My statement
For my adaption I have choose to watch the movie A Nightmare On Elm Street by Wes Craven (1984 version). This movie goes along with our class Monsters and Misfits for a whole plethora of reasons. The main reasons, however, that I picked to adapt this movie is because of the fear exposed in the context. The fear Wes Craven exposes is the fear of child abduction. Around the time the movie came out A boy named Etan Patz went missing which sent a mass hysteria through Manhattan. The movie A nightmare On Elm Street does a great job at exposing this fear of child abduction by Freddie‘s back story of a diction young kids and the abduction of the children’s innocence through dreams. Dreams are supposed to be nice and full of hope, but thanks to Freddy that idea has been corrupted. In my adaption of this film I will stick with the fear of abduction but twist it in a way that is not terrifying to the kids, but to the abductor.
There are a few things I really like in this film. I like how the parents of the children being haunted by Freddy are linked. If the parents never took control and gave what they felt was justice then their kids would never be dying, but this is something you can’t change. It shows that two wrongs really don’t make a right. Freddy while alive abducted kids so the parents did something about. The way they took care of it was illegal and resulted in even more death in the end. I really like that concept it adds an extra layer of thinking to the problem at hand and possible reasons for the problem. I dislike, however, that the parents ignore the kids plea for help when the very realistic dreams started to occur. How could these parents that supposedly killed the man that’s now haunting their kids dreams be so ignorant to the fact that their kids are in trouble. That is another theme of the movie however that parents of this time didn’t really value young teens opinions, so this could be a demonstration of that. I feel it’s necessary to have parent neglect in the film though because it adds a form of suspense.
Honestly the setting and time period of the movie is irrelevant.
The only thing the time period and town has to do with the movie is where Freddy was born and the fact that it was the same place years later that the kids were experiencing Freddie’s hauntings. In my adaption if I was to change the setting and time period I feel nothing would change. People will still have dreams in 50 years and in the past people still had dreams, so I don’t feel I will be limited to sticking with a certain time period when creating my adaption. The sequels to A Nightmare On Elm Street stick to the main ideas of children dreams being haunted. The only difference is the setting of the movie and the characters being haunted. Again because of these sequels I know that changing the setting or characters won’t affect the main points of the story.
My adaption will focus on how karma affects someone. With Freddy having a dream that appears no different than any other one of his hauntings, but he soon finds out rolls have been reversed. Seeing familiar people from his past, Freddy will embark on his most horrific adventure yet, facing horrors he had only previously inflicted on others. Totally powerless and helpless, Freddy must find a way back to the light or be damned forever.
There are a few things I really like in this film. I like how the parents of the children being haunted by Freddy are linked. If the parents never took control and gave what they felt was justice then their kids would never be dying, but this is something you can’t change. It shows that two wrongs really don’t make a right. Freddy while alive abducted kids so the parents did something about. The way they took care of it was illegal and resulted in even more death in the end. I really like that concept it adds an extra layer of thinking to the problem at hand and possible reasons for the problem. I dislike, however, that the parents ignore the kids plea for help when the very realistic dreams started to occur. How could these parents that supposedly killed the man that’s now haunting their kids dreams be so ignorant to the fact that their kids are in trouble. That is another theme of the movie however that parents of this time didn’t really value young teens opinions, so this could be a demonstration of that. I feel it’s necessary to have parent neglect in the film though because it adds a form of suspense.
Honestly the setting and time period of the movie is irrelevant.
The only thing the time period and town has to do with the movie is where Freddy was born and the fact that it was the same place years later that the kids were experiencing Freddie’s hauntings. In my adaption if I was to change the setting and time period I feel nothing would change. People will still have dreams in 50 years and in the past people still had dreams, so I don’t feel I will be limited to sticking with a certain time period when creating my adaption. The sequels to A Nightmare On Elm Street stick to the main ideas of children dreams being haunted. The only difference is the setting of the movie and the characters being haunted. Again because of these sequels I know that changing the setting or characters won’t affect the main points of the story.
My adaption will focus on how karma affects someone. With Freddy having a dream that appears no different than any other one of his hauntings, but he soon finds out rolls have been reversed. Seeing familiar people from his past, Freddy will embark on his most horrific adventure yet, facing horrors he had only previously inflicted on others. Totally powerless and helpless, Freddy must find a way back to the light or be damned forever.
My research
Karma Strikes
For years I have enjoyed watching horror movies coming from the 70’s and 80’s. The
raunchy gore scenes and the over dramatic deaths help to places these movies at the top of my must watch list. One of my favorites is the original A Nightmare on Elm Street by Wes Craven. This movie does a great job with exposing fears of abduction and uncontrolled events, however, I dislike the idea that Freddy, the protagonist, is all powerful with no clear way to hurt him. In my research I focused on Freddy and how the victims were able to trick him to come into reality. I mainly focused on ways the victims were able to allude capture in the dream world and exactly how far Freddy’s powers extend. The research I have conducted will aid me in writing my adaption piece where the roles have been reversed and there will be focus on Freddy’s previous victims playing the role of the protagonist. In doing this I hope to achieve the sense of karma and regret. Freddy isn’t safe in the dream world anymore.
