Episode 72. Sleeper Hit: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

Freddy Krueger may be the man of our dreams but what about his creator, the studio that sustained him, his victims and the 1980s? Andrea and Alex dive into their nightmares and beyond to explore the lasting effects of one of horror’s most beloved franchises.

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 Salem Horror Fest – Tickets to our live show on October 5th are on sale now!

REQUIRED READING

A Nightmare on Elm Street. Dir. Wes Craven, 1984.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. Dir. Jack Sholder, 1985.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. Dir. Chuck Russell, 1987.

EXTRA CREDIT

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. The four hour documentary that delves into the nooks and crannies of the Elm Street franchise.

The Faculty of Horror: Filmmaker Spotlight. Dreamweaver: Wes Craven (1939-2015). Our mini-episode on Wes Craven.

“Fairy Tales for the Apocalypse”: Wes Craven on the Horror Film. A 1985 interview with Craven on the state of horror films in America.

Wes Craven: Thinking Through Horror. A retrospective piece on Craven’s career after his passing.

The Monstrous Years: Teens, Slasher Films, and the Family. Pat Gill’s article on how the slasher film can be read as a reflection of the broken home.

How Did A Bunch Of Mythical Monsters Become Queer Icons? A look at the importance of reclaiming monsters.

The Singular Joy of the Dumb, Fun Slasher Movie Threequel. Wired’s look at the 1980s Horror Threequel cycle.

Uncover: The Village. CBC Podcast’s in-depth series on the Bruce McArthur case.

Robin Wood on the Horror Film: Collected Essays and Reviews. The collected horror-based writings of film critic Robin Wood. 

The Legal Industry for Kidnapping Teens. Vice’s look at the Troubled Teen Industry.

LISTEN

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2 thoughts on “Episode 72. Sleeper Hit: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

  1. Paul Dann says:

    Interestingly, print ads for Freddy’s Revenge were so centred on heterosexual romance that a New York Times display ad of 29/10/85 had to stress that the film was actually a horror movie by emphasising a review that confirmed: “This film is scary”.

  2. Timothy Yocum says:

    Here’s a “First time I saw” moment: My friends and I (age 9? 10? They didn’t check ages for rated R movies then) were dropped off to see “Dog Who Stopped the War”, a kiddie show at a small 1 screen theater, that showed 1 show during the week, and another on the weekend.

    Needless to say my friends were horrified and surprised when Freddy whipped out his glove and scraped the top of the bus! We ran out and asked what movie this was? Nightmare on Elm Street II. I was in heaven, my friends kept running to the bathroom!

    Dog Who Stopped the War was the weekend film!

    First modern horror movie I’d ever seen (I watched the classics on Friday night on an indie TV station in Western NY). And my love of horror movies was cemented.

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