Directed By: Arlene Marechal
Starring: Heather Langenkamp, Wes Craven, Robert Englund
Rating: Not Rated
Running Time: 71 minutes
Film: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2.5 out of 5 stars
I have been a fan of the “Nightmare on Elm Street” series since I was kid and it holds a special place for me, like I am sure many. This film focuses on Heather Langenkamp’s career of playing Nancy Thompson, the girl who fought Freddy Krueger in three “Elm Street” films. The main focus of the film though is Heather pondering “Why Freddymania and not Nancymania?” We follow her through various horror conventions as she meets fans and hears their stories. I have been to countless horror conventions myself and I have met Heather a few times at these shows personally. So, I definitely enjoyed the idea of the film but overall it felt like it would have been generally shorten in half and added on as a DVD extra to “A Nightmare on Elm Street” disc.
Overall I appreciate the need for this documentary since Freddy does always get all the attention but the idea get very repetitive after 45 mins. Heather is very funny in the film and in her journey to get Nancy the attention she deserves. The film focuses on the fans of the series and if you are a fan of the series then you will appreciate this project a lot more. I think the idea could have been expanded a little outside of just conventions but it is what it is.
The special features are ok but not great. We basically have two extended interviews and a music video. The first interview is with Wes Craven. It runs over 30 minutes which is usually good thing but content wise it runs a little thin. I prefer the feature cut of the interview. Next we have an extended interview with Robert Englund. I actually enjoyed this extended interview very much. Robert is such a personality and is fun to hear him tell his story. Lastly we have a music video for the “I Am Nancy” theme song which was performed by Jamie Coon and Tom Von Doom. Basically it is just clips from the convention over the song, nothing special. Hardcore fans of the series, might want to check this out…otherwise watch “Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy”. It is an action packed 240-minute DVD retrospective, that will give fans everything they’ve ever dreamed for.