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A Nightmare on Elm Street, a review by addicted2dvd

Title: A Nightmare on Elm Street Year: 1984 Director: Wes Craven Rating: R Length: 91 Min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English

Stars:
John Saxon
Ronee Blakley
Heather Langenkamp
Amanda Wyss
Nick Corri
Johnny Depp

Plot:
From modern horror master Wes Craven (Scream, Scream 2) comes a timeless shocker that remains the standard bearer for terror.

Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is having grisly nightmares. Something monstrous wants to kill her. Meanwhile, her high-school friends, who are having the very same dream, are being slaughtered in their sleep by the hideous fiend of their shared nightmare. When the police ignore her explanation, she herself must confront the killer in his shadowy realm.

Featuring John Saxon (Enter The Dragon) and Johnny Depp in his first starring role and mind-bending special effects, this horror classic gave birth to one of the most infamous undead villains in cinematic history. Reportedly naming Freddy Krueger after a kid who had bullied him in school, writer-director Craven hatches a shock-fest from hell that "goes straight to the heart of terror" (Seattle Times).

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Production Notes
DVD-ROM Content

My Thoughts:
I was going to save this movie for later in the marathon... but after watch the remake recently I jut couldn't shake the desire of watching the original. Now this is more like it... a better, more menacing Freddy. A likable Nancy... and an all around better feel of the movie. This first movie has always been my favorite in the franchise. Matter of fact... I would even say it is one of my favorite horror movies of all time! This has a couple actors in it that I am very familiar with. Of course there is a young Johnny Depp. And then there is Heather Langenkamp... who I remember well as one of the children on the sitcom Just the Ten of Us. While still sarcastic... in this one Freddy Krueger is played a bit more straight... as they didn't add as much comedy to the character as the later ones did.




Count:
Movie Count: 27
TV Ep. Count: 13
Other Count: 2
Time Started: 7:00am

(From Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2010 on October 9th, 2010)

Take Shelter, a review by Silence_of_Lambs

Summary:
Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father (Michael Shannon) questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.

My Thoughts:
This movie comes like a hard punch into the belly.

Don't want to say to much about the storyline, because this is too easily spoilered.
In fact there is not much happening in this film, it is more a very intense character-study (brilliantly delivered by Michael Shannon) of a man threatened by either the Apocalypse or mental insanity.

But the way how things do not happen is simply breathtaking, the pictures are of an enormous intensity and beauty.
The acting is of an intensity you don't often get to see nowadays.

Give it a try it's worth it.
The trailer already gives a good hint on the oppressive atmosphere of this film.


My Rating: (out of possible 5)



(From Michael's random reviews on October 31st, 2013)

Twilight Zone, a review by addicted2dvd

90. The Fugitive (3/9/62)
Old Ben is a fugitive from outer space with a heart of gold. He risks it all to help a crippled little girl - without fear that alien pursuers from his home planet will find them out!

My Thoughts:
This is one of the few episodes I have seen before. And it a good one... I enjoyed it very much. Attached to the end of this episode is a public service announcement asking your help to support the college of your choice. The only special feature added for this episode is an isolated score.

91. Little Girl Lost  (3/16/62)
A six-year-old girl who can be clearly heard, but not seen, has vanished into a fourth dimension and is trapped there while a hole between the two worlds rapidly closes...

My Thoughts:
This one on the other hand.... I never seen this episode. But it is an excellent episode! I enjoyed every second of it. This one will be ranked up probably in the top 10 favorites on what I seen so far. Attached to the end of this episode is a TV Spot for Gunsmoke. The only extra available for this episode is once again an isolated score.

92. Person or Persons Unknown  (3/23/62)
David Gurney (Richard Long) wakes up to find himself in a nightmare: no one - not even his wife or his mother - knows him, and all evidence of his identity has disappeared.

My Thoughts:
Going into this one I couldn't remember if I seen this one before or not. Turns out that this is one of the many that I have never seen. Though it is a very good episode. I enjoyed every minute of it. It is an interesting story. And I got to say... I really got a kick out  of  the ending.... sure I expected it... but it was the perfect ending to use on this story. Attached to the end of this episode is a public service announcement about not littering. The only extra available for this episode is once again an isolated score.

93. The Little People  (3/30/62)
Spaceship Commander Peter Craig (Joe Maross) declares himself a god when his ship lands on a planet populated by people smaller than ants. After he orders his co-pilot (Claude Akins) to leave, he learns the true nature of power.

