While watching A Nightmare on Elm Street this weekend, I came to realize that it truly is one of, if not the greatest slasher movies ever made. The fact that it blends fantasy, by way of dream sequences, into the genre makes it something special. It becomes more than just another blade-wielding maniac slicing up teenagers. Freddy Krueger is a glove-knife-wielding maniac who slices teens up in their dreams! Freddy is one of the all-time great slasher villains, mix him with a tight script, some stellar direction from Wes Craven, and a few marvelous dream set pieces and you’ve got yourself a true classic. For its 40th anniversary, it is getting a brand new 4K UHD transfer and it looks absolutely fabulous. That easily makes it this week’s pick. Read my review.
Buy A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 4K UHDAlso out this week that looks interesting:
The Ring (4K UHD): The early 2000s saw a slew of American remakes of Japanese horror films. This is probably the best of them as it keeps the creepy tone of the original but successfully Americanizes it. Paramount is releasing a nice-looking steelbook of it in UHD.
The Project A Collection (4K UHD): 88 Films is bringing us a couple of Jackie Chan martial arts comedies in which he battles pirates at the turn of the 20th Century.
Pandora’s Box: The Criterion Collection is releasing this silent classic starring Louis Brooks as a sensual woman who inspires lust and violence in those around her.
Demon Pond: The Criterion Collection presents this Japanese folk tale about a mysterious pond inhabited by mythic creatures.
Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete Collection: I gave up on The Walking Dead somewhere in season two, and haven’t bothered with any of the spin-offs, but this one stars the great Kim Dicks and I might have to give it a chance sometime.
The Queen: The Complete Series: Award-winning drama that follows the life of Queen Elizabeth II across the decades. My wife and I have been meaning to watch this for ages.
