Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

Four hours of A Nightmare on Elm Street lovin' does this documentary have. And it kind of rules. Wondering if I was going to get through all four hours of this in one sitting, I cleared my calendar nonetheless, and when I put the DVD in, I couldn't move until I had finished the whole thing.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy was very in-depth, although (and I don't know this for sure) it might be a bit repetitive for big Nightmare fans who already know all the stories. I didn't, and so I was surprised and entertained at almost every turn. They have a ton of great interviews with lots of cast and crew members - but still obviously missing the big ones like Johnny Depp and Patricia Arquette. Depp I was fairly certain wouldn't show and I had hopes for Arquette but sadly they don't grace us with their presence. They do talk about them a lot and show a Charlie Rose interview that Depp did where he talks about Nightmare. At least he doesn't ignore the fact that he was ever in a horror movie like some snobby actors we know (coughcoughJENNIFERANISTONcoughcough).

I love you, man.

They go one by one through each Nightmare film, talking about the casting, the directors, the production, funny shit that happened while filming, and the reception of each film at the box office and by critics. Heather Langenkamp narrates occasionally, but it's mostly just interviews. That doesn't detract at all from the viewing experience and it never gets boring. Those four hours just flew by.

The supposed unknown homosexual overtones of Nightmare 2 were SO apparent to me when I first saw it, and it was absolutely hi-larious to hear the filmmakers talk about that aspect of the film. The naked coach getting towel-whipped on the ass? Come on, dudes, you had to have seen it. That was probably the best part of the documentary for me. Also at the end over the credits, they had all the people they interviewed say their famous lines from the movies. That was a good way to end it - loooooved it.

Sidenote: It was sad to see that Brad Renfro was originally supposed to play Will in Freddy vs. Jason. He was such an amazing actor, doing all this hardcore dramatic stuff when he was still so young. The Client, Apt Pupil, and Sleepers, especially, have the best performances of this young actor who died way too soon. He still wasn't getting very big roles, but hopefully people won't forget this gifted, if troubled, man.

There's second disc to the documentary on the Collector's Edition with tons of more Nightmare entertainment, and I guess I'll have to buy it now to see all of them. I only got the actual docu through Netflix, but disc 2 has a preview of Heather Langenkamp's documentary I Am Nancy, extended interviews, a look at the poster artwork, and some other stuff. I'm looking forward to watching all of this shit. NOW. I want to watch it NOW!

I once thought that His Name Was Jason was the best horror docu I'd seen about a series, but this one certainly gives it a run for its money. The same makers who did HNWJ also did Never Sleep Again, and all the love and hard work they put into both DVDs definitely shows through. They both show such an adoration for each series from the filmmakers and the fans. HNWJ had this amazing extra on it where the guy from Bloody Disgusting, Adam Green and Joe Lynch give a description of each Friday movie in four minutes and it is SO FUNNY. Seriously, go watch it now. You'll bust a gut.

This is definitely a must-see if not a must-own for anybody who is even a casual fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street series. Incredibly informative and funny and a fantastic way to celebrate this beloved and iconic series of horror movie magic.

No mention of the remake, however. Maybe in the extended interviews or are they ignoring its existence like I do? :)