song in the soundtrack; Iggy Pop and Paul Stanley contribute some songs as well.) Those high-production 1990s weren't a very good time for horror films anyway. Although this is an oversimplification, consider "Shocker" to be an indie-ish alternative to the glossy self-consciousness that's marred the horror genre of late. It should also be noted that the 1998 movie "Fallen" lifted more than one plot device from this film, so it's not like this film went unnoticed upon release. I'd definitely recommend that you buy "Shocker," or, if you're unsure, at the very least rent it. You will then know your destiny. ... Read more

Description

Writer/director Wes Craven (Scream 1, 2 and 3) returns to the darkest shadows of Elm Street in the seventh film in the Freddy Krueger series. Winner of a Golden Scroll for Outstanding Achievement from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror, this spine-tingling tale reunites original Nightmare stars Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon as "reel" Freddy invades the real world, with deadly results. But don't worry, Freddy fans. It's only a movie...or is it? ... Read more

Reviews (128)

Very good!
This is very original, with the original Wes Craven spice. This enters when Heather is working on the seventh Freddy Kruegar movie with Robert Englund (who plays himself and Freddy Kruegar) and Wes Craven, when Freddy is trying to reach into the real world by Heather's son. She then tries to stop Freddy once and for all, before he kills again. Very good, very scary. Rated R for violence-related gore and language.

Gee, I wonder where he got the idea for Scream 3 from....
Don't get me wrong, this is a great movie and all, but it just can't compare to the predecessors. Even the ones that came after the original still were better than this one. At the times when I would expect someone to die, they didn't. In the past, just about everyone in the movie died except for maybe one person. In this everyone lived excpet maybe one person. It was a massive disappointment. I think he could have done a better job of ending the series. Plus it just shows how unoriginal Wes Cravens Scream3 is. It is pretty much the same idea. Movie on a movie set. Yawn. It could have been better.....so much better.

really great
this one is probably the best of them all.when i was about to get this movie i thought it would have like a whole lot of violence like the 2nd-6th.but it didnt.but whenever heather langenkamp's son,Miko Hughs,came in the movie just got kinda......cheesy.cause the kid dont know how to act at all.but other than that the movie was cool

Very Original!
As a new Nightmare movie is being made, actress Heather Langenkamp finds herself being stalked by "Freddy Krueger". Weird things start to happen when "Freddy" tries to leap from the movie, to the real world.

The idea for the movie is very original, because the setting is set in the "real world". In this movie, Freddy gets a new look, and the way it ended leaves a possible sequel. If you don't know what Robert Englund (he plays Freddy Krueger) looks like without the make-up, go see this movie!

Definitely the best since the first
A wonderfully done film with great performances by Heather Langenkamp and Miko Hughes. Miko Hughes performance sent chills down my spine. I can not believe this the same young actor who had an reoccuring role on Full House, one of the worst TV series ever. He is up there with Haley Joel Osment and Elijah Wood for great young actors. Heather Langenkamp pulls of the role to a "T". Her nightmares and the confusion they are causing between the lines of reality and dreams is something she has obviously done before, but she is more believeable now. The most chilling scene is when Miko Hughes, who plays Dylan, attacks his Mother, Heather Langenkamp, with his own version of Freddy's glove. In my opinion if a kid can pull off doing such a role, they cause more chills than adults, because in these kind of films you expect it to be an adult. Truly, a well crafted film, one of Craven's best. GRADE: A- ... Read more

Amazon.com

A gore-happy "greatest horror hits" party disc, Boogeymen is a funky and somewhat baffling collection of contemporary horror movie madmen for the Scream generation. Seventeen serial killers and homicidal maniacs are represented in brief but complete scenes, from the classic (Psycho's Norman Bates and Michael Myers from Halloween) to the curious (unknown New Zealand thriller The Ugly) to the preposterous (Wishmaster, Leprechaun, and Corbin Bernsen as The Dentist). Skewed for the video-age horror buff, this is a survey for the children of Freddie Krueger and Jason Voorhees who like their thrillers thick with blood and body parts. Where this scream-a-thon shines is in its presentation: the slickly engineered interactive DVD features optional Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund commentary, playful pop-up "FlixFacts" trivia, trailers, quizzes, and bite-sized character bios, all accessed from snazzy, smooth, easy-to-navigate animated menus. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (136)

