The Nightmare on Elm Street Series - re:View (Part 1)

[@QuintessentialWalrus]

The idea of Freddy torturing the writers' room of Star Trek Picard is so funny and on point that I'm now choosing to believe it's real. It explains EVERYTHING.

[@Avatar_of_Chairness]

PALPATINE'S BEHIND IT ALL!!!

[@zamiyaFlow]

LET'S.... BRAINSTORM!

[@benmatthews3190]

“We got some studio nooootes…!!!” Is such a terrifying line for any screenwriter to hear

[@vituperation]

@@benmatthews3190 God. That had me in stitches. That line will follow me for ever.

[@palchristianandersen9086]

Freddy doesn't even kill you in the dream. You just wake up with a neatly typed Picard script next to you on your pillow.

[@davetucker-dale3242]

Seeing Mike dab makes me realize that Picard has really drove him to madness.

[@Claymann71]

_Burnt Tomato!_

[@1Lordgore]

Best fever dream I ever did had.

[@Vrikrar]

If you stare into the darkness long enough, the darkness dabs back at you.

[@Loseirdo]

*driven. You should join Jay on that Picard script.

[@sFeral]

@@Vrikrar got that right

[@vicwolfrin]

The Freddy writing for Picard bit was pure gold

[@ZyxthePest]

WELCOME TO PARAMOUNT PLUS BITCH AHHHHHHHHHHH

[@paulinegallagher7821]

So funny 😀

[@gradeahonky]

Best Review ending of all time. Possibly the best RedLetterMedia ending of all time (though I have a soft spot for the "my friend died and the last movie they saw was Annabelle Creation" T shirt)

[@marks4413]

Anything said in the Freddy voice is instantly funny. We’ve got some studio noooootes

[@shamboholic]

I genuinely hope they do a mini featurette like that Discovery parody. Just have Freddy be an Alex Kurtzman mask

[@nickberg3630]

"We've got some studio no-ooootes!!" is the hardest I've laughed in a while. Well done, Jay.

[@beedubree2550]

i didnt think he could make me laugh harder than he did with "Welcome to Paramount+, bitch!", and then he did 23 seconds later

[@stormiestcampfire]

(46:32) and on for you busy folk

[@brandonthesteele]

That needs to be animated

[@dr.loomis4221]

It's so spot on lol

[@Raven9940]

The end is the best part. Making bad Freddy Puns is hilarious

[@Ian_Synnott]

Did anyone hear Craven talk about the origin of Freddie's look? How once when he was a boy, they lived in a second floor apartment and one night young Wes was woken up by a sound outside. He approached the window to take a look, and walking down the street by his building was what looked to him like a homeless guy. Seconds later the guy stopped, and slowly looked up at Wes in the window and made eye contact. Wes ducked back from the window terrified. He waited a while, and when he thought the guy was gone, he looked back out. But he was still standing in the same position staring up at the window. He ducked back again, then heard the guy walk away. He was wearing the same hat and striped sweater that Freddie wore. Always loved that story.

[@Banjo-Oz]

That's so awesome. Never heard it before. Reminds me of DPK talking about the origin of clinking the bottles on his fingers in The Warriors.

[@star108vation]

striped sweater was a cameraman dress, that his girlfriend made for him. It was so ugly they used it on Freddie

[@Bakamatsu-GojiFanArchive]

I wonder if the guy in that story ever heard about it and realized he was kinda the inspiration for freddy

[@storm6661]

​@@Banjo-Ozwhat was the inspiration for the bottle clinking? I love that scene!

[@Dariothehungry]

I'll have to look it up but I believe you mixed the stories. Freddie was inspired by the homeless man and the apartment superintendent. The super intendent was named Freddy and had the striped sweater

[@rudeboyjohn3483]

Jay's studio notes line delivery was spot on

[@jconny65]

had me in tears lol

[@cameronrodriguez8726]

Jay and Tim are the two people that make Mike die laughing the most consistently lol

[@00TheD]

Please ...episodic space cop. The people have spoken. Why do they ignore us so?

[@kyleplatz3751]

One of the all-time Jay moments

[@marpatnboots]

Perfect way to end the episode 😂

[@benimanah]

Can we just unironically appreciate how much good content they've put out in the past month. Big ups

[@gastheweebs]

no

[@danielmead146]

should have known something was coming with justin rolland when he decided to associate with these hack frauds

[@cratonorogen9208]

Past decade I’d say.

[@adamatomant3381]

Have they ever not put out good content?

[@Maple_Extract]

Channel is the best it's ever been, IMO.

[@Duke_Sliscus]

The image of freddy in a writers room saying "WE'VE GOT SOME STUDIO NOTES!" is fucking hilarious

[@ArchibaldClumpy]

"I HAVE A COUPLE OF NOTES, BITCH!" Inb4 the Atlantic article exposing the working environment Freddy created.

[@MichelleSleeper]

I hope some animates that bit

[@KevinJDildonik]

"I've got some NOTES from the studio!" (Puts on shades, does a sick guitar solo that explodes heads. "If you can't take a little feedback, stay out of the writer's room!"

[@KaplanRobert]

@@KevinJDildonik I can see it sooo vividly.

[@finlay9616]

I'm so glad other people found this as fucking hilarious as me. everytime I hear Jay say it now I'm just cry laughing

[@adoredpariah]

Fully agreed that the body bag scene in the school is some legitimately great horror. The use of silence in that setting, the way nobody else notices, the unnatural movement, how she is lured by it, it's all stuff straight out of real world nightmares which is (obviously) perfect, thematically speaking. Still a very effective scene to this day, and it's one of the least over the top horror moments in the entire franchise coincidentally.

[@KevinJDildonik]

And the dog peeing is unironically a metal visual. And the goofy kills in that one, like the heroin mouths, are ridiculously terrifying when you're young.

[@kelvyquayo]

Like the “modern” version of a ghost in a sheet..

