Halloween is upon us, and this time I decided to dedicate this post to Freddy Krueger and his creator, Wes Craven who just recently passed away.
Craven first engaged us with his brilliant, on-the-dark side mind in 1984 with the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” film.
It was clear from this first movie, when Craven introduced us to Freddy, a monster with razor-sharp knife hands who come alive only in your dreams, that he was onto something great.
Set in the fictional town of Springwood, Ohio, the revolutionary concept the film introduced was the notion of a serial killer that was able to enter the dreams of his prey and kill them that way. If you die in your dream, you die in real life also.
There was a huge cast for this movie, including Robert Englund starring as Freddy, as well as the screen debut of Johnny Depp. Not only was the film revolutionary in the genre of horror films, but it was also a huge financial success created on a tiny budget that went on to earn in the tens of millions of dollars. Even to this day the movies continue to appease horror fans around the world, with generous profits rolling in.
The film is full of terrorizing scenes, conjured up from our deepest and darkest nightmares. Loved ones enjoying idyllic dream like scenes, only to be suddenly and shockingly twisted into horrific, bloody, violent nightmares. Gruesome death scenes of hideous proportions like you have never seen before permeate the screen, leaving you wondering how you will ever sleep peacefully again (perhaps with the help of Hypnocil?).
The film was among the first to be categorized as a slasher film. Freddy’s terrifying arsenal of blades, scissors, and other sharp weapons seems limited only by his imagination, which is as twisted and limitless and his black soul.
Only in the mind of a talent as twisted and demented as Craven could a film so traumatic be so entertaining.
The Nightmare on Elm Street series was a success and it wasn’t only on the big screen that the movie series was popular, many toys, books, video games, comic books, and a TV series were developed inspired by the movie.
As for me – I’m a huge fan of the Nightmare series. I have Freddy’s books, DVDs and I still have the movie tickets from the screening I went to back in the ’90s.
In 1988 I played the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ on my first PC. That time was actually was my first acquaintance with Freddy. The game was based on the third part of the movie series.
Your first mission is to find Freddy’s house on Elm street, but it’s pretty hard, because they do not have street signs in Springwood!
Once you’ll find his house, you’ll meet Sister Mary Helena (aka Freddy’s mom). She appears again throughout the game.
On the first floor of Freddy’s house you’ll fight off skeletons and try to avoid small fires. Not too difficult for a start, but as you go deeper and deeper into Freddy’s basement, the game starts to get very difficult (and that is why I’ve never reached the final level).
The “A Nightmare on Elm Street” series was, in my opinion, Wes Craven’s best work, and I’ll always remember him for his contribution to the horror world.
If you’ll look closely, you’ll also find some references to the “Nightmare on Elm st.” series in my own work:
Have you too been inspired by Craven to create something that will send chills up the spines of his fans? I’d love to hear your stories!
And remember, Whatever you do… don’t fall asleep! Muhahaha!
P.S. – Let me know if you would like to read more non-games-related posts like this.
Carmel games story writer and graphic designer
