| A Nightmare On Elm Street was originally
released on DVD in 1999 as part of a box set featuring the entire franchise
on the digital format. It boasted the following specs:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen
1.33:1 Fullscreen Presentation
English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
English Dolby Digital Mono
Audio Commentary by Wes Craven, John Saxon, Heather Langenkamp, and
Jacques Haitkin
Cast and Crew Biographies
"Jump to a Nightmare" Navigation
English Captions
DVD-ROM Content:
Interactive Screenplay
Trivia Game #1
The single disc release (for those not wanting to buy the whole box
set) also included the film's original theatrical trailer. For 1999,
this was rather impressive, and the box set bonus disc featured numerous
interviews, trailers, and music videos from the sequels, and a "Welcome
to Prime Time" documentary focused on just the original film. Though,
the packaging wasn't the best. It utilized the unfavorable cardboard
"snapper" cases (hardly as durable as the plastic keepcases). Still,
this was a very good set of specs for the early days of DVD.
Now, New Line Cinema has released A Nightmare On Elm Street in
a new two-disc InfiniFilm Edition set. It features a newly remastered
picture from the original film negative, and new audio options. Here
are the full specs for this new set:
1.85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation
English Dolby Digital 5.1 EX Surround Sound
English DTS-ES 6.1 Surround Sound
Original Dolby Digital Mono Soundtrack
Audio Commentary by Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon and
Jacques Haitkin
Audio Essay by director Wes Craven, stars Robert Englund, Heather
Langenkamp and more
Never Sleep Again - The Making of A Nightmare On Elm Street
House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror
Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven's Nightmares
Freddys Coming For You Trivia Challenge
"Nightmare Death Track" subtitled fact track
Three Alternate Endings
Exclusive InfiniFilm interactive video clips
Obviously, this new release has a lot more muscle. It retains
the original commentary from the 1999 release, and gives you new features
as well as remastered picture and sound. The packaging is a plastic
keepcase known as a Double Amaray with a cardboard slipcover. So,
let's go right into one of the centerpieces of this DVD - the remastered
and restored picture. You will see distinct differences in the following
six, untampered with screen capture comparisons. As you can see,
neither one seems consistently better than the other.
VIDEO COMPARISON
| In this shot from Tina's first dream sequence, there are multiple differences
between the transfers. The original 1999 one seems to have more color
in actress Amanda Wyss' face, showing off a natural skin tone, but the
framing is off. There's a lot of black space around the frame (mostly
on the left and right). This framing continues on for pretty much
the entire sequence. In the new InfiniFilm DVD, the framing is adjusted
so the image fills the entire 1.85:1 frame (which forces some of the image
to be noticably cropped), but the color in Wyss' face seems drained. |
| This is a classic shot from the film, accompanied by the famous line,
"This is God." The original 1999 DVD again seems to have more color
on Freddy's face and glove. This also helps to give more detail in
this dark shot. I believe the contrast is better in this transfer.
With the InfiniFilm DVD, there's less color in Freddy altogether, but the
blue background seems more vibrant. I really like the 1999 transfer
in this case. Freddy's face just pops out more through the shadows. |
| In this shot, I honestly believe the InfiniFilm transfer is superior.
It's noticably brighter throughout the scene than the 1999 original DVD.
It really caught my eye as soon as I saw it because I saw the theatrical
screening just the week before, and I noted how dark it looked for such
a brightly lit scene. Also, the flesh tones on Heather Langenkamp
seem stronger on the InfiniFilm release. Though, if you look closely,
the framing is slightly shifted downwards in the InfiniFilm version.
Still, I say there's no contest here - the InfiniFilm wins. |
| How's this for stark opposites? Thanks goes to the DVDTalk
review for pointing this one out. The original 1999 transfer
had a very standard coloring to it, and didn't really offer any atmosphere.
This newly restored and remastered print gives the entire film a general
blue tone to it, much like the Dean Cundey-supervised DVD transfer of Halloween
from (ironically enough) 1999. This certainly lends more visual atmosphere
to the film. This is apparent in some scenes more than others.
Whichever version you prefer, you must acknowledge that this new InfiniFilm
transfer has definite coloring differences than how the film has been presented
before. Blue is somewhat of a favorite color of mine, and plus, I
have blue eyes, but this blue tint goes a little overboard, at times.
It's hardly subtle, and seems too strong where it probably should be more
subdued. Maybe others will feel differently, but this starts to make
the film look like Underworld. |
| This is one that's distinctly different. The 1999 DVD seems a
tad darker, but has a truly natural blue sky. The new 2006 release
has a golden hue to it, reflecting a sun-baked California setting.
