A Nightmare on Elm Street: 40th Anniversary Edition - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Growing up, few horror movies made me behave like such a scaredy-cat, and along with Michael Myers and the demon Pazuzu of The Exorcist, the vengeful ghost of a child-murderer terrorizing the dreams of kids on Elm Street made me cower in fear of the boogeyman. As if his backstory weren't enough to creep out most viewers, his appearance simply seeps into our memory banks and resides there permanently. Just as Tina (Amanda Wyss) and Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) found his image disturbing, the thought of a man with a burnt face wearing a grimy fedora hat and a torn red and green striped sweater hiding in the shadows is pretty unsettling. Added to that, the weirdo also likes to make loud screeching sounds and has a hideously sinister laugh.

Of course, watching the movie today doesn't exactly draw the same kind of reaction, but that may have more to do with the countless number of times it's been watched and not directly related to any faults within the film. A Nightmare on Elm Street still possesses a certain eeriness that makes it fun to watch and holds a great sense of nostalgia for a time when such flicks were original and fresh. Director Wes Craven cemented his name as a master of horror and has since become recognized as a legendary filmmaker for originating one of the most iconic characters in the genre — right up there with Dracula and Frankenstein. And if not for the absolutely one-of-a-kind performance by Robert Englund, Freddy Krueger would not be the household name it is today.

While the successes of Carpenter's Halloween and Cunningham's Friday the 13th arguably opened the doors for Craven's vision to be realized, Nightmare stood as a unique and terrifying revelation to the latest cliché-ridden craze sweeping low-budget horror — sexually promiscuous teens meet their demise in savagely gory fashion. Eventually spawning a franchise loved by many, the original not only used many of the same characteristics as previous movies but also expanded upon them by taking the dark, brooding psychopath into the one place we normally feel the safest. Our dreams. Equipped with a basis in reality and several other inspirations, Craven's Nightmare furthermore brought some interesting features that make it stand out amongst others in the subgenre, revealing a smart and clever horror film.

A Nightmare on Elm Street introduced a supernatural element to the slasher formula with the killer stalking his adolescent victims in their nightmares, making it difficult for them, and the audience, to distinguish between dreams and reality. Rather than simply being a large, bulking mass of lunatic rage, Freddy brazenly toys with his prey and speaks to them with malicious and diabolical mockery. Nightmare also shows weak relationships between parent and child, presenting teenagers from dysfunctional families. The film moreover takes the "Final Girl" epithet a step further in the Nancy character. Adding to the idea of being sexually unavailable, Nancy ups the ante by being skillfully resourceful and a clever survivalist. For me, these subtexts add to the film's appreciation and really make Craven's horror classic worth more than its violent, gory parts. (Movie Rating: 4/5)

Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, Warner Home Video brings Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as a single-disc package with a Digital Copy code, granting users access to both cuts of the movie in 4K Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos audio. The dual-layered UHD66 disc is housed inside the usual black keepcase with a slipcover, and the uncut version is approximately six seconds longer, showing a bit more blood and gore during Tina's death scene. At startup, viewers are taken directly to a static screen with the usual selection along the bottom and music playing in the background.

One. 

Two. 

Freddy chases the kids of Elm Street on Ultra HD with a surprisingly beautiful-looking HEVC H.265 encode for both cuts of the film, offering a notable upgrade from previous Blu-ray releases. Reportedly coming from a fresh remaster of the original elements, the native 4K transfer arrives with sharper details, from the distinct hairs of the actors and the fabric of sweaters to the various features of Nancy's house and Freddy's burn scars. A couple of scenes, here and there, are somewhat dated as expected, mostly noticeable in the fade transitions, but overall, the image is amazingly well-defined with better visibility of the smaller objects in the background. 

The HDR10 presentation also displays an impressive, spot-on contrast and brightness balance, rejuvenating the 40-year-old movie with intensely brilliant, immaculate whites and crisp, luminous specular highlights. Nighttime sequences are swimming in inky rich blacks and darkly ominous midnight shadows that never obscure the finer details, providing the 1.85:1 image appreciable depth and an attractive cinematic appeal. Arguably, the most striking aspect of the video is the sumptuous arrays of colors, like the full-bodied steely blues of the night scenes and the highly animated reds to the vividly dynamic secondary hues, such as the various shades of pink of the outfits. Best of all is seeing the green stripes of Freddy's sweater in the many dark scenes and the healthy, peachy-red complexions of the cast, exposing pores, the tiniest freckles and negligible blemishes. 

Showered in a thin, more refined layer of natural grain, the entire 4K presentation delivers an outstanding improvement, making this the definitive version of the Wes Craven horror classic. (Video Rating: 92/100)

Freddy invades the nightmares of home theaters with a fantastic, front-heavy Dolby Atmos soundtrack that immediately opens with a broad and welcoming soundstage. Charles Bernstein's haunting iconic music bleeds across the screen, to the top heights and lightly to the surrounds, enveloping the listening area with a creepy, chilling ambiance from the onset. Periodically, some atmospherics bounce between the rears and overhead, generating an eerily immersive soundfield. Imaging displays a clean, well-defined midrange, exhibiting room-penetrating clarity into the higher frequencies while vocals remain distinct and very well-prioritized during the loudest segments. Most surprising and impressive is a robust, palpable low-end that delivers a light but still noticeable couch-shaking presence on a few occasions, further adding to the scarier moments. All in all, this object-based mix is an awesome addition and complement to an outstanding video presentation. 

For purists, the movie also comes with the original monaural design, another great upgrade from the previous Blu-ray, which only offered the track in legacy Dolby Digital. The DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack displays a fuller sense of space and presence with precise, clean dialogue in the center. The mid-range still exhibits a bit of an issue in the higher frequencies and comes off a tad bright, but for the most part, they remain fairly sharp and have appreciable differentiation. Ambient effects are discrete with great movement and separation across the screen. Low bass is adequate and responsive for a film of this vintage although it's mainly reserved for the musical score. Overall, the lossless mix of the original sound design is a great listen and addition to the 4K video. (Dolby Atmos Audio Rating: 86/100)

The same set of supplements from the previous Blu-ray is ported over for this UHD edition. 

• Audio Commentaries
• Never Sleep Again (HD, 50 min)
• The House That Freddy Built (HD, 23 min)
• Night Terrors (HD, 16 min)
• Alternate Endings (HD, 5 min)
• Focus Points (HD, 5 min)

Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street was a terrifying horror feature that introduced the world to the iconic face of Robert Englund's Freddy Krueger. Though it doesn't deliver the same kind of frights as it once did, the film continues to entertain in a stylish, visionary manner and offers a narrative with substance. The box-office hit at the time is today a celebrated feature of humor, spooky tone and smarts. Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the horror classic breaks free from the dream world of Ultra HD with a terrific 4K HDR10 and Dolby Atmos presentation, delivering a notable upgrade from the previous Blu-ray releases. With a strong collection of supplements to enjoy, this UHD edition is Highly Recommended for the spooky season. 

All disc reviews at High-Def Digest are completed using the best consumer HD home theater products currently on the market. More about the gear used for this review.

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