Summary

One of the most detailed and entertaining documentaries on horror films ever made, the two-disc, four-hour Never Sleep Again explores the history of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and its enduring legacy for both its fans and filmmakers. Narrated by actress Heather Langenkamp, the once and future Nancy Thompson from Wes Craven's original 1985 Nightmare (and an executive producer on this documentary), Never Sleep Again covers all six surreal, blood-soaked Elm Street pictures through candid interviews with the primary creative figures, including Craven, New Line exec Robert Shaye, Freddy Krueger's offscreen alter ego Robert Englund, and nearly all the above-the-line personnel from each feature, among them directors Jack Shoulder (Nightmare 2), Renny Harlin (Nightmare 4: The Dream Master) and Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason), special effects and makeup wizards Mark Shostrom, Kevin Yagher, and David Miller, and the majority of the casts from each film (though not Johnny Depp from the first Nightmare or Patricia Arquette from Nightmare 3), as well as deleted scenes, production photos, and conceptual art. Viewers are given the full lowdown from multiple perspectives on each film from inception to release (including personality clashes and production troubles, which are discussed in frank terms), as well as Freddy's rise from low-budget boogeyman to pop culture figure and hero to millions of adolescents. Directors Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch, who chronicled the adventures of another '80s horror star--Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th franchise--in His Name Was Jason, have outdone their previous efforts by compiling this wealth of information and keeping it informative, frequently funny, and eminently watchable for first-timers and hardcore Freddy heads alike over its considerable running time. And they're to be commended for making room to paint an unflinching look at the effect the Nightmare series had on New Line Cinema, which rose from modest indie to Hollywood player on the finances reaped from the films. As a portrait of an iconic genre movie series, Never Sleep Again sets the bar for all future endeavors.