[@MPT1983]

It is, that's the only scene that has stuck in my mind when I think of these movies

[@stevesstuff1450]

@adoredpariah: (great name!! 😉 ) That scene in the first film was pretty intense seeing it for the first time in the local cinema on release! The silence of it, and the blood just made it so horrific and nightmarish at the time! That first film was so refreshing at the time; such a novel concept done in such a visceral manner was really exciting; a clever way to take a slasher movie... 😉

[@anomieanomalie]

back in my teens I marathoned all the nightmare on elm street movies in a day with my cousin, we took a little break halfway through to get taco bell

[@slappydoodle]

Nice

[@stillvisionsmusic]

While not intentional, the aspect where the deaths in the real world are normal and not supernatural-looking is better because it lines up well with Freddy being a child predator; it mirrors the terror of “nobody will believe you”.

[@tiredofyourtakes]

Exaaaaactly. Kinda like Tom Holland making Fright Night and then Child's Play back to back. Two movies where the main character are being terrorized by the antagonist nobody in their world believes them. It makes for great conflict & tension. It's very "boy who cried wolf-esque."

[@ellmunzai]

Absolutely this.

[@thomasomahony5973]

oh SHIT. It took nearly 40 years for this observation to reach me and it's absolutely solid.

[@novayarussia]

Yeah, sure - but then why would Nancy think it was possible to pull Freddy into the real world if she hadn’t already seen dream reality bleed into the waking? Just accidentally tearing part of his sweater and waking up with it in her hand?

[@B-Dad]

@@novayarussia She got the idea when she accidentally pulled out his hat from her dream.

[@NomnomJawsnomnom]

Mike literally took a sip of beer while mid-laughing fit at Jay's "studio notes" line. We should all strive for that level of dedication.

[@aaronmelgar7116]

You say dedication, I say attempted suicide.

[@MiniMackeroni]

Also an unironically fantastic, fitting line for that scenario.

[@stormiestcampfire]

(46:32) and on

[@heyvladislove]

Out of all the horrific imagery the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise has brought, Mike flossing and dabbing easily takes the cake

[@tomahzo]

The last comments about Freddy forcing people to become writers in the studio system was PURE GENIUS! That's such a great setup for at least a sketch ;D.

[@itsd0nk]

It’s like a Key and Peele sketch, perfectly.

[@Raven9940]

Freddy forcing people to make garbage NEEDS to be a reoccurring sketch!

[@JaxBlade]

40:33 I always Love when Mike Remakes the story in his own way cause its so valid everytime hahaha

[@chuck.u.farley]

Mike in a review of a horror franchise is rare

[@kylefox2397]

To be fair, Elm Street has reached a popularity and age where I don't know if it can really be termed "horror" anymore.

[@samgomez9942]

He and Jay did both review the Blob and the Mist. Which are some of my favorite review videos.

[@RarebitFiends]

​@@kylefox2397 Ah yes, because it is popularity and age that determine the genre of a film, not the content of the film. Very astute.

[@TheTurtleShell15]

@@RarebitFiends As we all know, The Godfather is now considered a beloved comedy.

[@wizzlemountain271]

He does mention it in basically every horror half in the bag so it’s only proper he’s here

[@johnnym1604]

A re:view of the cronenberg filmography with jay and josh would be beyond awesome

[@Flike245]

Make Rich rank them.

[@laynno13]

S tier comment

[@AidanMclaren]

I was thinking Kubrick myself, but that's also good.

[@GrrmPleaseWrite]

I skip all Josh videos. Jack, too. Colin is the only special guest I enjoy

[@laynno13]

@@GrrmPleaseWrite cool? Lol I like them all for their own reasons.

[@samgomez9942]

RLM videos are like an hours worth of crack that I can only try my damndest to make last for the week, hoping they release another dose/video

[@pinkimietz3243]

How long does crack last?

[@garetheckley7018]

@@pinkimietz3243 Yeah, my comment was going to be, "like crack?"

[@thenibnetwork4638]

I just heard of redlettermedia so it's been like a several-month long Bender for me.

[@samgomez9942]

@@garetheckley7018 Yeah, but at least with crack, you can buy more. You can't buy more RLM content :(

[@AndrwsAnimatics]

AMEN to that, but in my case i smoke some pot, i dont know nothing about any HIPSTER DRUG LORD and his bags of flouer

[@Troutfisch]

@16:00 Mike dabbing to the NES Nightmare theme is one of my favorite things I never asked for 😂

[@jimjiminy5836]

I adore the elm street films. They used to be such an event. My best friend and I borrowed a vhs copy of dream warriors. We had a sleep over, waited for his mum to go to bed, then we watched it. It was rated 18 in England, we were barely teens. Oh, The excitement, anticipation and fear! Magical time.

[@lordofthereels6790]

I love that imagination is the main strength of the heroes and villains in the Nightmare franchise and that even the bad ones (except the remake) have their original visual style.

[@gyromurphy]

I have to recommend the Cinema Snob reviews of Friday the 13th and also Nightmare on Elm Street . They're literally the best on KZbin.

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

I mean who doesn't want to we'd nancy withouts consent

[@thesultrystrangerdanger6824]

Wes craven was an anti Americans leftist Paramount shill

[@DistractedGlobeGuy]

Absolutely. Incidentally, if you're interested in that kind of thing, I cannot more highly recommend _The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath._ There's a big movement for meaningless surrealist nonsense being marketed as "horror" these days (supported by people like Jay, ironically enough), but it's always so cool to see genuine horror that happens to be take a psychedelic direction and it can be so hard to find.

[@trashandchaos]

The first four of 'em are super fun. 5 and 6 are pretty much terrible. And then New Nightmare is great. One of the most fun horror franchises imo.