My Thoughts:
Once again this is an episode I never seen.  It is a good episode... though not quite as good as the previous episode. But I must admit... I really liked the ending of this one... and for some strange reason I didn't see it coming. Attached to the end of this episode is a TV Spot for Gunsmoke. Extras added for this episode is a Marc Zicree interview with Buck Houghton and an isolated score.

94. Four O'Clock  (4/6/62)
Political fanatic Oliver Crangle (Theodore Bikel) has determined that at 4 p.m. he will eliminate all his enemies by shrinking them. But his plan proves to be a little shortsighted.

My Thoughts:
Going into this one I knew it was an episode I never seen before. This one I really didn't care much for. It was kinda boring really. And had an obvious ending. Attached to the end of this episode is a Public Service Announcement for the Red Cross. Extras added for this episode includes an isolated score and a Twilight Zone Radio Drama of this episode.

95. Hocus-Pocus and Frisby  (4/13/62)
Andy Devine is Frisby, a loud-mouthed braggart whose boasts attract the attention of aliens. Perhaps he should have read the story about the boy who cried wolf before embarking on his greatest adventure...

My Thoughts:
And yet another episode I never seen before. There is a familiar face in this episode. None other then "Floyd" form The Andy Griffith Show. Though he did have a small part. While better then the previous one... it is still not as good as most episodes. Attached to the end of this episode is a TV Spot for Gun Smoke. The only extra for this episode is an isolated score.

96. The Trade-Ins (4/20/62)
An elderly couple (Joseph Schildkraut & Alma Platt) visit the New Life Corporation, hoping to transplant their personalities into youthful artificial bodies. But they can only afford one.

My Thoughts:
What you know... one I actually have seen before. I was on a bit of a roll there for a while. But it is one I never cared too much for... never really cared for the storyline. Attached to the end of this episode is a public service announcement to get support for mental health programs. The only extra for this episode is an isolated score.

97. The Gift  (4/27/62)
An alien who crash-lands into a remote mountain village stirs up the villagers' fears and animosity, but he befriends a little boy and gives him a mysterious present.

My Thoughts:
And now we come back to one I never seen before. But unfortunately it is another one I really didn't care much for.I just found the story slow and boring. Though it is a story with a message. Attached to the end of this episode is TV Spot for Gunsmoke. The only extra listed with this episode is an isolated score.



Episodes I seen for the First time on this set include:

   1. Judgment Night (Episode 10)
   2. And When The Sky Was Opened (Episode 11)
   3. What You Need (Episode 12)
   4. I Shot an Arrow into the Air (Episode 15)
   5. The Hitch-Hiker (Episode 16)
   6. The Purple Testiment (Episode 19)
   7. Elegy (Episode 20)
   8. Mirror Image (Episode 21)
   9. A World of Difference (Episode 23)
  10. Long Live Walter Jameson (Episode 24)
  11. People Are Alike All Over (Episode 25)
  12. Execution (Episode 26)
  13. The Big Tall Wish (Episode 27)
  14. A Nice Place to Visit (Episode 28)
  15. Nightmare as a Child (Episode 29)
  16. The Chaser (Episode 31)
  17. Mr. Bevis (Episode 33)
  18. The Mighty Casey (Episode 35)
  19. A World of his Own (Episode 36)
  20. The Man in the Bottle (Episode 38)
  21. A Thing About Machines (Episode 40)
  22. The Howling Man (Episode 41)
  23. A Most Unusual Camera (Episode 46)
  24. Dust (Episode 48)
  25. Back There (Episode 49)
  26. The Whole Truth (Episode 50)
  27. Twenty-Two (Episode 53)
  28. The Odyssey of Flight 33 (Episode 54)
  29. Static (Episode 56)
  30. The Rip Van Winkle Caper (Episode 60)
  31. The Silence (Episode 61)
  32. Shadow Play (Episode 62)
  33. The Mind and the Matter (Episode 63)
  34. Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up (Episode 64)
  35. The Arrival (Episode 67)
  36. The Mirror (Episode 71)
  37. Still Valley (Episode 76)
  38. The Jungle (Episode 77)
  39. A Quality of Mercy (Episode 80)
  40. Dead Man's Shoes (Episode 83)
  41. The Hunt (Episode 84)
  42. A Piano in the House (Episode 87)
  43. Little Girl Lost (Episode 91)
  44. Person or Persons Unknown (Episode 92)
  45. The Little People (Episode 93)
  46. Four O'Clock (Episode 94)
  47. Hocus-Pocus and Frisby (Episode 95)
  48. The Gift (Episode 97)

(From Twilight Zone on March 29th, 2010)