A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Note: from Oct 2021-June 2022, the podcast was known as 21 Jump Scare and was organized in a slightly different fashion, with different awards.

Background (spoiler-free) 0:00-19:30
Discussion (spoiler-heavy) 19:31-42:05
Awards (spoilers for days) 42:06

Director Wes Craven
Screenplay Wes Craven
Featuring Ronee Blakley, Nick Corri (Jsu Garcia), Johnny Depp, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Amanda Wyss

Opened: November 11, 1984
Budget: $1.8 million (estimated)
Gross USA: $25,504,513
Cumulative Worldwide Gross: $25,507,137

SPOILER-FREE SYNOPSIS

Once upon a time, in a town that looks a lot like Venice, California, a group of teenagers are having nightmares in which they are being stalked by a mysterious psychotic in a ratty red and green sweater with a glove made of knives where his fingers should be. This creep turns out to be Fred Kreuger, a long-dead child molester who was killed after a miscarriage of justice set him free, leaving a set of disgruntled parents to form a Posse Comitatus and go after Kreuger themselves.  Years later, the daughter of one set of these parents, Nancy Thompson, having seen her friends be killed one by one by the dream monster Kreuger, decides to turn the tables on the killer, and begins hatching a plan to bring him out her dream and into the real world.  Does her plan succeed?  Yes… and no.

EPISODE NOTES

This was one of the earliest episodes we recorded, and as such, the audio isn't great as we'd like it to be in certain spots. We enjoyed recording this episode, though, and IOHO, think it's smart and funny enough to include in the season, which officially comes to an end with this episode. Thank you for joining us, and we look forward to terrorizing you in season two.

Music from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” by Charles Bernstein. “Nightmare” by 213.

TRAILER

AWARDS

The Tom Six Award for Most Disturbing Scene
Bradford: The gravity-defying murder of Tina
Eric: The geyser of blood from Glen’s bed

The Seth Brundle Award for Most Likable Character
Bradford: Nancy
Eric: Nancy

The Ellen Ripley Award for Character that Most Deserved to Live
Bradford: Glen
Eric: Tina

The John Doe Award for Character that Most Deserved to Die (and Does)
Bradford: The hall monitor
Eric: Rod

The Gaspar Noe Award/Ken Russell Award for Most Gratuitous Screen Moment
Bradford: Sequence at end of film when convertible top opens and flops down
Eric: (tie) Freddy rips his chest open and maggots come out; Nancy picks up phone and Freddy’s tongue comes out