[@skis_injeans]

In the eighties we had a dude babysitter. He would show up at the house with a hat and Freddy glove. We'd open the door for him and he'd go "Freddy's back!" while posing with the glove. We'd run around the house screaming and laughing. Best babysitter ever

[@DreamwalkerFilms]

That was no babysitter

[@blacksabbath4252]

Is he in jail for his crimes now?

[@skis_injeans]

@@blacksabbath4252 that's a self report on your part

[@forallthestupidshit3550]

Dressing up as a child molester to go babysit children is a BOLD move. And I know bold moves, I wore a Confederate flag bikini to the BET awards. That's not a racial thing, though. I'm not an idiot or a monster. I'm 600 lbs.

[@Shinkajo]

But were you actually babies?

[@authorrayrogers]

The irony should never be lost on anyone that they made an entire line of toys for kids... from a horror franchise about a child molester/murderer. This was an episode of Best of the Worst for Mike.

[@motherplayer]

Can you imagine proper commercials talking about that? "Recreate all your favorite moments like the blood fountain, the shocking phone kiss, the bathroom claw, and the smashing someone's head through a T.V. screen! Order now! *Not responsible for any bodily harm committed with these toys.*"

[@fvckingtest]

ALIEN (1979) Had one toy. ALIENS the sequel spawned several incarnations, as did the RAMBO Films. Both are 1980's action staples. Hollywood has always chased the buck when it comes to licensing.

[@Johnny6666]

@@fvckingtest The difference is that the Kenner 'ALIEN' figure was released during the 1979 theatrical run of the (R rated) film (there was also a board game, movie 'viewer' and inflatable target that made it to market). The 'ALIENS' toys came well after the theatrical run for 'ALIENS' ended in 1986, debuting in 1992 (with much more of a cartoon/comic book feel to the visual marketing).

[@beerosaurusrex]

@@Johnny6666 Something having a video game also probably bridged the gap between an R-rated film and appealing to kids. There were several Alien/Aliens games for Atari and Commodore in the 80s, but probably most popular (of that era for the franchise) was the 1990 Aliens arcade game.

[@fvckingtest]

@@Johnny6666 I am aware of the time frame of the release of toys for both films, I was just alluding to the fact that two “R” rated film franchises spawned toy lines. Robocop is another famous R-rated franchise that had toys. The aforementioned ALIENS line didn’t really get jump started until 92’ but still the 1980’s and 1990’s were a strange pair of decades.

[@antoniomorais5765]

"We got some studio notes" is the funniest thing Jay has ever said.

[@DrasticOmen]

One aspect of the original that I adore is Wes’ direction of the kill scenes, Tina’s death in particular is so unnerving as there’s something so disturbing about only getting to see the victim’s side of the confrontation. Whilst Tina kicks and screams being dragged up the wall in her own blood, your mind can only wonder what Freddy is actually doing to her.

[@headphonic8]

Well it's obviously the claws he's killing her with. Not exactly confusing

[@Mister_Clean]

Mike flossing and dabbing is the most cursed thing I've seen in years

[@Avatar_of_Chairness]

All that binging of Picard will do that to you

[@Trig242]

Well this episode is about nightmares😂

[@cradiculous]

@@TrueNubinator Maybe Mike is like Bender and needs beer to function, acting intoxicated when he doesn't consume enough.

[@ShiZm0]

Nothing is more terrifying than studio notes.

[@motherplayer]

Should make them the new jumpscare. "Oh by the way, the producer wants to change this from the script." BA-BUM!

[@colin-ih8rv]

Jay saying “welcome to my world bitch” is just what I needed today

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

Tell us Beard Daddy!

[@TheBermudaMan]

That's one element I've always loved about many of Wes Craven's films: They're straight-up horror movies that still somehow manage to end on a cathartic, triumphant note without tonally clashing against the story that preceded it. The NOES situation is one if those rare examples of a producer/studio forcing a BLEAKER ending on the fillmmaker instead of the other way around (i.e. BLADE RUNNER).

[@PlaylistGeneral]

That treehouse of horror parody is so good that it's actually kinda frightening in the same way that the movies are. It's got that same mix of surreal and campy that makes the movies upsetting because your brain doesn't know what to make of these jokes being inserted in between the bizarre deaths. Also, Homer3 from the same episode is INSANELY atmospheric and it's strange that nobody ever talks about that. The Simpsons used to have some surprisingly ambient episodes.

[@Misadventures_85]

right on. it's a neat one. and I've been meaning to rewatch another atmospheric episode: the chili eating contest and Homer's spirit quest ("El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer"). it's a wild ride lol

[@EfTheTank]

That last part was absolutely hilarious. Now I want to see a skit with Rich as Freddy Picard and Mike and Jay as the writers.

[@deanscordilis7280]

Might just buy a cheap Freddy costume and even cheaper TNG uniform to make this a reality

[@djJaXx101]

Mike is "making an effort to own more physical media", I am sure he would appreciate all of the RLM subscribers sending some more physical media to him!

[@tipwilkin]

You think they'd appreciate these five copies of Nukie I have

[@Noobie2k7]

I mean they need more copies of Skeleton Man.

[@briansolo]

They ran out of Nukie, so let’s start there!

[@VonStrupenheimer]

I already ran out of copies of vampire assassin to send

[@Ale-mv3gr]

We need to burn our own Vampire Assasin copies and send them them, Ron Hall would aprove.

[@thomasgiles2876]

This is the most positive anyone's been about Nightmare on Elm Street since Claudio Sanchez wrote a love song from Freddie's perspective.

[@codyhansonbass]

What song was that?

[@dustinliam7878]

​@@codyhansonbass Elm Street Loverboy, from his band The Prize Fighter Inferno

[@ahame94]

Was going to mention that too! Absolutely incredible song.

[@krisorgan]

I would say “you are all my children now” is the most iconic line from nightmare 2. But “you got the body, I’ve got the brain” is also great.

