Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
77%RT Audience Score: 66%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 7 nominations
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare adds an unexpectedly satisfying – not to mention intelligent – meta layer to a horror franchise that had long since lost its way
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is a horror movie that’s so self-aware, it’s practically winking at you through the screen. Freddy Krueger is back and he’s as nasty as ever, but this time he’s not just haunting dreams, he’s haunting the movie set too. The practical effects may have been replaced by CGI, but that doesn’t stop this movie from being a worthy epilogue to the series. It’s toning for the fans and Valium for the skeptics, and it’s definitely worth a watch if you’re a horror fan. Just don’t fall asleep afterwards…
Production Company(ies)
Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment,
Distributor
New Line Cinema, Roadshow Home Video [au]
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Gothic Avenue / San Fernando Mission Boulevard, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for explicit horror violence and gore, and for language
Year of Release
1994
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 52m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Oct 14, 1994 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 22, 2000
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, horror, metafilm, Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, Miko Hughes, directed by Wes Craven, written by Wes Craven, produced by Marianne Maddalena, reviewed by Owen Gleiberman, Janet Maslin, James Berardinelli, Richard Harrington, Eve Tushnet, James Croot, Luis Martinez, Mikel Zorrilla, R-rated, box office gross $18.1M, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger, Nancy Thompson, Dylan Porter, Chase Porter, Dr Christine Heffner, reality, fantasy, demonic spirit, iconic villain, disfigured, soul, horror franchise, self-referential, commercialization, CGI, makeup, prosthetics, stop-motion animation, sound mix, surround, stereo, DTS, English, New Line Cinema, Roadshow Home Video [au]
Worldwide gross: $19,721,741
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $39,899,555
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,438
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 4,351,096
US/Canada gross: $18,090,181
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $36,598,704
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,198
US/Canada opening weekend: $6,667,118
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $13,488,416
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 843
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $8,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $16,185,003
Production budget ranking: 1,475
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $8,715,624
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $14,998,928
ROI to date (est.): 60%
ROI ranking: 1,100
Heather Langenkamp – Herself, Nancy Thompson
Miko Hughes – Dylan Porter
David Newsom – Chase Porter
Tracy Middendorf – Julie
Fran Bennett – Dr. Christine Heffner
Director(s)
Wes Craven
Writer(s)
Wes Craven
Producer(s)
Marianne Maddalena
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 7 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (41) | Top Critics (11) | Fresh (32) | Rotten (9)
September 7, 2011 | Rating: C-
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
This one’s defeated by the rigid formula.
April 5, 2010
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Englund once again is in bravura form as Freddy, playing as much for nasty laughs as unnerving shocks.
March 26, 2009
Joe Leydon
Variety
TOP CRITIC
An ingenious, cathartic exercise in illusion and fear.
May 20, 2003 | Rating: 3/5
Janet Maslin
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
[Craven] has brought back a sense of genuine horror to the series, in part by taking it to completely new ground, and in part by giving his actors a legitimate script to work with.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
The new film recaptures the dark soul of the original through a clever conceit.
January 1, 2000
Richard Harrington
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
This story about stories was so much less interesting than a story about nightmares in suburbia.
June 6, 2022
Eve Tushnet
Patheos
This was a new kind of horror movie, self-aware, reverential to the rules and yet more than happy to smash them when needed.
November 19, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
James Croot
Stuff.co.nz
Much of the practical items, makeup, prosthetics, and stop-motion animation has been replaced by CGI, which, though not unwatchable, isn’t as convincing or as endearing.
September 25, 2020 | Rating: 3/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Just when you thought that Freddy Krueger’s antics were exhausted, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare arrives with a worthy epilogue. [Full Review in Spanish]
October 21, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Fotogramas Staff
Fotogramas
Toning for the unconditional fan and Valium for the skeptics. [Full Review in Spanish]
October 21, 2019
Luis Martinez
El Pais (Spain)
A breath of fresh air that in a way is a direct predecessor to ‘Scream.’ [Full Review in Spanish]
October 21, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Mikel Zorrilla
Espinof…
Plot
It’s nearing the 10th Anniversary of the film ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ and one of the stars, Heather Langenkamp is being scared by a voice on a phone, sounding very similar to the film’s villain, Freddy Krueger. When Heather’s husband is killed in a car accident and is discovered with slash marks on him, Heather starts to wonder something. Especially when she discovers that Wes Craven is writing another ‘Nightmare’ film. Soon, she realizes that Freddy has now entered the real world, and the only way to defeat him is to become Nancy Thompson once again.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny comment about the film in the Fresh Kernels database.
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