Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Blu-ray Movie Review

Better Lock Your Door, Grab Your Crucifix and Stay Up Late—This Documentary's Coming for YOU!

Reviewed by Michael Reuben January 21, 2014

Director Daniel Farrands is a true horror fan. In 2009 he directed the made-for-TV movie entitled His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th. That turned out to be a test run for the massive Crystal Lake Memories, a six-hour-plus documentary released on video in 2013 that not only brought His Name Was Jason up to date, but also expanded it into every conceivable corner of the Friday the 13th universe.

In between those efforts, Farrands tackled another classic horror franchise. In 2010, he co-directed, with Andrew Kasch (the editor on Crystal Lake Memories), a four-hour documentary covering all seven of the Nightmare on Elm Street (hereafter "NOES") films, plus the successful crossover feature Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and the short-lived TV series, Freddy's Nightmares. Farrands and Kasch were assisted by many of the same devoted fans who had made His Name Was Jason a labor of love, and they brought the same dedication to Never Sleep Again. Kasch had edited His Name Was Jason and co-edited Never Sleep Again, in addition to directing. Thommy Hutson was the writer on both films, and cinematographer Buz Danger Wallick shot both films. (The following year, the same team would collaborate on yet another documentary about a horror franchise, Scream: The Inside Story.)

Never Sleep Again was released direct-to-DVD with an entire second disc of extras. Image Entertainment is re-releasing it as a two-disc set on Blu-ray.

With narration by Heather Langenkamp, who appeared in the first and third NOES installments as "Nancy Thompson" and in the seventh as a fictionalized version of herself, Never Sleep Again does a superlative job of relating the origin, development, production and reception of each of the NOES films. Paralleling that story is the rise of New Line Cinema, nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built", from its humble beginnings in the apartment of founder and CEO Robert Shaye to the powerhouse that backed the hugely successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, before finally being absorbed into Warner Brothers in 2008.

Farrands, Kasch, Hutson et al. have shaped and edited the interview footage so that the story is told as much as possible in the words of the participants themselves. But the real work of Never Sleep Again was the sheer effort of tracking down the astonishing collection of over 100 interviewees, including writers, directors, cinematographers, producers, former New Line executives, effects specialists and a wide array of actors from the entire canon of films. The full extent of the legwork involved is described in the accompanying commentary.

There are a few notable omissions. Johnny Depp and Ronee Blakley are missing from the cast of the original NOES, but Depp's absence is partially filled by a clip from Inside the Actors Studio in which he briefly discusses the film. Patrica Arquette, star of NOES 3: Dream Warriors, is also absent, as she was from its sequel, NOES 4: The Dream Master, where her part was played by Tuesday Knight, who does appear. Breckin Meyer was presumably too busy working on Robot Chicken to talk about his work in NOES 6 a/k/a Freddie's Dead: The Final Nightmare.

Regrettable though these absences may be, they are barely felt in the organized chorus of so many knowledgeable voices, especially Robert Englund, who played the sadistic dream villain Freddy Krueger in every film. The NOES franchise was, after all, primarily about Freddy, and Englund was the one who understood how to bring the character frighteningly alive. When New Line tried to save money by replacing Englund with a stuntman in Freddy's costume, the results were disastrous—and quickly abandoned. Englund's thoughtful insights are layered throughout Never Sleep Again. Combine Englund's contributions with the participation of such industry veterans as John Saxon and Clu Gulager, then add in juicy stories such as Wes Craven's battles with New Line head Robert Shaye (frankly recounted by both Craven and others) and tales of stunts gone awry (like the revolving room that poured fake blood everywhere and nearly electrocuted several cast and crew), and you have a narrative so engaging that a few missing stars are quickly forgotten.

Perhaps the most significant discussion in Never Sleep Again—"revelation" is too strong a word—concerns the much-debated homosexual "subtext" in NOES 2: Freddy's Revenge. Some have argued that it's too obvious to be anything but intentional, while others have insisted that it's all in the eye of the beholder. The answer turns out to be some of both, with a distinct tilt toward the "intentional" camp. Screenwriter David Chaskin frankly acknowledges inserting gay themes as subtext, but insists that the production substantially elevated what he intended to keep buried. The director and production team claim ignorance or, more accurately, cluelessness—and they're credible. Had they realized the additional layers of meaning conveyed by some of the hero's lines ("Something is trying to get inside my body!"), not to mention his chaste relationship with his girlfriend and obvious attraction to his best male friend, the filmmakers would almost certainly have toned down or eliminated these elements. After all, their target audience was teenage boys, but apparently they were too caught up in making the film to see it for what it was.