[@livir3361]

This really hit the spot. And that Nightmare on Elm Street documentary never sleep again is a must-see.

[@chriselray4596]

I was so scared of him as a child. I was crying because I always imagined him coming out of the walls. Now the Elm Street movies are my comfort movies

[@ericv00]

As I read the first two sentences, I was SURE this was going to end up being a typical RLM joke and you would be talking about Mike.

[@AbsoluteTravisT]

Two things I really like about the original Nightmare, 1. the theory that Nancy never does drag Freddy into the real world and the whole ending is just her taking back control of her dream, and 2. the deleted scene which really does add to Nancy and her mom is that she had an older sister who was one of the original kids killed by Fred but Nancy was too young/traumatised and just forgot she ever existed.

[@AbsoluteTravisT]

And yes, I am aware this would make her pulling his hat out a plot point that goes nowhere but at the same the whole mom bed thing in the real world is just strange.

[@simonsimons1252]

The biggest weakness of the first Nightmare is the ending, which undoes the whole climax with no explanation for cheap sequelbaiting.

[@ryanjacobson2508]

@@simonsimons1252 Once you realize it was forced on the movie by the producer, it's easy to disregard.

[@flannelogue]

John Saxon actually wrote a prequel involving the older sister and it's absolutely bonkers and I wish they made it.

[@oBuLLzEyEo1013]

Whadaheow...

[@kelvyquayo]

The Stop motion Skeleton in Part 3.. (I saw this in theatre as kid) TOTALLY worked. I recall it struck me as identical to the Terminator stop motion. The uncanny vallley made it work. I do remember loving the effect… the entire junkyard scene..

[@3dheadcreeps87]

“We got some studio nooooos” is a fantastic ender.

[@sharpsonmusic]

For St. Patrick's Day I hope they review the Leprechaun film; Warwick Davis' second most terrifying film (after Ewoks: Battle For Endor)

[@sonyslyer9946]

That would be awesome

[@Hevvvyyy]

Warwick Davis the legend himself

[@ILsocker]

The Bob Hoskins Super Mario in time for the animated movie?

[@sharpsonmusic]

@@ILsocker Great idea!

[@samgomez9942]

I'm praying RLM reads this comment thread, Mario and Leprechaun would be incredible

[@josephirizarry5195]

This series was particularly meaningful to me as a kid because I watched a ton of horror films and could lucid dream, so I was often aware when I was having terrifying nightmares.

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

The thing about Freddy is he gains all his power from you. He feeds off your deepest fears and when you start feeling it, it amplifies his powers. Freddy's powers can reach onto the real world IF he has enough psychic energy (from fear) to work with. Another interesting note is Freddy only knows what you know in the dream world at that time. So if you know Karate, Freddy now knows Karate. That's why Freddy seems to be having so much fun. He is experiencing new things and trying them out whereas he could kill anyone in an instant but after enough kills, that gets boring.

[@wilcee238]

I like those ideas

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

@@wilcee238 Well those are not my ideas. The credit goes to the movies. The problem is the rules kept changing between the movies. The big parts were consistent, but the motivations changed so many times and turned a terrifying deity into a cartoon styled killer. To be fair, most slashers had this problem. Look at Jason.

[@WeWantBears]

I KEEP forgetting Nightmare On Elm Street's villains name and imagine *you're describing Freddie Williams...*

[@ZeroFische]

I can psychic fart in the astral plain

[@Dracon7601]

@@WeWantBears I thought they were describing Freddy Mercury

[@jlattbatt]

My big problem with these movies is that The Simpsons parody of it kinda perfectly encapsulated the franchise in only 10 minutes. Like it manages to hit every beat while still having time to mix in some of its own jokes too. Truly a testament to the genius of early Simpsons.

[@michaeldougherty6036]

You can pretty much say the same thing about 2001: A Space Odyssey. Most of the points it makes are made clearer by it's various parodies.

[@chesteradams7423]

How the fuck is that a problem with these movies exactly?

[@lucasnadamas9317]

@@michaeldougherty6036 huh?

[@RealElMaximo]

I've always said that Part 2, with Freddy becoming corporeal, manifesting himself as different things in the real world, etc. doesn't break any rules if you watch it from the perspective they that the entire movie, from before the opening scene through the final scene, is one long dream. Considering how closely the opening scene mirrors the final scene, it's like Freddy is torturing Jesse in an endless nightmare loop designed not to kill him, but rather to drive him insane by making him do the one thing that, for him, may be worse than death: kill his family and friends, over and over again.

[@joe77750]

Ive never thought of this endless loop take before, its very interesting and makes Part 2 even better, always thought it was the scariest

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

I think you nailed the fundamental issue with the Nightmare series. Real life death/wounds vs Death in dream and no one believing it's Freddy. You can tell the series really struggled with this. I have thought of this for years as well and the only way for this to work is mentioned in Freddy vs Jason. The police find out Freddy cannot be killed but contained. Freddy needs fear and notoriety to exist. They go out of their way to erase all mention of Freddy. Anyone investigating a Freddy death is given to a special unit that covers it up as an unsolved murder or covers it up. Witnesses are given meds to suppress dreams and gaslight them to think something else happened. This conspiracy layer is important to keeping this Nightmare universe realistic. Freddy is powerful enough to reach into the real world if he has enough psychic energy from fear, and tries to make some ultra horrible display of power to create more fear in the public. However the powers that be suppress it to contain Freddy. Young people will seek Freddy as some taboo creepy pasta. In a weakened state Freddy's kills can only look like a natural accident. At full power, Freddy can do things in the real world like he does in the dream world but not as good. More like telekinesis in the real world while in the dream world he can bend the fabric of the dreamworld into anything. It's also important to not that Freddy is just one form of an ancient evil god. I wish the Nightmare series sort of explored that as some Lovecraft horror.

[@simonsimons1252]

He's not an ancient god, don't think so. He's just sent back to life by Hell's "dream demons".

