9 frame analysisa nightmare on elm street

By James BrewerWith a special thanx to mr Wes Craven for making such a splendifferous movie

• The image flickers on from a black background, bringing special attention to itself. With the bright colours and eeiry undertone of what would later become signature Freddie music the audience is told this is not your average horror movie.

• At the time new line cinema were BIG meaning this was THE movie to see with famous actors and probbably a class A/B director.

• We are shown low shots of the antagonist building something that looks sharp and lethal, and we see it from his view. This asks the audience the question who is it? Why are they here doing this? And it tells them that if we see things from his point of view so soon he is essential to the plot.

• From the care he is taking to build this we know it will be his signiture and parting card, something he wants to keep safe and close by.

• We know it is the antagonist due to the low lighting which makes it hard to see anything not illuminated by the candle he has set, and the heavy breathing of the man (the breathing also shows it is a man.

• The breathing itself shows us a lot, that it is a man and he is taking great fondness for what he is making.

• The underlying quiet music is also sinister and almost hypnotic. Such music is often used to add mystery and a sense of foreboding. It is also seductive in a way, showing something of the character. To me it says that this person enjoys what he does, and does it with glee. Like the death of innocence.

• The small image also helps lure the audience in and almost traps them in the image, by clearly showing the 4 lines we can see there is no escape.

• This scene showing the killer (still from his point of view) flourishing his weapon.• With such a violent instrument we know this is a killer, and from his cry of pleasure and

anticipation we know it is a violent killer ad that this will be a psychological horror as well as a slasher flic.

• We see this because the small weapon shows the killer will want to get up-close and personal to kill, and by using blades he will have to get bloodied up some with each kill.

• A person who enjoys that is obviously a strange twisted individual who probably sees his sick obsession as a form a blood art, so the killings will be shown as interesting and different than a simple stab and go.

• After all the audience is asked, why take such care and time to make a signature weapon if you don’t intend to sue it to its full? The killer would simply use a knife or gun if his intent was simply murder.

• The music gets high and we finally see what he has created as the title comes up.• A “nightmare on Elm Street” this movie is a horror and is either about the nightmarish

time of the people of Elm Street, or we will have nightmares for watching.• Its written in blood red over a black background for definition.

• We see this shot and instantly know we are seeing a horror movie, or a very bad comedy.

• As if the slash over the flesh covered material were not bad enough, the scream and ominous (now high pitched) music certify it.

• Still from the now apparent killers point of view we cut right from him flourishing the claw glove (showing us this man is more animal than man)right to the dark deed.

• The low light obscures most of the background so our focus is only on the victim (another key element of horror, the where doesn’t matter there will be no help)

• We finally move to a full screen, showing we are no longer trapped in a small room with a killer and the music slowly fades out to reveal a confused, filthy girl that looks lose.

• Cutting right from the killers view to this girls face makes us think that this killer is a threat to her and is possibly stalking her, while the white background shows this girl is innocent, but the dirt on her white (purity) dress shows that she has either done something or something is going to happen to kill this purity.

• This shot is opposite to the last, moving back to the dark low lighting look, and showing the girl running away from the light, away from what is pure into this dark recess where anything can happen.

• With it being a long shot it helps the character look smaller and more vulnerable to predators (the animal killer with claws)

• Her flailing arms don’t help either, she looks either high or having a seizure

• We see this right after we hear something falling. This tells us 2 things. 1 someone or something is close by her, and 2 probably that she is trying to escape (although going into his lair isn't what I would do) as we can see clearly that she is frightened.

• It also hints at whatever she is running from as either being or seeing itself as go or go like. The dirt on her dress killing her purity and her running away from the light, something associated with goodness and religion, although I may just be interpreting too much

• Also since the right hand side of the screen is dark we can assume something sinister is slowly taking over the screen and she is running straight into the jaws of the killer… silly stock horror victim :P

• This shot is a fairly effective one• From this viewpoint we cant see the girl anymore. But we can

still hear breathing and random metal clacks, showing this is a factory of some kind and a place the killer is familiar with (the breathing sounds like him and from this angle the audience is once again in his shoes) and again hinting he is more animal than man, stalking his prey in his den.

• We also see the Robert Englund actor is shown here, however simply the fact his name has and before it shows he isn't a principal role, and is either just an add on or a character worthy enough to have a name but not enough on-screen time to be considered principal cast.

• Again the dark colours and low lighting show us there is danger in this unknown pit, adding tension to the shot, and the music only heightens this, being fast and ominous with no vocals helps the audience get into the girls shoes

• From this shot e can see the girl starting to sink into the floor, confirming this is no ordinary place and something supernatural is happening

• And the audience can only feel pity for the girl as the killer watches from the corner, the first real shot we have of him (although dark and low lighting we see he wears a dark hat that covers his face meaning he wants to remain unseen)

• Although we cannot at this point confirm it is the killer the dark light and the hiding, AND us looking not from his point of view but from his corner again makes us think its him after so many looks from his point of view

• This shows him as animalistic again watching his prey till its nice and helpless being sucked into the floor.

Does he catch her?Watch the movie and find out :P

Fin

Tootles Cia’o

CheerioC’ya!Bye

JB