Good For A Rent, But Not To Buy!!
Boogeymen The Killer Compilation seemed like a very cool idea to me, at first. I agree with another reviewer who stated that there should have been about 90 or 100 minutes of horror scenes. This movie (if that's what you call it) is only 58 minutes, less than one hour!! Some clips were great (A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and some were the worst movies of all time (The Guardian, Lepracaun). But I can not say I did not enjoy watching this the first time. It was cool seeing certain scenes from movies, and some I'd never even seen before! I quickley rented The Dentist after watching a clip from it on this. Wow, was The Dentist scary! Really, very freaky stuff. Other movies I just wanted to skip (The Guardian again, Leprecaun again). I'm really not sure what to say about this disk. I did feel quite dissipointed whwn I finished it. The clip of Jason (from Jason Goes To Hell The Final Friday) was not cool, mainly because Mr. Voorhees didn't slash anyone. The scene is where he chases that chick who's really an FBI agent. I felt they should have included a scene from Friday The 13th Part 3:3D instead. It'd be really cool to show that scene where he first gets his hockey mask, and shoots that girl, Vera, in the eye with a speargun. That's my favorite scene from the whole series. I was dissipointed with the Halloween clip as well. It was NOT widescreen. Halloween is a movie that MUST be viewed in widescreen to get the full effect. But this is ugly old Cropped format. I enjoyed the clip for Nightmare On Elm Street (where the clip was in widescreen). I also liked the clip for Phantasm. But, I felt that they could have removed I Know What You Did Last Summer for something like Evil Dead, maybe. I expected more like, MANY scenes from these movies, or from the whole series of movies. As for extras, dissipointment. Robert Englund's commentary was cool, but I was super duper hoping for a trailer for Jason Goes To Hell. Not here! And, no Nightmare On Elm Street trailer, Scream trailer, or a few others. Most of the trailers are for the bad movies. The "Name That Frame" game is OK, except it doesn't work on my TV. The "Flixfacts Animated Trivia" is not to interesting, basically just stuff we all know (like Brad Dourif is the voice of Chucky). For DVD Rom you get a pretty easy trivia game, and some sound files, or something. But, that's basically it. So, all in all, I do not recommend that you buy this disk. Rent it. It only takes a few hours (not THREE, as the cover says) to get through everything, and then you'll say "Why'd I buy that?"

If you found my review helpful, please be sure and give me a vote. Thank you very much.

alright
this movie was alright, i wacted it twice. the quiz on the dvd is pretty good. they might make a squel with some thats on here and ones such as pumkinhead, the headless hourseman etc. if you like horror rent it, buy it. but if you don't then don't wast your time.

THE ULTIMATE SELECTION OF KILLERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This film gives us fans a look at horror movie villians.
There is Jason Voorhees, Wishmaster, Freddy Krueger, Chucky, Michael Myers, and More!!!!!

It shows a little skit from each movie and tells you the whole bio on the slasher you like!!!
The DVD also has commentary by Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger).
And Theatrical Trailers for most of the films!!!!!
ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

boogeymen
I LIKED THE MOVIE ALOT, IT HAS PLENTY OF MOVIE SCENES AND THEY WERE ALL PRETTY GOOD, SOME OF THEM WERE EXCELLENT! SO WHOEVER IS READING THIS GO OUT AND BUY THE MOVIE, IT HAS PLENTY OF FUN STUFF LIKE TRIVIA GAMES AND SPECAIL COMMENTARY WITH ROBERT ENGLUND "FREDDY KRUEGAR" IT IS VERY CHEAP, $ 15.99 AND IS PACKED WITH IFORMATION I GIVE IT ***** FIVE STARS.

