Episode 15 : A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Bonus episode time! And in celebration of Halloween, we wanted to stick to a classic horror film — Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). It’s the movie that revived the tired slasher genre of the 1980s with a pizza-faced, claw-wielding fiend named Fred Krueger. Nightmare made him a household name, spawned six sequels and influenced countless films after it. Non-stop merchandising for Nightmare still persists today, thus showing what a strong hold the film still has on the psyche of anyone who crosses Krueger’s path.

▶️ A Nightmare on Elm Street follows a group of kids being terrorized by the same murderous creeper in their dreams, Freddy Krueger. The film easily attacks the subconscious because there’s no physical way to escape these terrifying dreams. We’ll dive deeper into the dearly departed Wes Craven’s career and how he came up with Nightmare, some history of the film, the legacy of the franchise, Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp, as well as why Nightmare is still significant to the horror genre.

▶️ Both Picks of the Week were inspired by Wes Craven, of course. Justin goes for a surprisingly shocking, under-the-radar Craven film about black magic and living zombies, The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988). Lindsay revisits The People Under the Stairs (1991), a title you may remember, but have forgotten the sociopolitical element of eating the rich and disturbing humor under the surface.

▶️ For this extra special Episode 15, Lindsay and Justin are inspired to share their own worst nightmares. And who knows, maybe they have something in common!

▶️ What real-life person have both Billy and Nightmare’s Johnny Depp portrayed in separate movies? Although having a shared experience, Billy had a warning to give Depp for the future of his career. Find out the details in this weeks MurrayMoment!

▶️ No matter how dated it seems at times, the complexity of Nightmare’s story remains solid and deeper than ever expected, especially since it originated 30 years ago. It’s still a strong, smart film that never lets up. Our bonus episode this week is jam-packed with everything A Nightmare on Elm Street, so don’t. fall. asleep.