Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy [Blu-ray]

I finally received my copy of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy in the mail yesterday, and despite having finals I have managed to consume all the material and let it digest. I've been a big fan of these retrospectives that have been coming out the past few years, first with Halloween: 25 Years of Terror and His Name Was Jason so I was eagerly anticipating Never Sleep Again. So how does it stack up? Let's take a gander:These horror retrospectives keep improving every time in regards to style and content. I remember purchasing Halloween: 25 Years of Terror and it absolutely blew my mind. It wasn't perfect but as a huge fan of the series I was instantly enamored of the set and all the amazing features it contained. It was a loving tribute to the Halloween Series and all the creators and fans therein.Imagine my wonder when I picked up His Name Was Jason when it was released a couple years later and discovered that it was Even Better. Like a lot better. This doc got pretty much everyone involved with the series for an interview and provided a fabulous and highly entertaining feature on the series.Now, just in time for the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, comes Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy. And, wow. Just wow. This 2-disc DVD set is EVEN BETTER. It is truly sprawling, informative and wildly entertaining. There's so much stuff here I'm actually at a loss as how to review it, but damn it, I have to try! So here are some of my somewhat unorganized thoughts on the DVDs:The documentary itself, which is the main feature, clocks in at a whopping 4 hours (!) long and covers pretty much everything and I do mean everything. Just about everyone you could think of that has been involved with the Nightmare on Elm Street series are on hand to give their thoughts on the series and share some memories of what it was like to create a genuine horror icon. All the obvious faces are present: Wes Craven, Robert Shaye, Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Sarah Risher, Rachel Talalay, John Saxon, Jack Sholder, Rennie Harlin, and Stephen Hopkins. All these people have been featured on previous Nightmare docs but it's good to have them back and some of them have some new stories to tell. Other than them, pretty much all of the main cast and crew of the various Nightmare films are also present and accounted for. Obviously the "big" stars like Johnny Depp, Laurence Fishburne, Patricia Arquette, and... Breckin Meyer are absent, but just about everyone else is there. As a side note, given what he's said in the past I can't help but think that Johnny Depp would have done it if he'd been asked and his schedule could permit it. I don't know if they had the balls to ask him or not. I guess we'll never know.Anyway the people that are there give some fantastic insight into the making of Nightmare on Elm Street and all its sequels. Each individual film gets plenty of time for a thorough examination with each clocking in at about a half hour (the first one gets about 45 minutes). If you watch the doc and feel like something was missed, never fear, for the bonus features include extended interviews which include many juicy details and other tidbits that didn't fit in to the main feature.Lisa Wilcox has aged like a fine wine. So has Kim Myers... and Amanda Wyss... and Erika Anderson. Some of the others weren't so lucky. Ok, now with that pointless superficiality out of the way...Wes usually pops up for each of the sequels to give his (usually) negative thoughts on them. He usually has a good point.Some of the interviewees are a little dry (and Jack Sholder comes across as a major prick. So does Chuck Russell) but most of the others are rather jovial and seem genuinely excited to be talking about the impact of the films on their lives. Robert Englund comes across as one of the kindest men you could ever meet, and I don't think he says anything negative about anyone in all 8 hours worth of DVD.Ronny Yu is here to give his thoughts on Freddy vs. Jason even though he wasn't there for His Name Was Jason. Curious.Pretty much everyone involved insists that Freddy's Dead was a good movie and they were right to make it like they did. Wrong. This is odd to me because usually the cast and crew are quick to point out things that don't work in other installments.I got a huge kick out of the Robot Chicken-style opening credits and bumpers between each segment. They were really clever and amusing.Anyway there are over a dozen (I guess, I didn't count) extra features on the second disc so there is plenty to amuse yourself with. I'm not going to describe all of them because I don't want to be here all night and no one will read it anyway.So, in a nano-nutshell, if you're a huge fan of the Nightmare series, you should definitely pick this up. Casual fans may not need this much information, but for Fred-heads everywhere, this set really hits the spot.Sweet Dreams.