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

@@simonsimons1252 In New Nightmare, it is stated that the origin for the movie franchise came from an ancient god that takes many forms.

[@DistractedGlobeGuy]

​@@SSingh-nr8qz yes, but that's quite literally _outside_ the continuity of the actual _Elm Street_ series. _New Nightmare_ isn't a movie in which the events of the _Elm Street_ movies took place, it's a movie in which the _Elm Street_ movies were works of fiction people created, and which influenced the evil force that ruled over that universe to take the form of their fictitious figurehead.

[@freeaudiojungle4407]

@@skeetsmcgrew3282 i think thats my mans point, there was so much potential in the concept, of dreams and of chthonic gods, large scale conspiracies and evil only you can see and know. but mfers just kept doing what was easiest and most cool and now we have the elm street series. if only they had sat down and thought slightly about universal cannon you feel me? if only theyd had the new nightmare brainwave during the original run. idk. S Singh you gotta break up your shit into paragraphs its a huge help with legibility and people understanding you online.

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

@@skeetsmcgrew3282 YES! I'm a life long horror fan and yes 9/10 slasher flicks suck! Why? Because they are blatant cash grabs! The zombie genre is a great recent example. The Nightmare series was never actually meant to be a franchise. It just struck a cord with the audience and the studios could not stop with a single movie. You see it with Jason or Mike Myers. What is interesting about Freddy (not number 2) is each movie, you can tell the writers tried to make the canon and powers and mystery on the fly. Some ideas were cool, others sucked. The New Nightmare was sort of a soft reboot of the franchise without tossing it all away. You find the movies are based on something real and ancient but the movies made are what this thing is capable of. Personally I liked the ideas way more than the movie. Jason vs Freddy at least tried to reboot the rules and I would say they did a good job explaining how both slashers worked, strengths and weaknesses, and the "winner" made sense since you can't kill Jason, but Freddy never dies, he just goes back to the dream realm. The problem with cash grabs, is they get lazy. Freddy likes to be a sick and cruel murderer rather than kill you out right. He was having fun messing with you. In later movies, he was corny and more like Roger Rabbit.

[@AudiblePhysicsProductions]

Jay has to find a way to edit in the Mike floss event in every new episode ad infinitum.... pure art.

[@joshduriden519]

Freddy came back in 4 because Kristen kept bringing Joey and Kincaid back into her nightmares while thinking about Freddy. He gets energy from their fear, I think Joey or Kincaid even say that she's gonna bring him back if she keeps thinking about him.

[@DJBobbyMay]

Whoa whoa whoa!! Hold up... Whodini may not be a household name, but he's definitely an early Hip-Hop legend. He's got some bonafide classics! Freaks Come Out At Night, Five Minutes of Funk, Friends...These are total jams, ones that moved the needle in the rap/electro breakdance days. And they still get the party going, for those who know. As far as the Elm Street song.. yeah, not the most memorable hah. But I'm here, only 33 years old and screaming, I REMEMBER WHODINI!!!

[@TheDudeSmashTrash]

i adore the sleepy, hazy and hypnagogic editing in the original and 3. those movies move between waking and dreaming so seamlessly that it can be difficult to tell where one begins and the other ends. absolutely magical effect, and something the others largely lack

[@theactualTVB]

Fun fact: I met Robert Englund almost a decade ago and he was an incredible guy to talk to

[@drygnfyre]

A lot of stories from behind-the-scenes have said he's one of the best examples of "asshole character, nice actor." The makeup people would say how charming and polite he was, and always had funny stories to pass the time (since applying makeup can take hours).

[@YTPGOD]

Would absolutely love a re:view on peter jackson's early movies Bad taste and Braindead, watched them the other night and they are so brilliant

[@YTPGOD]

@@jameshutchinson3672 Love how he uses his hollywood power currently to restore old footage though, like the WW1 footage and that mammoth beatles documentary

[@bassbole]

Mike should really watch that extras disk. There's a cool deleted scene where Freddy, while on fire, threatens to kill all the Springwood children and one of the Parents asks derisively, "how ya gonna get 'em, skeleton power?" and Freddy explains that he can strike in dreams Nice little piece of the origin story. Great scene.

[@kidknickers]

Wiggum

[@thetribalist6923]

“ do not touch Willie. Good advice.”

[@choppA_getudA]

Lousy Smarch weather.

[@thetribalist6923]

@@choppA_getudA how you gonna get them; skeleton power?

[@WoodysAR]

​@spacepixie5418 "it's still good! It's still good!"

[@silentrocco]

Will always be in love with part 3. Saw it as a kid, kind of my Goonies of horror films. Super creative, dark and ultimately like a fantasy adventure. I was at the perfect age for this.

[@musikforkveld]

Dream Warriors is a pretty good movie.

[@dominickscalpi5686]

THIS! All of this! Dream Warriors has been a personal fav of the franchise since I was a wee lad ❤️ my gram would let me watch horror movies pretty young and I watched this when I first came out... Mind you I was born in 81 and I think the 3rd was released in 87 so I was somewhere between 6 and 8 years old when i got to watch it the first time. It's ok tho the one that really fucked me up was the first two Hellraiser movies. Slept w the lights on for at least a few days if not a week after that 🤣

[@silentrocco]

@@dominickscalpi5686 81 here as well! I watched lots of this stuff in a group when my older brothers had their friends over. Felt exciting to experience some of that at an early age.

[@watashiwaldesu1179]

Yeess. Constant tension through entire movie. Perfect mix of jokes and genuinly scary stuff, where you can conect and care with the well established caracters, struggle, never knowing who will survive. Unexpected death of a leading caracter, with probably the best ending of all sequals. Well thought out and for 11 year old terryfing movie. The best

[@chesteradams7423]

Dream Warriors is my personal favorite.

