Previous Film Reviews
One-Two this Re-watch is for you: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Still Delivers Chilling Brilliance
“Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep.”
It’s not often that a nearly 40-year-old horror film manages to feel fresh, frightening, and emotionally relevant—but Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) does just that. Experiencing this classic for the hundredth-ish time, I am still pleased not only by its unsettling scares, but by its layered themes, creative storytelling, and surprisingly modern heroine.
While many of its slasher-era contemporaries have aged into mere relics of a bygone genre, Elm Street endures—and even thrives—because it has something that most horror films don’t: vision.
Released in 1984, even though American culture seemed to love the thrill of the slasher horror movie, the genre has started to become a bit stale. By this time Friday the 13th had already released three films with no indication that it would be slowing down and Michael Meyers had already made two film appearances and was well on its way to having a cult-like following. Everyone was desperately looking for something fresh and, well, different.
Freddy Krueger: Horror’s Most Haunting Innovation
Enter Wes Craven and his unique ability to not only understand his own fears, but create new fears for others. When someone says “New fear unlocked”, I think Wes smiles down on us from above. Combining several terrifying memories from his childhood, Wes created the chilling concept of Freddy Kruger - and cemented his legacy in filmmaking (at least in my opinion).
To be fair, by the time Nightmare was released in 1984, Craven had already been associated with other classics The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, and Swamp Thing. But, nothing as genius as Nightmare.
And, lets face it. It doesn’t matter if you like the film franchise or not, it’s brilliant because the enemy isn’t hiding in the woods, in the closet, in the shrubs. No, Freddy comes to you in your dreams. Making all of your dreams Nightmares. Everyone has nightmares from time to time - it's just something that the brain thinks is a good idea (No, I don’t know why. No one really knows why we dream).
Freddy Krueger isn’t your typical masked killer. He’s smart, cruel, and charismatic in a grotesque way. What truly sets him apart is his domain—the dream world. Where do you go when the monster lives in your mind? You can’t escape sleep forever.
As a villain, Freddy still feels fresh. He’s more than a threat; he’s a metaphor for trauma, buried guilt, and generational sins that won’t stay hidden. His power stems not just from his claws, but from his victims’ fear—and that’s where the horror truly lands.
Nancy Thompson: A Final Girl Ahead of Her Time
In an era where many female leads in horror were passive screamers, Nancy Thompson stands tall as a blueprint for the intelligent, empowered Final Girl. Her journey from high school student to self-reliant warrior is one of the film’s best surprises.
Nancy doesn’t just survive—she strategizes. She sets traps. She researches. And ultimately, she defeats Freddy not with brute strength, but with bravery and resolve. Her ability to strip Freddy of his power by refusing to fear him feels almost revolutionary.
In 2025, audiences crave strong, complex heroines. Nancy fits perfectly into that mold, decades ahead of her time.
Visuals That Blur Reality and Nightmare
Despite its age, A Nightmare on Elm Street remains visually arresting. Practical effects, eerie dream logic, and surreal set pieces make for an unsettling viewing experience. From the unforgettable scene of Freddy stretching his arms in the alley, to the blood-geyser eruption from Johnny Depp’s bed, every moment is deliberately crafted to disorient and disturb.
Wes Craven uses cinematography and sound not just for jump scares, but to sustain dread. The line between dreams and reality blurs more with each scene—and by the end, you're not sure where safety begins or ends.
Horror With Depth
What elevates Elm Street beyond simple slasher fare is its thematic weight. At its core, this is a story about the failures of adults, the scars they leave behind, and the burdens their children are forced to bear. Freddy’s existence is the result of a vigilante act, covered up and forgotten—until it returns to haunt a new generation.
It’s a story about unacknowledged trauma—and that’s why it still resonates today.
Final Thoughts
Watching A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2025 is a reminder of what horror is capable of when it’s fueled by imagination and purpose. It’s scary, yes—but also smart, strange, and deeply human.
Whether you're a horror newcomer or a seasoned fan, this film deserves a fresh look. It’s not just a product of its time—it’s a warning that nightmares, like buried truths, don’t stay down for long.
Rating: 10/10
Still a nightmare worth dreaming.
Review: Nosferatu (2024) — A Lurid Lullaby of Gothic Dread
★★★★☆
Robert Eggers' Nosferatu is not just a remake—it’s a resurrection, and one performed with the care of an artist exhuming an ancient body for study, reverence, and fear. Drawing from the spectral bones of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent classic, this 2024 iteration breathes new (or undead) life into the vampire mythos with a brooding elegance that refuses to be rushed.
From the first frames, the film announces itself as something different. Eggers doesn't rely on jump scares or cheap thrills. Instead, he weaves dread slowly, like a fog crawling over cobblestone streets. Shot on 35mm by Jarin Blaschke, the cinematography evokes turn-of-the-century engravings—every image a painting, every shadow a whisper. The nearly monochrome palette isn't just a stylistic flourish; it’s a gateway into the film’s melancholic tone, as if the entire world is on the verge of withering under Count Orlok’s gaze.
And what a gaze it is. Bill Skarsgård’s performance as Orlok is nothing short of hypnotic. Hidden beneath layers of eerie prosthetics and yet strangely expressive, Skarsgård turns the vampire into a creature not only of hunger but of loneliness. He’s not a suave predator, but a plague—gaunt, grotesque, and mournful. The real revelation, however, is Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter. Her portrayal brims with a haunted resolve, giving Ellen the spine and sorrow of a woman carrying centuries of inherited fear and forgotten strength. Nicholas Hoult, as Thomas, grounds the narrative in quiet desperation, a man unraveling in a world he cannot comprehend.
Eggers leans heavily into the psychological, reimagining Orlok not simply as a monster but as a manifestation of forbidden desires, repressed grief, and unhealed trauma. Ellen’s descent into obsession—and eventual defiance—is more than a gothic trope; it’s a tragedy laced with agency. The horror comes not only from what Orlok is, but from what he awakens in others.
The score, composed by Robin Carolan, is another triumph. Rather than drenching the film in the typical orchestral shrieks of horror, it favors aching strings, funereal bells, and sonic textures that hum with unease. It’s less a soundtrack than a slow chant, a lullaby for the damned.
If Nosferatu falters, it's in its deliberate pace. Viewers accustomed to high-octane horror may find themselves restless. But for those willing to surrender to the film’s meditative rhythm, there are rewards in every frame. This is a movie that doesn’t tell you to be afraid—it trusts you’ll find the fear yourself, in the long silences, the candlelit corridors, the quiet cruelty of a glance.
There are also those who may wish Eggers had pushed harder, faster, or further into the depths of terror. But that misses the point. Nosferatu is not a scream; it's a murmur in the dark. It's the creak of an old coffin in your dreams, the scrape of something ancient beneath your floorboards.
Eggers has crafted a film that honors its source material while making bold artistic choices. It's not a crowd-pleaser, but a mood piece—an invitation to surrender to shadows. And for that, it earns a solid four stars.
Recommended for fans of slow-burn horror, classic vampire lore, and the kind of movie that lingers long after the credits crawl.
Rating: 8/10
Vampires are starting to become scary again.