Yes, the palm trees are totally disregarded in subsequent sequels when
they state that Springwood is located in Ohio, but that's hardly an issue
here. I call this one a toss up. If this was a late afternoon
setting, the golden sunlight might seem appropriate, but I rather prefer
the more natural blue sky. Still, flip a coin and make a choice,
I suppose. Though, based on the brightness alone, the InfiniFilm
transfer wins out. |
| This shot really shows something despite not much being in frame.
The 1999 transfer is brighter with a seemingly more generic light source
upon Freddy's partially-hidden face. And while it still is a dark
shot, you can see a bit of color in Freddy's burn scars. The InfiniFilm
DVD features a bit darker and more monotone picture. The light source
on Krueger's face is copper colored (as is consistent through the entire
scene), but some of that color in his scars is lost. Considering
the scene as a whole, the InfiniFilm picture is actually more effective
and consistent with the tone Craven was going for in these boiler room
sequences. This one goes to the 2006 remastered and restored print
from the original film negative. |
Overall, I would mostly give the InfiniFilm DVD the edge where brightness
is concerned, but based on these six stills, it's a toss up in the color
department, it seems. The blue tint added to a certain amount of
the film seems excessive in particular scenes or shots, and somewhat shies
me towards the 1999 DVD. I didn't notice any real difference where
sharpness, edge halos, or artifacting is concerned. On those levels,
both transfers seem great, but the 2006 transfer might indeed have more
visible detail. Still, both transfers are far brighter than the print
I saw theatrically at the special limited engagement screening on Wednesday,
September 20th which had a lot of difficult to discern details. Once
again proving that digital is the way to go! Ultimately, I say the
better image kind of comes down to personal taste. If you enjoy the
blue toned atmosphere and the copper lighted boiler rooms best, the InfiniFilm
disc is the way to go. If you prefer the more natural, bit less colorful
tone and lighting, stick with the original release, but it is darker.
AUDIO COMPARISON
The original 1999 DVD only offered the original mono audio mix and a remastered
5.1 Dolby Digital mix - which was far greater than expected. Many
low budget films that were released with small scale audio tracks don't
always translate well into new DVD 5.1 remixes (Friday The 13th, Part
VII: The New Blood is evidence of that). Fortunately, New Line
really helped produce something impressive here despite the limitations
of the source material. Tech-philes will be pleased to know that
the InfiniFilm release has a DTS ES 6.1 mix, and a new Dolby Digital 5.1
EX mix as well as the film's original mono audio track. Now, while
my DVD player supports DTS, my stereo receiver does not (and the DVD player
is three years older than the receiver). So, I sadly cannot judge
the quality of that sound mix. What I can judge is the stellar remastered
Dolby Digital EX 5.1 track! You really need to crank the volume up
for this film. The Charles Bernstein score gets so intense it'll
have you fidgeting in your seat. There are many unsettling sounds
wrapping around you. The screams from Tina Grey (Amanda Wyss) in
her second dream sequence are piercing and disturbing. The sound
design and effects really come through well, and overall, will induce chilling
fear and much tension. Excellent work, but there are some problems!
Certain stingers and sound effects are missing from even the "original"
mono track. Two that are evident are where Rod grabs Nancy on her
way to school - that stinger is gone. Also, when Freddy is stalking
Nancy in her basement, as he whispers "Now, where the hell are you?" the
sound of Krueger's knives scraping the furnace is absent. These are
little things, but for the long-time fan, they may be considered pertinent.
Still, I would recommend the InfiniFilm version for the most part just
because of the further options, and the ever-so-desired DTS track.
I would say that all you purists can still enjoy the original mono track,
but with the missing audio bits, you can hardly call it the "original."
SPECIAL FEATURES COMPARISON
To be fair, I am judging the original DVD along with its respective features
present on the box set's Nightmare Encyclopedia bonus disc (mainly because
that's what I own). First off, the scene-specific audio commentary
is very good with four people present with a lot of substantive things
to say. Craven easily has the most to speak of, as usual. Though,
the absence of Robert Englund seems baffling, but Freddy has the least
screentime here of any of the eight films he has appeared in. The
bonus disc Welcome to Prime Time hour-long documentary is pretty
well-rounded with interviews from all the major players in the film.
It has plenty of good stories about how production on the film seemed to
be on the edge of shut down due to late paychecks, but the cast and crew
stuck with Wes until the end. It's a nice run-through of the film
from conception to box office success. There are a few more cast
and crew interviews presented separately from the main documentary.
Overall, it's a pretty thorough and satisfying set of features. The
only other feature is the original theatrical trailer.
For this new InfiniFilm DVD, there's so much more meat on the bone.