[@christyconyers766]

I still can't get over the fact that my old college professor directed Nightmare on Elm Street 2. Believe me, he wouldn't realize the gay undertones of the movie. Also, he was annoyed that Robert Shaw wanted a role in his movie and it was his idea to have him dress in leather in the bar scene.

[@christyconyers766]

What would you like to know? He was the program director at Western Carolina University during my time there. He honestly didn’t talk much about Nightmare though. Surprisingly he talked more about some knock-off Jaws movie he did. He made us do an assignment on it as well. He was actually a pretty decent teacher though.

[@wsmiles8677]

"We've got some studio nooootes!" Is the most horrifying thing ever to leave someone's lips.

[@KarlosMorale]

I love it when they just make each other crack up at the end. Good vibes

[@DrSpookula]

that stop motion skeleton is awesome you clods

[@MidlifeCrisisJoe]

That bit at the end I think explains why they kept making these movies. Freddy, as a character, has such a distinct "evil gameshow host" personality that it's incredibly easy to riff off of it and boom! Before you know it you have the half of a script you need to begin filming the next Nightmare movie.

[@jwnj9716]

Just a fun franchise filled with creative ideas and imagination.

[@Livingroomset799Dep]

It’s a shame that there aren’t very many elderly folk for Mike to laugh at here, as opposed to Exorcist 3

[@SSingh-nr8qz]

The thing to remember is the Nightmare series as a concept was original in many ways. I blend of different horror stories, but at the core was a demon that lives in dreams and unlike other monsters, you can't avoid sleeping. There are other dimensional types demons, like Hellraiser, but the dream world is one humans actually experience. The thought that at your most vulnerable there is an evil God looking to take your soul and there is nothing you can do in that realm, is horrifying and why the Nightmare franchise endures.

[@YaBoiAltair]

The last minute of this episode is so fantastic. The rest of it is, too. But the last minute especially so. "WE'VE GOT SOME STUDIO NOOOOOTEESSS"

[@the_narthex]

"You shouldn't have buried me. I'm not dead." I never thought that line was to explain anything. I assumed it was just a "funny" reference to Wes Craven's The Serpent and the Rainbow which had the line, "Don't let them bury me. I'm not dead." It probably seemed pretty clever at the time since their release dates were only a few months apart. Made it seem more current. Though obviously it was a last minute thought,

[@crakhaed]

Yo... Wes Craven made that movie too?! That's awesome. I feel like that movie is pretty obscure. Very creepy idea of being buried alive, especially with the idea that there really are substances out there that would induce a zombie-like state.

[@LegionHimself]

The interesting thing about the Freddy mythology is that the setting is the amoral version of a more traditional ghost story setting. Freddy is an avenging ghost, but not because of cosmic justice. He deserved to die, but the universe he inhabits has no inherent moral compass, so he comes back anyway.

[@RabbitShirak]

Or the universe's moral compass is in favor of Freddy exacting his revenge from beyond the grave.

[@LegionHimself]

@@RabbitShirak Indeed! The Freddy universe is either amoral, or actively malevolent.

[@drygnfyre]

There are a lot of cultures that believe nature is the ultimate neutral force, where there is no concept or good or evil because it's beyond that. And thus legends where people will come back as ghosts, even ones who were "bad" when alive.

[@kerrinoir]

I am SO EXCITED for this retrospective! I love the Elm Street movies, and am super interested in what the guys think about them. Also, Jay's hair looks amazing. I hope he keeps growing it out. Werewolf Jay is my favorite Jay. 🥰

[@someguyinahotdogsuit9641]

Werewolf Jay? More like Werewolf BAE

[@qwerty77772]

My childhood favorite Horror franchise! So happy to to hear all the moments that stood out to these two.

[@harveykeitelappreciator]

Really dont know why I stopped watching you guys over half a year ago now, you've really helped through some suboptimal times with laughter. Thank you so much

[@craigmurdock4740]

I know The Shining has been discussed to DEATH. BUT. I dream of a Re:view of it with Jay and Josh or Mike. I’m simply curious to hear more of their thoughts on it.

[@protomenfan200x]

Rachel Talalay’s had a really interesting career; post-Nightmare, she’s gone on to be a prolific TV director. Her work on the Peter Capaldi years of Doctor Who was electrifying stuff. (Heaven Sent should’ve been nominated for an Emmy.)

[@deadNightwatchman]

Also: Tank Girl.

[@drygnfyre]

She did a really obscure film called "Ghost in the Machine" that was one of those "could not have been made after a certain point in time" movies. Specifically, it came out in 1993 and was about a serial killer that "uploaded" his spirit to "Internet." Yes, it was basically a slasher film where people were being killed by "Internet." Just a couple years later and the premise could not have worked (not that it worked that well to begin with).

[@n4nocturnal]

Mikes Monty Python impression is so spot on I can see the sketch in front of me😂😂

[@ripyouanewone]

Not the birthday present I expected at all, but very grateful! They obviously did this solely for me, of course. No other explanation.

[@samgomez9942]

Hey happy birthday, kinda wish I could watch the video too tho...

[@katherineluxure344]

Happy birthday! It is always amazing when you get a rlm video in your birthday

[@woodlefoof2]

Can you tell me what they said In the video? My birthday is t for another week

[@FreshNews247]

🙉🙈🙊

[@shmunkyman33]

Happy birthday, bitch!

[@kelvyquayo]

Tina in the body-bag was super disturbing. This may be one of the few scenes I recall hiding my eyes at.. ..It dawned on me the “body bag” is the modern version of the “white sheet” they used to put over bodies.. Something about making that connection freaked me tf out.

[@koanikal]

I've always been fine with the dummy being dragged through the small window of the front door at the end of the first Nightmare on Elm Street. It works for me because it makes it clear that "oh shit, this is still a dream". I don't know if you remember your own dreams as well as I do, (or lucid dream like I do) but physics don't exist in the dream realm. When I become lucid in my dreams, and can control them, I can literally fly, breathe underwater, breathe in space, walk through walls, etc...