It wasn't hat I expected in length or quality!Cheesy!
Sure,It looks cool but looks aren't everything!Jason,Micheal,you
know!It was scenes from movies I have seen or have!I only havent
seen the Ugly and I don't want to!I have all the Freddys and Hellraisers!If you expect them fighting in a feature lenghth film wait until August 15,2003 for Freddy Vs. Jason! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

THE FOREVER CINEMATIC BEACH BOY
Michael Dudikoff is one of those guys who will always look like a beachboy, even when he's in his seventies. Handsome in that Californian way, Dudikoff has managed to stay fit and trim and a likeable hero. FUGITIVE MIND breaks no new territory in plot line or suspense, but it's a passable mind control pic.
Dudikoff plays Robert Dean, a happily married man with a lovely adoring wife (played stonefaced by Michele Greene). However, he has horrifying nightmares in which he is obviously going to kill someone. This someone turns out to be David Hedison who plays a senator about to expose the government-sponsored agency that is dealing with cloning experiments. A myriad type plot begins and while it sometimes becomes confusing, we are exposed to the real idea of the plot. Seems Dudikoff is not who he thinks he is and once he runs into former lovelady Heather Langenkamp (Nightmare on Elm Street), he finds out the truth. Along for the ride are a surprisingly plump Gil Gerard as a private investigator; Barry Newman as the doctor behind the mess; Gabriel Dell as a young doctor who exposes the plot; and Ian Ogilvy as the heinous perpetrator of the experiment. Add Chick Vennara as the senator's duplicitous aide and you have the ingredients for this direct to video scifi thriller.
Not a great film but an adequate time passer.

suspensfull, unpredicatble, intellagent,...anything else?
First of, I don't believe this movie is getting such a hard time in reviews. I thought it was very good.
Although Michael Dudikoff is the dominent lead I think Heather Langenkamp stole the movie. And this is the only reason I bought this, because of her. Because of her roles as Nancy in the Nightmare on elm street movies. For a Heather fan this is a true gem! But I discovered even more reasons to like this.
The scientifical intellagence, the suspensfull unpreciatble storyline, the action and everything in between. I was on edge throught it trying to understand as it had a complex and clever story line! It kept you watching!
This movie has made me a Michael Dudikoff fan also.
This could had been a masterpiece but instead is in comferbale position of the best straight to video movie ever. ALTHOUGH, it did actually get a limited theatrical release in the USA and Canada. Remember that!
But it does have some bad qualities. Heather and Michael were great leading roles, but some of the other actors. The acting was weak from some.
In my oppinion this movie does not deliver the sci-fi good of "aliens" or "terminator" but is a damm good sci-fi flick that is worth the buy!
Given a international release this could had been a international hit but unfortunatly is relitivly unkown accross Europe.
It does lack in places. But if your a fan of the lead actors and like a bit of science mixed with action, do buy this film!

I give this movie a solid 8 out of 10

Sci Fi Chiller without the Sci Fi
"Fugitive Mind" was produced for Canadian TV and recently released in the US as a feature-length movie. A company named GENCOM has reprogrammed the mind of one of its employees (Michael Dudikoff) to kill a political figure. With the help of his girlfriend (Heather Langenkamp), Robert must fight to regain his lost personality and stop GENCOM before it is too late.This movie is bad... poor scripting, bad acting and virutally no science fiction aspects, despite this being a sci-fi movie. I only bought it because I am a Heather Langenkamp fan (she was in the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street"), but all others should stay away.Also stars Michele Green ("The Unborn II") and Gil Gerard.

Average Thriller
Fugitive Mind is about a man, who was part of mind controlling experiments. One day he awakes to find the life as he knows it were nothing more than memories inplanted to him. Nice plot for a TV movie. Dudikoff shows again he can act. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Female Terminator
We have some sort of female Terminator here - who resurrected after death. The storyline is somewhat ok, but sometimes it makes a little awkward impression. If you just like to see a rather entertaining action movie, this one will do.

dvd
the movie factoids just names the cast and crew,and a short bio and filmography of richard grieco. the making of is 4 min 51 sec long and contains clips from the howard stern show and entertainment tonight. unless you really love this movie i would suggest the vhs over the dvd.

little unknown action gem
A low budget b movie, but is accually quite good. Basis is similair to a female RoboCop kinda concept, but The Demolitionist (Nicole Eggart) is not a robot, but a murdered vop, who's body is kept alive by a scientific enhanse plasma that has replaced her blood. Quite good. Action fans will like it.

dumb, dumb, dumb
This is a tired old rehash of Robocop, with not enough action, and not enough plot. The dumbest thing is that the heroine, who has been reanimated against her will, chooses to die near the end, but is in the next scene inexplicably seen putting flowers on her grave. Anything for a happy ending.