The commentary from the original release is on here as well with a new
one that does feature Robert Englund as well as many others. Though,
it is not scene-specific. It's just interview clips pieced together,
and some of the info is covered in the disc two featurettes. So,
it's semi-redundant, but again, no dead air present.
The House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror is
a nice featurette that shows how this film and its entire franchise helped
build New Line Cinema up from just a small-time distributor into a major
Hollywood movie studio. Sequels were made to keep New Line afloat,
and soon, New Line Cinema was a contender. Still, they continued
on with quality horror films, and really treading where other studios wouldn't
with films such as Se7en and picking up the Friday The 13th
and Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchises after they were thought dead
in the water. They also touch on Blade being the first of
many urban horror films, and one that mixed up martial arts and vampires.
I like the quip at the end saying that Michael Myers and Pinhead aren't
their's....yet.
Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare On Elm Street goes
further than Welcome to Prime Time. It briefly explores Craven's
early films, and how he was pushing for that one big break, that one special
film. It also delves more into the psychology of dreams and nightmares.
There's also significant input from Sean S. Cunningham, a close friend
and collaborator of Wes Craven. It also goes into much more detail
about the film's funding, casting, special effects, and overall production.
The Origin of Wes Craven's Nightmares sounds a bit misleading.
The
Origin of Dreams & Nightmares might sound more appropriate.
This featurette is a study and exploration of dreams, their effects on
people and their psychology as well as the cultural and historical intrepretations
of dreams and nightmares. Craven does have input, but not a great
deal. This is mostly populated by various experts and scientists
in the field of dreams. It's a very intriguing featurette if you're
into this sort of thing.
The Freddy's Coming For You Trivia Challenge is fun, and could
make for a nice Halloween party activity. It has random questions,
and so, there's variety for multiple challenges. The three alternate
endings aren't anything too interesting, but are cool to have where we
can find them. Yes, that is a knock on the Labyrnith on the box set's
bonus disc. The film's original theatrical trailer is present on
disc two while trailers for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning,
Snakes on a Plane, & Final Destination 3 are present on disc one.
The last bits include the InfiniFilm interactive features. I have
seen many trivia subtitled fact tracks, and while they always have a wealth
of great information, it's impossible to keep up with them. I mainly
refer to the ones present on the Star Trek Collector's Edition DVDs
from Paramount. In the instance of this InfiniFilm DVD, they are
much better paced, allowing you time to read them while still enjoying
the film. There's no need to be a speed reader with these.
The interactive video clips are cool, but some are recycled from the featurettes
on disc two. Still, you can view alternate takes of scenes including
the construction of Freddy's glove. It's very cool stuff, and another
fun way to experience the film.
PARTING THOUGHTS
Rounding out this comparison, my final recommendation is split. The
new two-disc New Line InfiniFilm edition boasts an impressive load of special
features, more than previously offered. The new commentary track
is a bit redundant with the featurettes and not as generally enjoyable
as the recycled scene-specific commentary, but the InfiniFilm interactive
features are very cool and informative. You can delve into a whole
new experience with those features. It really is the centerpiece
feature of this set, and what you should put your money into. The
new featurettes are well done and engaging. Some new info is learned,
and are overall enjoyable. You won't discover anything Earth-shatteringly
new if you've seen the box set documentary, but it's a good summation of
information.
But the presentation of the actual film makes it a tough reccommendation.
The 2006 audio mix is killer stuff, probably a step above the original
in quality, and plus, you get the added bonus of a DTS track, if that's
an option for you to exploit. Though, there are some missing audio
elements that will annoy those who have watched the film numerous times,
and love it with a passion. Also, the video transfer has some arguable
points, but looks prestine. The print is perfectly clean as if this
movie had been made this very year. The transfer features no compression
artifacts, edge halos, or anything negative on a technical level.
The newly remastered print is definitely brighter, but color is an inconsistent
issue compared to the original 1999 DVD. I guess that can be a matter
of preference. Where the features are concerned, I would say that
this new InfiniFilm edition is a good buy, but if you have the original
release with the box set, you may not feel it's worth upgrading since the
transfer and audio were great and intact from their classic presentation.
Still, there's some cool, never-before-seen content with this 2006 release
in both the featurettes and the InfiniFilm interactive video features.
The wealth of alternate take footage is kick ass. If you do not own
this movie on DVD yet, and you're unwilling to buy the seven year old box
set to obtain all those special features, this is a good buy. So,
I'm sorry I can't tell you one is better than the other, but all the facts
are here for you to decide what suits you best.
PURCHASE
'A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: INFINIFILM EDITION DVD' FROM DVDEMPIRE.COM
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