A Nightmare on Elm Street (Infinifilm Edition)

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Product Description ------------------- Nightmare On Elm Street, A: Special Edition (Dbl DVD) ]]> Set Contains: ------------- Though a barrage of inferior sequels and ceaseless marketing has somewhat dulled Freddy Krueger's menace, the subconscious-stalking slasher fiend was never more frightening than in writer-director Wes (Scream, The Hills Have Eyes) Craven's original Nightmare on Elm Street feature, which has been bolstered by fresh supplemental content in this new two-disc set. Played to the hilt by character actor Robert Englund (who's still enjoying his status as Hollywood's King Boogeyman in films like 2001 Maniacs), Krueger was a diabolically novel movie villain, a pitiless child murderer who pursued the offspring of the parents who killed him through their dreams, and butchering them with a horrific -fingered glove whose wounds would be inflicted in the waking world as well as in their . Craven's mix of suspense, gore, and surrealism struck a major chord with audiences in 1984, which lead to a lengthy Freddy franchise and the elevation of parent company New Line Cinema from second-tier distribution house to major Hollywood studio. It also helped establish Craven as one of horror's most dependable (and profitable) filmmakers, and gave a first-time actor named Johnny Depp a memorable debut as the boyfriend of embattled heroine Nancy (Heather Langenkamp). The Infinifilm Special Edition is not the definitive presentation of A Nightmare on Elm Street--minor deleted scenes that have been featured in other DVD releases are not present here, and the version presented in this set is the R-rated edit, which means that the few seconds of splatter trimmed from the picture by the MPAA prior to its theatrical release are still missing. But the new featurettes--on the making of the film, New Line's post-Nightmare horror efforts, and an interesting look at the science and philosophy of dreams--are all well-produced and informative, and offer interviews with most of the major players involved in the production, from Craven and Englund to producers/New Line heads Robert Shaye and Sara Risher. Two commentary tracks--one vintage, with Craven, star John Saxon, Langenkamp, and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin, and the other new, which adds Risher, Shaye, and co-stars Ronee Blakeley and Amanda Wyss to that line-up (but without Saxon)--are also included, as are three alternate endings, each with different impacts. The Infinifilm features allow viewers to access numerous clips (including bits from the featurettes and deleted scenes) as well as a text-only "fact track" and a trivia challenge. --Paul Gaita