If you are a Nightmare On Elm Street fan like me and felt sick to your stomach with the new Elm Street movie, as well as a total lack of respect for the fans and franchise by the makers of said catastrophe, don't fret. 2010 is still the year of Freddy for the fans...just not with the new film. Nope. You see, the fans get something better. Something much, much better. 2010 is the year of Freddy because we get what is ultimately the most amazing present/documentary ever. A 4 hour treasure that looks back on our beloved series. If you got the Freddy fever that is sweeping up again, this is your one stop destination for the cure.From the makers of the Friday The 13th docu, "His Name Was Jason", comes this look back at the 26 year old Nightmare On Elm Street franchise. HNWJ was great. Great fluff. Don't come into this one thinking it is something along the same lines. What we have here is something far reaching and serious. Unlike the quick 90 minutes of past docus, this amazing gem is 4 hours long!. It's Freddy/Elm Street overload that should put every fan in an Elm Street induced coma(with special appearance by Freddy, of course). Every single movie in the franchise(excluding the remake), and even the short lived TV series "Freddy's Nightmares", is given it's due. A ton of people from the franchise, from both in front of and behind the camera, are on tap here to give up the dirt on the series. All of the regulars you would expect to be here like Craven, Englund, Langenkamp, etc. are all on board, but there are literally tons of people I have never seen in any kind of Elm Street docu or featurette ever here as well. It's just a non stop parade of Elm Street veterans, ready and willing to take a trip back down Freddy's favorite street. A lot of goodies await including behind the scenes moments and make-up tests as the interviews go on. Some things here might be familiar with the die hard fans, but some of it come from new people and new perspectives. But don't worry, there is plenty here that keeps things fresh and new for even the biggest Elm Street fan. Another amazing thing here is how, for 4 hours, it really moves along at a nice pace. It never gets old, boring, or repetitive. It's completely fascinating and even the casual fan should be completely enveloped in the brilliance of it all. Some of the best moments are from the section of Part 2, "Freddy's Revenge". I'll leave it at that.The 4 hour documentary is about as awesome and wonderful as it gets, but there is more. Oh so much more. Once you rest and regroup, you will be on to disc 2. The second disc comes with 4 more hours of Elm Street goodies. We really are spoiled. Disc 2 features 2 hours of extended interviews that were cut from the finished documentary. Then there is a brief preview of the upcoming documentary "I Am Nancy", brought to you by Nancy herself, Heather Langenkamp. It's great that one of the greatest horror heroines gets her due. "For The Love Of The Glove" is pretty self explanatory. A look at Freddy's infamous weapon of choice and some people who own one. Part 2's Robert Russler("Grady") also appears in this featurette. "Fred Heads: The Ultimate Freddy Fans" also says it all. A look at those Freddy fans and the merchandise they have. Fun stuff. My favorite feature here is "Horror's Hallowed Grounds: Return To Elm Street". Sean Clark takes you on a journey of the filming locations for the movies. I won't spoil the surprise of who, but some Elm Street alumni pop up here as well. "Freddy Vs. The Angry Video Game Nerd" is a quick feature on the Freddy game. "Expanding The Elm Street Universe: Freddy In Comics And Novels" shows that Freddy's power and popularity is not just relegated to the silver screen. "The Music Of The Nightmare" is a bit with the Nightmare series' composers. "Elm Street Poster Boy: Matthew Joseph Peak" is a brief chat with the man responsible for all those awesome Freddy movie posters in the 80s, as well as this very documentary!. "A Nightmare On Elm Street In 10 Minutes" is what you think it is.In the end, this is just a gigantic valentine to the fans, the franchise, and the character of Freddy Krueger. A strong mix of deep biography and wonderful nostalgia. This film was expertly put together. It should make sense that the most well regarded of the horror/slasher franchises gets a tribute fitting of the franchise's colorful history and brilliant creativity. This is what every Freddy fan has been hoping and dreaming about. But dream no more. It's a reality and it's here. No nightmares here. It's a perfect dream come true.

There's a poignant moment near the end of this where Wes Craven says something like "When I die my tombstone's going to say 'The man who created Freddy Krueger'." RIP Wes.Speaking of such, this retrospective is over a decade old now and serves as a kind of time capsule in itself. Like, hey, remember back in the day when we were all feeling nostalgic for 80s horror movies? Before long this won't even be kitschy pop-culture history, but just plain history, and I'm glad we got to preserve this moment of reflection by these folks when they were enjoying a kind of revival in relevance as nostalgia subjects and the events were still just recent enough to be recalled vividly and enthusiastically. You couldn't make this documentary today, not like this. It would have to be a lot different, more distant and removed, and I don't think it'd be as good.Along those lines, I was also thinking recently that with the rise of streaming movies, the days of abundant in-depth special features and commentaries may be numbered. If that comes to pass hopefully documentaries like this help fill the void.

This is not just the greatest, and most comprehensive documentary about the Elm Street legacy that you will ever see, it's also one of the most interesting documentaries about film making in general and the rise of New Line cinema through it's Freddy franchise. Featuring a wealth of detail from writing, pre-production, production, directing, and with some insightful, funny, and nostalgic contirbutions from a huge number of stars, writers, and directors (including maestro Wes Craven) this is a thoughtfully made, and fascinating documentary that fans will utterly love, and fans of film making in general will find incredibly compelling. Covers everything from the first film, through to Freddy vs Jason, it's frank and honest, and superbly put together with excerpots from the original script, behind the scenes footage, alternate takes, and so many old faces reliving their Freddy expreiences that by the end of the three and a half hour ride, you'll be wanting to watch the whole lot again. If you are a fan, you simply HAVE to own this.

Sat down yesterday afternoon and watched the four hour documentary on this disc, and was blown away. From the first (and best) of the films right through to Freddy vs Jason it was interesting to hear stories about how the films were made with interviews from New Line Cinema staff, writers, directors and actors from each film. (Some of the actors have aged better than others.) Wes Craven keeps popping up, to give his opinions on the films, and it's interesting to hear his comments about the films he wasn't involved in.It's interesting to see how some of the films seemed rushed to cash-in on Freddy's popularity, and interesting to compare how the more rushed films turned out.A must for all NOES fans.

As a fan of this franchise since watching the first film in my early teens I can not reccomend this documentary enough..each film is chronicled in detail with indepth interviews with almost all those involved (I say almost as it seems both Johnny Depp and Patricia Arquette still consider themself above commenting on their big breaks in the movies which is a shame). The extras too are essential viewing containing many treasures including revisiting of locations with some of the former cast from the films.

The greatest feature length documentary, ever made on this film series' legacy.

As a huge fan of the Freddy franchise I'm pleased to say that this documentary is as comprehensive and as detailed as could possibly be imagined. Thankfully the documentary doesn't just focus on the original film and the success and legacy of it, they also comprehensively cover each film in the franchise, dedicating a good half an hour or so to each film regardless of how good or well received it was.Almost every actor, actress, director, producer, cast and crew are interviewed here, nobody is missed out. The research done into it is incredible and it shows, as the finished article is an interesting and informative film that is exhaustive in its production.If you have a passing interest in the franchise this is a must, even if you have an interest in film making or horror films this is just an incredibly interesting and informative documentary.Outstanding stuff