Kurtzman a good make up artist, but not so good director.
Robert Kurtzman, Horror make up extrodinare, (From Dusk Till Dawn)did this movie on the cheap. REAL CHEAP. And if it were not for the bad screenplay and some lousy performances, we could have had gem (action movie wise. But as it turns out, it is just another B Grade action exploitation flick with bad lines and lousy acting to boot (CROW 2 anyone?)

An interesting take on the formulaetic story following the Batman \ ROBOCop Comic book style that doesn't break new ground, but is has some interesting in jokes (Inmates reading "FANGORA" magazine, Jack Nance as a priest, etc.)

If Nicole Eggert had a good script with good lines, this would have been an almost original character. How it happens, however, She is just another mundane superhero with big guns and a cool bike. Great costume and sets though.

If George Clooney played the bad guy and Quentin Tarantino gave the script a once over, it may have been a better flick. But I am a mere movie geek, so I am dreaming here.

To sum up, this movie deserves kudos for being made on the budget it was given, but the script and actors (Nicole Eggert and Jack Nance not included) drag the movie through the mud. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Two Best.
If you're like me, you found the annoying, over-publicized, wisecracking Freddy Krueger of the "Nightmare" sequels truly embarassing, Apparantly so did Wes Craven. After directing the absoloutly brilliant original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984), he finally eturned to the series ten years later to right what was wrong and give Freddy a proper burial in the ingenius "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" (1994). After the completely pitiful, direct-to-video 'quality' of "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" (1991), Craven proved that horror can be artistic and scary, as well as pack a major punch. Both the original and "New Nightmare" stand as a testament to this. Craven changed the face of horror with the original by introducing a villian you couldn't escape from. Fred Krueger haunted your subconcious mind, stalking you through dark dreams until you were dead in real life. None of the subsequent sequels recognized the genius of the film, and assumed that all the audience wanted to see was bloody murder and cheesy jokes. then came "New Nightmare" to get the series back on track. Smart and scary, the movie reunited most of the cast of the original "Nightmare" as well as the producers and makers of the whole series ina wacky and twisted plotline in which Freddy is a real force kept quiet by capture in the films, but now that the films have ended, he's back. Both of these films are smart and scary, and get 100% recommendation from me, unlike the tawdry sequels.

As usual for New Line Cinema, the quality of these DVDs is very, very high. The grain that inhabited all previous version of part 1 is totally absent now, and the darkness of the dream sequences can be realized like never before. "New Nightmare," being the most recent, of course looks great, and also features one of the most heartpounding 5.1 soundtracks ever. Both films contain excellent, in-depth commentaries from Craven and the crew. These both shed a lot of light on the making-of and intentions of both films. Press biographies for the cast and crew is also available on both of these discs. Also, don't miss the fun theatrical trailers, especially "New Nightmare," which continues the 'film-within-a-film' idea of the movie.

This set gets my highest recommendation. You get both of the best "Nightmare" films without being attacked by the horrible sequels. *****

Do not be fooled!
Buying these two DVDs together as they have done it does not give you a good deal or save you money; you actually pay 42 cents more than what you would pay if you would just order them separately! I know it is not that much money difference, but I do not like the way that act as if it is a "deal," when you are actually paying a little bit more. Normally, I am fine with Amazon, but because of this simple fact, I took my business elsewhere to buy these two films.

The Nightmare comes to Life
New Line Cinema took a new direction from the old Nightmare series by literally bringing Freddy out of the screen. Krueger comes to life to stalk actress Heather Langenkamp having been laid dormant in the unproductive Nightmare Series for too long.

Wes makes a daring and successful attempt to resurrect Freddy. He returns the demon to his dark and humourless self giving him a terrifying new "shadowy" look. He furthermore blurs the line between reality and fiction bringing the slasher into the very world that is suppose to be our sanctuary.

With a palette of special effects, Freddy returns to the claw abandoning his creative murders in exchange for the "catch and slash" Nightmare was originally famous for. Fans of the saga must be willing to accept this long-winded, stand-alone film at its newest angle and embrace the post-modernism. For those looking for another addition to the series, I'd recommend Freddy vs Jason. ... Read more