Never Sleep Again, catchy right?
Never Sleep Again: The Nightmare Legacy, is an incomparably comprehensive catalogue of Freddy Krueger’s ascension from dream to phenomenon. An obvious labor of devotion and passion, Never Sleep Again serves less as a companion piece to whatever Nightmare on Elm Street bonus material you may already have on the shelf, and more as an engaging detailer of myth and legend in its own right. Through countless, immaculately constructed interviews and strikingly implemented supplements, Never Sleep Again has as much the feel of a piece of narrative filmmaking as it does that of a documentary. In essence, it’s a documentary worth spending time and money on. Crazy, right?
Every element of the production has an air of preparedness to it that rivals any work of Hollywood fiction. A hundred yarns of tire and heartbreak are sewn in the interview portions. Its breathtaking claymation sequences so wondrously depict the sense of cultural significance the Elm Street movies have had. From the first film, all the way through Freddy’s Revenge, The Dream Warriors, The Dream Master, The Dream Child, Freddy’s Dead, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and Freddy Vs. Jason, the material is downright fascinating. Even the segment detailing the short-lived TV series, Freddy’s Nightmares, is full of sensational imagery and evocative reminiscing by all featured subjects.
Interviewees include series directors Wes Craven, Jack Sholder, Chuck Russell, Renny Harlin, Stephen Hopkins, Rachel Talalay and Ronny Yu. Featured performers, to name a few, include Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger), Heather Langenkamp (Nancy), Alice Cooper, all of Dokken, Kane Hodder, Monica Keena, John Saxon, A Christmas Story’s Zack Ward and Lisa Wilcox. Key artists and crew members start with Howard Berger (of the Oscar-winning KNB EFX Group), John Carl Buechler, and Kevin Yagher. These men have worked their entire lives to give you nightmares. Take a moment to thank them.
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, is one of those projects that is so overflowing with love and intelligence, that it will fill up absolutely anyone with even a cursory interest in the power of stories, or fantastic imagery. The embrace of the phantasmagorical nature, not just of its primary focus or horror in general, but of art and humanity, is a beautiful, wonderful thing. I cannot possibly recommend you see it enough, whether you’re a series devotee or far more casual. It is not enough to make mere mention of the wealth of the information – what must be so clearly pinpointed here is the weight of it all; the sense of turmoil these people have endeavored to overcome, in order to leave an impression on the people, and the mind. Freddy isn’t dead.
Picture and Sound:
Every effort has been taken in crafting this absurdly enormous presentation the right way. Without compromising a bit of the wildly discordant film materials, directors Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch, as well as the visual team headed up by Buz Wallick and editor Andrew Kasch, have without mentionable fail done the impossible – they’ve fit a four hour movie on a single standard definition DVD with impeccable production values. It is the best looking documentary I’ve had the pleasure of viewing, for one, and just as importantly, it’s the easiest to watch. Sitting down for an hour at a time is an absolute pleasure as a result of the presentation, and by the end of the day you’ll feel smarter. There are but a few minor audio discrepancies keeping this from a perfect score. But this documentary will blow you away.
DVD Bonus Features
The second disc of this lavish set is full of quite literally hours of awesome bonus features. Without even starting on the wealth of information you’ll find in the extended interviews on every film, you’ll crack into documentaries on the music of the series, the legendary poster art by Matthew Joseph Peak, a segment by the Angry Videogame Nerd, series locations… it’s just another serious whole world of awesome on disc two.
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy deserves every single word of the praise it’s been getting. It is an inspirational work of art on every level.
"Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy" is on sale May 4, 2010 and is not rated. Documentary, Horror. Directed by Andrew Kasch, Daniel Farrands. Written by Thommy Huston. Starring Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Wes Craven.
