Synopsis:

Troubled teen Kristen Parker is hospitalized after a terrifying encounter with dream-stalking killer Freddy Krueger. She joins a group of other vulnerable teens, and they soon realize they must band together to survive Freddy's relentless attacks.

Intentions:

This was a tough film to edit because A Nightmare on Elm Street is easily my favorite film in the series by a mile. It perfectly balanced horror with morbid humor. Unlike the first film, most of its effects and concepts have aged well and unlike the second film, it not only stayed true to the "rules" of the first film, but worked to build upon them, setting the benchmark for Elm Street's world and Freddy Krueger as a character. Because of my devotion to the series and OCD though, I had to tackle an edit of the film. The majority of my choices revolved around pacing, cutting redundant dialogue and sequences where characters wander around setpieces in their nightmares - that was the bulk of my editing in the first film as well. Besides that, I wanted to eliminate some surreal moments that either don't heavily affect the plot (like the pig jump scare) or conflict with the series' logic, like Philip walking through a locked door in the real world. Additionally, based on my reddit pal, Vivid-Wolverine5529's suggestion, I added onto the ending shot by including a bit from part 3's teaser. While not as egregious as the ending to the first film, I always felt like part 3 could have a punchier ending, and this added bit from the teaser hopefully accomplishes a greater shock.

Change List:

- Replaced opening title cards and removed Helen Langenkamp's credit as to keep her presence in the film secret at this time - Quickened the pace when Kristen is exploring Freddy's basement in her first dream - Quickened the pace when Nancy is searching Kirsten's room and when Neil is researching Hypnocil - Cut the pig jump scare during Kristen's next dream in Freddy's house - Removed Philip walking through a locked door in his sleep - Shortened Neil's conversation with Sister Helena and removed her disappearance after the prime time nightmare - Shortened the group hypnosis scene - Lowered Freddy's voice when he's confronting Joey - Cut Nancy asking Neil "What are we going to do" and his response - Shortened Neil's search for Sister Helena in the closed wing of the hospital - Cut Nancy saying there's only one person left who knows where Freddy's body is - Cut Nancy responding to her dad trying to bait her by saying she's trying to forget him - Altered Freddy's voice to sound lower before he tells Taryn "Let's get high" - Reduced the number of shots of Nancy holding onto Joey as he hangs over the matte painting - Lowered Freddy's voice when he shows his chest of souls and says "There's always room for more" - Removed dialogue when Neil and Nancy's dad hear someone in the junkyard with them - Added the last shot from the Dream Warriors teaser to the last shot before the end credits