Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

When Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street appeared in 1984, it was just one in a steady stream of teen slasher movies, but the film received surprisingly positive reviews, made a pop icon of Freddy Krueger (the long-clawed ghoul who killed youngsters in their dreams) and a star of Robert Englund, and took in so much money that it eventually spawned six sequels (seven if you count Freddy vs. Jason, which pitted Krueger against the Friday the 13th bogeyman in 2003). This four-hour retrospective, released in conjunction with the 2010 remake starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy, is a comprehensive documentary dealing with each of the films chronologically, featuring clips (including a deleted scene extending the death sequence of Johnny Depp, who made his cinematic debut in the original movie), behind-the-scenes footage, comments (from the directors, actors, and crew members, as well as Robert Shaye, whose New Line studio was built on the franchise), box-office results, and fan reaction. Also included is material on associated merchandising gimmicks and the short-lived syndicated TV spin-off. DVD extras include extended interviews, assorted featurettes, a preview of a documentary by original heroine actress Heather Langenkamp, a short about comics and novels based on the series, and an amusingly rushed recap of the entire saga. Sure to appeal to fans, this is recommended. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)