Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010)

This documentary tells us in depth behind the scenes stories of the A Nightmare On Elm Street series.

Director: Daniel Farrands, Andrew Kasch

Cast: Various people that worked on the film series

MPAA Rating: N/A

Fun Fact: The glove worn by the people in the film was specially made for this documentary.

Ok, I did say that I wasn’t going to review horror related material for a while but, I had to do this film so to speak and you will understand why more in the review. I’m a lover for a good documentary and it’s been awhile that I’ve seen one. Since it’s fresh off my series review of A Nightmare on Elm Street, this would be the final topic and the rest is history.

Now this is the mother of all documentaries. This film doesn’t mess around, and you will learn about almost everything about the franchise. The amazing thing about it is the runtime and it clocks in at around four hours. Have you ever seen a documentary that long? I mean there must be some out there with that length. The beauty of it is that every film in the franchise gets an in depth look into the making and the results of every film. It’s a documentary that wants to give back to the loyal fans of the franchise with its backstory. It always is nice to see behind the scenes footage and we get some of it here.

The nice thing about this is how some of the major players of the franchise is interviewed. Wes Craven is heavily interviewed about is creation and takes on the franchise. It’s interesting to see how little involvement he had as the films progressed. The filmmakers even bring back the makeup and special effects artists to talk about their takes and what visions they had. Robert Shaye, founder of New Line Cinema is also interviewed, which is a good thing. He made most of the decisions on where to take the franchise and it gives the viewer a question. Did he succeed, or did he make it lose steam? Every director of the films is also featured and it’s interesting to hear what their visions were for their respected films. Heather Langenkanp does a fine job with her narration on the project. She is also interviewed, and you can tell she is having a great time talking about her experiences. Of course the best parts are the interviews with Robert Englund. You get to learn about his favorite moments in the series.

Overall, this documentary is a fantastic take on a well-known franchise. It’s quite a bit to take in since it’s over four hours but, if you’re a fan of the series you will learn a lot about it. Many main players are featured, and you get interesting takes on what their experiences are. If you’re a fan of documentaries, the elm street series, or both you’re going to enjoy this one.

Verdict: Hit