The Corner Penthouse

Warner Brothers recently released the A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 4K UHD. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

Teenager Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targeted by the spirit of Fred Krueger (Robert Englund), a serial killer with a bladed glove, in their dreams. If he catches them in their sleep, they'll die for real.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:31:10 for the Theatrical Version and 1:31:19 for the Uncut Version. The difference between the two versions is only a mere few seconds during Tina's (Amanda Wyss) and Glen's (Johnny Depp) deaths. The Theatrical Version of the movie has been rated R. Audio languages include English, English (Original Theatrical). Subtitle languages include English SDH, French, German SDH, Italian SDH, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the content listed below can be found the UHD disc.

• Audio Commentary ("2001") - with writer/director Wes Craven, actors Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon, and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin. This is only available for the Theatrical Version. I should note that this is mislabeled as being from 2001, when it's really from the 1996 Elite laserdisc; albeit with the first 20 minutes cut differently. I owned that laserdisc, and when this commentary track first appeared in the 1999 Elm Street DVD box set (where Elite is credited for producing and providing the track), I compared it to the laserdisc and noticed the difference, prompting me to inquire about it with Elite. A rep from Elite told me that they provided Warner Brothers with the complete uncut audio commentary track, and that WB may have cut it differently.
• Audio Commentary ("2006") - with separate comments from writer/director Wes Craven; New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye; actors Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, and Ronee Blakley; producers Sara Risher and John Burrows; cinematographer Jacques Haitkin; composer Charles Bernstein; editors Rick Shaine and Patrick McMahon; mechanical special effects designer Jim Doyle; special makeup effects artist David B. Miller; and finally, film historian David Del Valle. This is only available for the Theatrical Version.
• Focus Points (18:13) - A total of 29 short behind-the-scenes segments and unrestored alternate takes which were originally available on DVD and Blu-ray as branching extras while playing the movie or picture-in-picture over it. The back of the 4K case erroneously states that these are available "while watching the movie", but that is no longer the case. They are only available as a standalone extra, though there is a "Play All" function. The full list of short videos is: "Alt Take Glove Construction", "Alt Take Freddy Chases Tina", "Alt Take of Rubber Ceiling", "Tina and Worms", "Alt Take of Freddy in Alley", "Wes on Glove Sparks", "Alt Take of Freddy in Alley 2", "Alt Take of Freddy Cuts Fingers", "Alt Take of Freddy Face Peel", "Dave Miller on Tina's Chest Ripping", "Alt Take of Freddy in Tina's Death Scene", "Alt Take of Stunt Double Falls", "Alt Take of Tina's Death", "Miller on Maggots", "Alt Takes of Freddy Chases Nancy", "Alt Take of Bathtub Scene", "Alt Take of Bathtub Scene 2", "Freddy and Feathers", "Sleep Clinic", "Marge Discusses Freddy", "Nancy and Unused Phone Line", "Alt Take of Phone Scene", "Alt Take of Blood Pours from Bed", "Robert on Freddy's Voice", "Ronee Talks About Her Dummy", "Alt Take of Dummy in Bed", "Haitkin Talks About Camera Effects", "Alt Take of Freddy Comes Out of Bed", and "Alt Take of Nancy and Freddy".
• Alternate Endings (4:58) - Included are "Scary Ending", "Happy Ending", and "Freddy Ending".
• The House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror (21:52) - A retrospective featurette from 2006.
• Never Sleep Again: The Making of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (49:54) - A documentary from 2006.
• Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven's Nightmares (15:33) - A look at the world of dreams from 2006.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

A digital copy code voucher is included inside the standard one-disc black UHD case. A slipcover is included.

[ NOTES ]

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD. The new transfer looks fantastic, and it's nice to finally have the uncut version, even if the difference is only a mere few seconds. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

If you want the other films in the series, the seven-film A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection is available on Blu-ray, New Line Platinum Series DVD Box Set (RECOMMENDED), and DVD (8 films, inc. Freddy vs Jason). That just leaves Freddy vs. Jason, which is available on Blu-ray, and DVD. It's also available in Shout Factory's Friday the 13th Collection Blu-ray box set. Finally, there is also the 2010 remake (not featuring Robert Englund), which is available on Blu-ray, and DVD.

This item has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.