The same can't be said of the makers of Never Sleep Again. Especially after you've been through the extensive extras, there's a sense of awe at how thoroughly Farrands, Kasch and their team have examined the NOES films from every possible angle. True fans themselves, they've done fellow fans a service.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

No definitive information was available on the shooting format of Never Sleep Again, but cinematographer Buz Danger Wallick appears to have used hi-def video, and most of the interviews are lit in a spooky, shadowy style that is both consistent with the subject and, one suspects, flattering to the older actors. Stills and archival material are presented in various conditions, and excerpts from the NOES films appear to have been taken from DVD-quality sources. RLJ/Image Entertainment's 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray handles this relatively undemanding material without any obvious issues, framing the interview subjects in solid black in some instances, in washes of color in others. (Most of the backgrounds appear to have been added in post-production.) Occasionally, a subject will require special handling, e.g., Lezlie Dean, who played Tracy in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. (See screenshot #4.) Some of the skin tones are unnatural, but this is clearly by design.

Regardless of the lighting, the Blu-ray presentation reveals substantial additional detail in faces, clothing and accessories. For those who prefer the best image (or are watching on large screens), the Blu-ray should be a noticeable improvement over the DVD image.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Never Sleep Again has a stereo soundtrack, presented here in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0. The film doesn't need anything more elaborate. Voices have to be clearly reproduced, and they are. The original score by Sean Schafer Hennessy provides background and atmosphere, and a two-channel mix is sufficient for that purpose.

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Except for the commentary (nearly four hours of it), all of the extras are contained on a second Blu-ray disc.

• Commentary with Directors Andrew Kasch and Daniel Farrands, Writer Thommy Hutson and Cinematographer Buz Danger Wallick: Playing this track is more like sitting in a room with four enthusiastic fans than listening to a traditional commentary. The collaborators often range far and wide over the current state of horror cinema and filmmaking in general, but they always come back to the process of creating Never Sleep Again. Their descriptions of taping some of the interviews (particular Englund's and Craven's) are entertaining, as is their account of the detective work involved in tracking down actors who had left the business. Their most prized "find" is Mark Patton ("Jesse" in NOES 2: Freddy's Revenge), who had left the film industry altogether.



• Extended Interviews (1080p; 1.78:1; 1:40:56): These are fully edited extensions of each section of the documentary, with additional discussion of each of the seven films in the original NOES series, plus Freddy vs. Jason and the Freddy's Nightmares TV series. Some of the material is informative, and all of it will interest serious NOES fans.



• First Look: Heather Langenkamp's "I Am Nancy" (1080i; 6:42): With a brief introduction by Langenkamp, this sneak preview has been largely superceded by the 2011 release of Langenkamp's autobiographical documentary, which follows her as she attends fan conventions.



• For the Love of the Glove (1080p; 1.78:1; 18:16): Beginning with the saga of the "missing glove" from the original NOES and its current owner, Mike Becker, this documentary short explores collectors' and fans' fascination with Freddy's glove.



• Fred Heads: The Ultimate Freddy Fans (1080p; 1.78:1; 12:50): Collectors (and creators) of Freddy memorabilia.



• Horror's Hallowed Grounds: Return to Elm Street (1080p; 1.78:1; 23:10): Creator and host Sean Clark has made installments of this series for Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, among others. In this episode, he revisits locations from the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, accompanied by members of the cast (and interrupted by several members of NOES 2: Freddy's Revenge).



• Freddy vs. The Angry Video Game Nerd (480i; 1.33:1; 5:30): Web series creator James Rolfe talks about his NOES episode, based on an early Freddy video game.



• Expanding the Elm Street Universe: Freddy in Comic Books and Novels (1080p; 1.78:1; 15:45): A survey.



• The Music of the Nightmare: Conversations with Composers and Songwriters (1080p; 1.78:1; 13:40): This is an important extra, because the musical element is under-represented in the main documentary. Charles Bernstein adds a few remarks to his contributions, but Christopher Young (NOES 2) is heard for the first time, as is Craig Safan (NOES 4) and J. Peter Robinson (NOES 7 a/k/a Wes Craven's New Nightmare). Dokken reappears.



• Elm Street's Poster Boy: The Art of Matthew Joseph Peak (1080p; 1.78:1; 7:31): The creator of the posters for five of the seven NOES films.



• A Nightmare on Elm Street in 10 Minutes (1080p; 1.78:1; 10:07): Highlights of all seven films, plus Freddy vs. Jason, performed by the interviewees assembled for Never Sleep Again. (Some of these play during the documentary's credits.)



• Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Teaser Trailer (1080p; 1.78:1; 0:56).

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hardcore NOES fans probably already acquired Never Sleep Again when it first appeared on DVD. There's no rush for them to upgrade. New converts to the world of Freddy Krueger, perhaps through the NOES collection released on Blu-ray by Warner's New Line division, should seriously consider putting Never Sleep Again on their shelf. No special feature could ever take fans so far or so deep into the world of a franchise. For a first-time purchaser, highly recommended.