[@artofsam]

I loved when you reviewed all Carpenter movies with Rich Evan I really think reviewing a whole series of films in the order you love/hate would be amazing.

[@lotus-prince]

Phantasm

[@PTS74]

@@MerchantMarineGuy Yes! Cronenberg is the spiritual cousin to Carpenter, more so specializing in body horror. A worst to best list would be amazing.

[@tomtudorweaver1078]

I love how these guys always bring such a fresh perspective on whatever topic they discuss. I remembered noticing the change from showing in reality the effects of the dream kills in the original with Tina on the ceiling, then in four and five they ignore that and make the over the top deaths look more natural in reality. I always used to think that change was lame, but their point about it making it harder for people to believe they're being murdered is a really scary idea if their cause of death appears to be natural. It reminds me of the supposed inspiration for the original film, where Laotian refugees during the 70's and 80's died in their sleep from unknown causes, with some blaming it on a creature from far Eastern folklore suffocating them in their sleep. Also Mike not mentioning Lisa Wilcox's appearance on Star Trek shocked me, unless its in part 2.

[@jasonlewis3742]

Part 3 struck the perfect balance. Make the deaths look like suicides

[@tomtudorweaver1078]

@@jasonlewis3742 I completely agree, that one handled it really well with moments like the TV kill. The only part that doesn't entirely work for me is Phillip being able to walk straight through locked doors despite it being in the real world.

[@jasonlewis3742]

@@tomtudorweaver1078 Yeah, the point RLM made about John Doe walking up invisible stairs just reminded me of Philip 'sleepwalking' through the locked door

[@jasonlewis3742]

@@tomtudorweaver1078 Part one was similar too. Make Tina's death look like Rod killed her in a crime of passion. Make Rod's look like a guilty suicide. Then they ruin it by having Glen sucked into his bed lol

[@FlamingWhippet]

I've only seen the first one and the biggest head scratch for me was how Freddy possessed the bed sheets to hang the one kid in the jail cell. It's a strange, rule breaking, yet enjoyable series for sure.

[@ButterCookie1984]

Good point.

[@ZyxthePest]

I think the implication is that he's holding them with his hands and dragging Rod up the wall, not possessing them.

[@spatchmo6938]

When Nancy visits outside the jail in her dream and she looks inside the window at Rod, Freddy is already grabbing at the sheets with his hand. So like Zyx said, in the dream he is manipulating the sheets with his hand and that is somehow manifesting in reality

[@Trig242]

Jay's Freddy impression is bang on with the inflection! I love it 😂

[@ShiksaWithChutzpah1]

I hope y'all get to talking about the casting of Robert Englund as Freddy. He's a vital reason why Freddy as a character has become so iconic. I think David Warner did a makeup test and for whatever reason his casting fell through, which is a great bit of serendipity because as great an actor as DW was, I cannot imagine him taking Freddy Krueger to the height of pop culture icon that Robert did.

[@Goose.Films.]

Very excited to hear the discussion of Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Feel like that film could warrant its own full re:view

[@gyromurphy]

Check out Cinema Snobs reviews of it...even the whole series. Honestly I think he has the best horror movie reviews on the internet. The guy knows his stuff.

[@jvictor3048]

Same. It's kind of underrated. Not only is it one of Craven's best movies, it's one of the best horror sequels ever made. There's also a genuine discussion to be had about whether it does the whole meta thing even better than Scream.

[@brinewind8732]

I hope there's a deep dive into Craven's recurring Nude Nightmare as well. Been waiting a long time for a proper psychoanalysis.

[@drygnfyre]

It was kind of overlooked in 1994, but has been one of those films that got a lot of re-evaluation later on, especially since it was basically the proto-Scream. A lot of the concepts, especially self-awareness and how silly a lot of slasher film tropes are, would be used in Scream.

[@drygnfyre]

@@gyromurphy New Nightmare did not give proper recognition to the spirits of Ben Tramer and Ted Hollister. I'll pass on the film, thank you very much.

[@Pete_the_Fuzzball]

This may be the best clip I've ever witnessed 15:49 I've never seen Mike so happy.

[@snowmexican8558]

I’m so glad you guys are doing this. Freddy was always my fav horror villain

[@evolutioninexistence]

Awesome re:View-but MY GOD, that last minute of this was pure RLM gold. I haven’t legitimately laughed like that in a while.

[@daniellelazenby3397]

Mike’s little dance may be the hardest I’ve ever laughed at anything. Thank you 👏🏻

[@tharaxis1474]

Man, if this is not a series of films I periodically rewatch. I think I just recently went through them a year or two ago.

[@MagneticSymbiote]

OMG Mike dancing to the Nightmare on Elm Street NES game music is priceless!

[@KendallLindsey]

I’d love to hear RLM talk about The Dark Crystal, their love of practical effects would give a really cool insight into it. Plus in all selfishness it would be really cool if they got a production skeksis for the office ❤️

[@austinherrington7049]

Thanks for all the content this year, dudes! There’s a lot of energy going into the channel and it shows!

[@Top10WizardReviews]

That last bit was hilarious. I'd love to see Freddy in the writer's room for Picard. Also on a somewhat related note, along with caffeine I've found that very spicy things are good at keeping you awake too. Like try falling asleep after eating a teaspoon of ghost pepper hot sauce, it isn't easy.

[@itsd0nk]

Also, flicking lemon juice in your eyes works great, don’t forget.

[@chrislangstaff]

4 is definitely the one I remember most from seeing them as a terrified pre-teen at birthday sleepovers. The quintessential 80s cheesy horror movie.

[@ErnestTrailers]

Another lucky day where you guys save me from painful self loathing Thank you uncle Jay and grand papa Mike.

