A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		0.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

One glove, no love.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 10, 2024

Just in time for its 40th anniversary, Wes Craven's iconic A Nightmare on Elm Street has finally been unleashed on UHD. Highlights of this release include a new 4K remaster of both the theatrical and marginally longer uncut version, new Dolby Atmos audio, the original theatrical audio mix, and... well, no new extras. Even so, it's a well-rounded disc that fans will enjoy whether they opt for this wide release or the comparatively priced Steelbook edition. Please note that neither comes with a Blu-ray copy, remastered or otherwise, and no such release is on the horizon either.

I'd imagine that most horror fans should be familiar with A Nightmare on Elm Street's plot and legacy, whether they saw it during its original run, caught it on VHS or TV, or started with one of its many sequels and worked backwards. If not, please see Martin Liebman's review of Warner Bros.' 2010 Blu-ray edition for a synopsis and appreciation.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots were captured from the 4K disc but downsampled to 1080p/SDR and do not represent actual UHD picture quality. They're simply here to give a general idea of A Nightmare on Elm Street's "new" appearance and framing, and the first nine images are close or exact matches to those seen in our 2010 Blu-ray review.

Warner Bros.' new 4K edition replaces the 2010 VC-1 encoded Blu-ray linked above, which presented A Nightmare on Elm Street with open-matte 1.78:1 framing, lots of digital noise, and somewhat questionable DVD-era color timing. This new 2160p/HDR10 transfer, which appears identical on both the Theatrical and Unrated Cuts, addresses most of those issues even though it's not quite a perfect effort. Aside from the correct 1.85:1 aspect ratio (which is mostly framed similarly to the Blu-ray but now often shows a bit more information at the bottom), the most noticeable differences here are, of course, in relation to noise/grain levels and overall color timing as well as brightness levels.

Beginning with noise/grain, this new 4K transfer of A Nightmare on Elm Street does in fact feature much tighter grain and significantly reduced noise levels -- especially during darker scenes -- while sometimes appearing noticeably more readable but with mostly better-controlled and often deeper black levels. Color is also more natural this time around: whereas some of the Blu-ray's nighttime scenes seemed to be blanket-tinted to favor cooler values, the 4K introduces a few warmer areas that look more convincing in direct comparison. Daytime scenes are especially well-represented by the new HDR10 treatment, as are specific moments with significant degrees of color contrast like Freddy's fiery fate in the Thompson family's basement. Again, this is clearly not a case of someone just "adjusting the knobs" of what came before, as the film as a whole now seems to have a more consistently controlled and film-like appearance that yes, shows various amounts of grain management along the way but not to an excessive degree.

Specific moments may loot a bit too bright or too dark here and there, but those are almost impossible to critique since earlier home video presentations may have been artificially boosted to compensate for format limitations. In fact, the only objective criticism I can muster is related to encoding, as this dual-layered (66GB) UHD disc exhibits mild amounts of macro blocking that, while much less offensive than the Blu-ray's noise-riddled appearance, are still noticeable and could have been alleviated on a triple-layered disc with more room to breathe. Still, this 4K contains what I think is a pretty substantial visual upgrade on the whole, and one that most fans should be fairly pleased with.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The inarguable highlight of this new 4K release is unexpectedly in the audio department, as Warner Bros. has pulled out all the stops to satisfy surround fanatics and purists alike. I say this because almost all previous home video editions of A Nightmare on Elm Street featured slightly revised audio mixes that removed original music and effects cues (detailed here), all of which have been reinstated to various degrees in both the new 4K-exclusive Dolby Atmos remix and the debuting "Original Theatrical Audio", which is in fact a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio split mono track.

The former offers a much more involved and enveloping atmosphere that respects the film's original sonic footprint, offering more than a few playful touches that fill out the side, rear, and height channels; in fact, the only occasional distraction here is some of the dialogue, which occasionally doesn't quite match the overall fidelity of this Atmos track on the whole. Even so, it's a nicely-appointed mix that may in fact be the go-to for newcomers, even if some of those previously-removed original music and effects cues have been buried a bit too deep in the mix for my taste.

Of course, purists will go right to the original mono mix, and yes it's the genuine article with all those original music and effects cues front and center. My only slight complaint is that base volume levels are substantially lower here, as it's about 15dB quieter than the Atmos mix. Incidentally, my normal listening level is somewhere in the middle so it's not necessarily the "fault" of one track over the other, but those seeking to do quick A/V comparisons may want to have that volume button handy. Even so, the inclusion of this original mix is a huge win for Warner Bros. and actually gives me renewed hope for their upcoming 4K edition of The Terminator (at least in the audio department).

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the main feature and all extras listed below.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This one-disc release ships in a keepcase with questionable recycled cover art (a promotional image from one of its many sequels), a matching slipcover, and of course a Digital Copy redemption code. The on-disc bonus features borrow everything of note from Warner Bros.' 2010 Blu-ray edition, many of which are from the DVD era but still great to have here. A basic list and descriptions are below, but more details can be found the linked Blu-ray review.

• Audio Commentary #1 (Theatrical Cut only) - A 2001 group commentary track featuring writer/director Wes Craven, actors Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon, and cinematographer Jacques Haitki.

• Audio Commentary #2 (Theatrical Cut only) - A 2006 track 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.

• Focus Points - More than two dozen short behind-the-scenes segments and unrestored alternate takes now available à la carte, some of which are taken from other featurettes and extras included here.

• Alternate Endings - "Scary Ending", "Happy Ending", and "Freddy Ending".

• The House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror - A 22-minute retrospective featurette.

• Never Sleep Again: The Making of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" - A 50-mintue documentary.

• Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven's Nightmares - A 15-minute piece on the world of dreams.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street began one of the most iconic and enduring horror franchise of its era, with multiple sequels that unsurprisingly ran the gamut from "respectable" to "ridiculous". This 1984 original still holds up 40 years later and stands tall as a minor miracle of low-budget filmmaking... so whether or not you're a die-hard fan or a newcomer curious to see the first film appearances of Freddy Krueger and Johnny Depp, Warner Bros.' long-awaited UHD edition should hit the spot. Featuring a largely satisfying new 4K transfer, an outstanding pair of new and original audio options, and plenty of legacy bonus features, A Nightmare on Elm Street is well worth a purchase whether you opt for this wide release or the comparatively priced Steelbook edition. Highly Recommended for sure.