New Nightmare (1994)

Director:

Wes Craven

Writers (WGA):

Wes Craven (characters)
Wes Craven (written by)

Release Date:

14 October 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Fantasy | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Dieses mal nützt es nichts wenn du wach bleibst. (This Time, staying awake won't save You)

Plot:

A demonic force has chosen Freddy Krueger as its portal to the real world. Can Heather play the part of Nancy one last time and trap the evil trying to enter our world?

Plot Keywords:

Fourth Wall | Gutting | 1990s | Cult Favorite | Blood Splatter

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Heather Langenkamp	...	Herself / Nancy Thompson
Robert Englund	...	Freddy Krueger / Himself
Miko Hughes	...	Dylan Porter
Wes Craven	...	Himself
John Saxon	...	Himself / Lt. Donald Thompson
Robert Shaye	...	Himself
Sara Risher	...	Herself
Marianne Maddalena	...	Herself
David Newsom	...	Chase Porter
Gretchen Oehler	...	Script Supervisor
Jeff Davis	...	Freddy's Hand Double (as Jeffrey John Davis)
Tracy Middendorf	...	Julie
Cully Fredricksen	...	Limo Driver
Matt Winston	...	Charles 'Chuck' Wilson
Bodhi Elfman	...	TV Studio P.A.

Also Known As:

A Nightmare on Elm Street 7: The Real Story (USA) (original script title)
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 7: Freddy's Finale (USA) (working title)
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 7: The Ascension (USA) (original script title)
The New Nightmare (USA) (working title)
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (USA) (complete title)

MPAA:

Rated R for explicit horror violence and gore, and for language.

Runtime:

112 min | Australia:107 min (video)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS-Stereo | DTS

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Germany:16 (cut) | South Korea:15 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Mexico:C | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | UK:15 (original rating) | UK:15 (video re-rating) (2004) | UK:18 (video rating) (1995) | USA:R (certificate #32809) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Wes Craven's daughter Jessica Craven appears as a nurse.

Goofs:

Continuity: At the hospital, when the babysitter is killed, the trail of blood changes between shots as Freddy drags her up the wall.

Quotes:

Freddy Krueger: Hey, Dillon... Ever play skin the cat?

Movie Connections:

References The Omen (1976)

Soundtrack:

Chase's Blues

9, 10, he's back again...

Genuinely interesting - if not completely scary - movie blends fiction and reality as several people associated with the "Nightmare" franchise play themselves, in a story in which actress Heather Langenkamp is being plagued by nightmares about the Freddy Krueger character. She gradually learns that the "Freddy Krueger" character has taken on a life of "his" own and is determined to punish the makers of the "Nightmare" series for killing him off in Part Six.

I'll say this for what writer / director Wes Craven has done - this is ambitious work that could legitimately claim to be more intelligent than standard slasher cinema. Like I said, I didn't find to be particularly scary (at least not for my tastes), but this doesn't rely on any standard slasher formula, and for once the characters aren't certifiable morons. The most amusing thing about the movie is watching various actors and executives play themselves, or at least versions of themselves. Miko Hughes, who plays Langenkamp's fictional son Dylan, is cute and a tolerable young actor - I've seen worse child actors in my time.

Best of all, "Freddy" has become a genuinely frightening bogeyman again instead of the joke he had become by Part Six.

7/10