[@JK.Productions]

I don’t know how often you guys at RLM read these comments, but I thought I’d like to share a little something something. One of the professors I had was Gerald T. Olson, who worked as a production manager on Nightmare 3. He said that it was one of the most fun films to work on in his career. Olson would then go on to be a producer for the hit 1999 film Johnny Tsunami. Of course he did other things too, but I always chuckle in the fact that he worked on a beloved movie and a (now) meme movie.

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

23:28 I haven't seen Freddy's Dead until today and since this re:view aired I was sure they added all these cartoon sound effects here for comedy. Imagine my face when I found out it's actually this way in the movie...

[@Disaster175]

My conspiracy theory is that part 2 was just a totally different script about a demon with fire powers that they just slid Freddy into to get a sequel out ASAP.

[@markw110]

Probably not a conspiracy...Probably a fact. The second Nightmare movie is unlike any other sequel. It's arguably the best one after Dream Warriors in some ways...genuine creepy factor for me anyway...🤷‍♂️

[@medes5597]

It's apparently based on a different elm street script - which means immediately this franchise was commissioning and rejecting scripts - where Nancy got pregnant and Freddy had to get his powers back so he could possess the baby. Basically what they did later to a degree. New Line didn't like the idea of Freddy going after a baby and asked if they could switch it to a teenager. Then David Chaskin was hired to do heavy rewrites on the cheap. The original writer tried to get a screen credit via the screen writers guild but they ruled that Chaskin had basically rewritten not just her script but also the concept, meaning there was none of her original work left. So I don't think it was a different script, I think it was a mess of different ideas that was done early enough that they hadn't established very well what could and couldn't be done.

[@chasewallace321]

@@markw110 yes. thank you. 2 is my fav personally

[@drygnfyre]

It was very much an allegory for the AIDS epidemic and the social dangers of coming out at the time. And as RLM alluded to, it seems everyone who was involved with the film, except the director, understood this. Robert Englund said that he knew exactly what the film was really about and just assumed everyone else did, too. I suggest checking out the documentary that was mentioned, Mark Patton (lead actor) talks a lot about working on the film and how it helped him with a lot of his struggles about being closeted at the time. As to your point, yes. I would not be surprised if the script was something completely unrelated that was later turned into a franchise sequel. It's pretty common. Every "Die Hard" film after the second was an unrelated film they turned into a Die Hard film. The somewhat forgotten sequel to "Carrie" was an unrelated script written in 1996 that was reworked into a "Carrie" sequel. There are tons of scripts in Hollywood that can go decades before being turned into films, and often it's tying it into existing IP that gets it done.

[@johnaylward2015]

Fun fact: Rachel Talalay has now directed multiple episodes of Doctor Who, some of which are considered to be the best episodes of the entire series.

[@ZyxthePest]

She went to "movie jail" for Tank Girl for a while, which was ridiculous. The studio doomed that movie from day one by making horrid suggestions when she clearly understood the assignment according to Jamie Hewlett. I think it's a silly, fun cult movie, even with all the studio interference, she did her best. Freddy's Dead is also fun little flick if you turn your brain off, but it sadly falls short of the imagination of the first five. Clearly drawing from some Twin Peaks vibes in the Springwood segment.

[@Frenchnostalgique]

She's directed a lot of TV actually (not that I watch anything but Doctor Who and STG). But yeah her direction holds up despite some lousy scripts. Much better than her work on Freddy's Dead.

[@ZyxthePest]

@@Frenchnostalgique She's a rare director where it's everything around her going wrong and she's the only one who knows what she's doing. She paid her dues at New Line too. Glad to see she's thriving in TV.

[@josephmayfield945]

@@ZyxthePest why would you ever want to turn your brain off,

[@ZyxthePest]

@@josephmayfield945 Too much brainstormin'.

[@timflint25]

I actually love the ending of the first one. The cheesy look of it actually makes it wayyy creepier.

[@mdihero]

I thought everyone liked the ending? It's like the most famous part of the movie.

[@Flike245]

It's fast, and the fact that it's "off" makes it even more surreal and unsettling. It hits.

[@collecticus]

I like the mom being attacked, but the car with the friends is dumb.

[@Mister_Clean]

It was definitely a novel way to end a movie in that time It'll either make you laugh or completely piss you off

[@ultraboombean]

@@collecticus through the door was a bit silly but yeah.

[@jemofthe80s18]

Nancy is my favorite character of all TIME for everything about her:):) I love that she learns that despite how she always faces things, sometimes she has to turn away. Wes cut a great line when she asked Marge, "What gave you the right to take the law into your own hands?" Plus, she says her prayers and means them:) Her arc in 3 is great, where she becomes Dr. Loomis and puts her life on the line for the kids, but unfortunately, she wasn't seeing Freddy's mother OR pulling people into her dreams! In 'New Nightmare', Dylan seemed to represent her murdered sibling once she became Nancy, so that's just as good as Nancy saving her child from her villain:) The atmosphere, music, and Freddy in 2 were good, but in vain because it wasn't about her. And 4...you can BE confident and strong all you want with nothing stopping you, so obviously you'd be exactly the same if Freddy never happened:/ All of my sympathy goes to Mr. Johnson and Rick...

[@sydberetta4649]

I remember meeting the actor who played Jesse in 2 and he was so sweet and genuine. He did tell me he didn't believe the story about Heather Langenkamp keeping the Freddy tongue phone prop.

[@jpenir]

The Picard-Freddy crossover at the end had me laughing out loud

[@Frenchnostalgique]

This restrospective is about as structured as a dream so it fits thematically. Seriously, I enjoy this format more than the one you used for John Carpenter's filmography. It's looser but it's not a complete mess because you do go from one subject to the next in a sensible fashion.

[@athenajaxon2397]

I've been in such a Halloweeny mood because I'm taking a horror class this semester so I've been watching a lot of horror movies. Thanks y'all for posting this