“Is Freddy Kruger Immortal?”
In this article, the author talks about all the times Freddy has been “killed” by victims of his hauntings. The reading goes in depth on ways people have tried to end the hysteria caused by Freddy “When an entire town disbelieves in Freddy Kruger or otherwise ‘forgets’ him, he is unable to kill” (1.) This information will help aid me in creating new ways to bring down Freddy
Fournier !1
Kruger. It shows that most attempts to kill Freddy have been typical things parents say to their frightened children’s “just don’t worry about it, don’t think about it.” This is valuable to the adaption because it proves that the main focuses were on neglect of the unthinkable and that I need to take the unthinkable and turn them into reality. Thanks to this piece, the adaption will have a different sense of control over situation and will bring new ideas on how to take down Freddy.
“Fact Check: Was Freddy Kruger from ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ based on real life serial murder”
A common trend in horror movies is to base the big screen slasher on a real life killer which gives movies a sense of realism. Freddy Kruger, however, isn’t based on a somebody but actually a disorder “But the family’s son was haunted with post-traumatic stress that eventually killed him” (1.) PTSD is a disorder in which a victim of catastrophic events relives the horrors in their mind, typically permanently damaged physiologically. Wes says he based the nightmares of of PTSD which in my eyes is brilliant. I will keep this concept in my adaption, but I will emphasize on the PTSD of one character specifically, Freddy, and how his years of slashing have been slowly catching up to him.
“Karma, Rebirth, and the Value of Nature”
Karma is a religious belief that all things come around at the end of the day. This religious belief comes from Hinduism and is thought that repeated action has an affect on the world at large and each subsequent action furthers the impact of the negative connotation of the action this is touched upon by Deutsch “every deed or act that one performs has its effect in the world and
Fournier !2
forms a “tendency” (samskara or vasana) within the doer to act in a similar way in the future; to form, in other words, a habit of action” (6.) In A Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy kills over and over for pleasure. If the feeling he gets is pleasure then he will be more likely to do it again the next time; however, each time a kill is made, Freddy further impacts the community at large. My adaption will carry a large focus on the negative reaction of Freddy’s actions and how the idea of karma comes around.
“Anxiety”
The way one thinks and acts can be largely altered by the amount of stress put on someone. Freddy spends most of the movie antagonizing his victims, getting close to really hurting them and pulling back at the last second. This results in a wave of anxiety of the victim and the viewer “Heightened fear or tension that causes psychological and physical distress” (1.) Not once does Freddy experience the feeling of anxiety. My goal is to explore how the shock of this new adventure can force someone to spiral out of control because of the immense pressure coming from their own anxiety. Freddy will be overcome with anxieties he previously hadn’t had to worry about.
“The Origin Story of Freddy Kruger”
This article explains who Freddy was before the dream world. While reading this article it became clear that he was a greedy man in life and when he was burnt alive he was
Gifted a power from hell “the Dream Demons granted him the ability to enter his victims dreams and kill them, as long as he had their fear as a source of power” (1.) I am going to take this
Fournier !3
concept and reverse it. Maybe Freddy thought he was special when the dream demons granted him this power, but on the other hand maybe the dream demons give this power to one of Freddy’s victims to use against him. This article gave me insight on what some of Freddy’s fears are and how I could incorporate these fears of his into a power for the victims.
“Freddy’s Glove”
Probably the most iconic piece from the entire nightmare series is the old tattered leather glove with four rusty blades attached to the fingers. This weapon is used to kill the majority of his victims “Freddy's Glove is the main weapon of the various versions of Freddy Krueger” (1.) Outside from being able to manipulate the dream world, Freddy’s only weapon is the glove. If you take away his glove and give others a similar power you will see almost a helpless Freddy in a sense because it is clear he is full of himself and has to much trust in his abilities.
For years I have enjoyed watching horror movies coming from the 70’s and 80’s. The
raunchy gore scenes and the over dramatic deaths help to places these movies at the top of my must watch list. One of my favorites is the original A Nightmare on Elm Street by Wes Craven. This movie does a great job with exposing fears of abduction and uncontrolled events, however, I dislike the idea that Freddy, the protagonist, is all powerful with no clear way to hurt him. In my research I focused on Freddy and how the victims were able to trick him to come into reality. I mainly focused on ways the victims were able to allude capture in the dream world and exactly how far Freddy’s powers extend. The research I have conducted will aid me in writing my adaption piece where the roles have been reversed and there will be focus on Freddy’s previous victims playing the role of the protagonist. In doing this I hope to achieve the sense of karma and regret. Freddy isn’t safe in the dream world anymore.
“Is Freddy Kruger Immortal?”
In this article, the author talks about all the times Freddy has been “killed” by victims of his hauntings. The reading goes in depth on ways people have tried to end the hysteria caused by Freddy “When an entire town disbelieves in Freddy Kruger or otherwise ‘forgets’ him, he is unable to kill” (1.) This information will help aid me in creating new ways to bring down Freddy
Fournier !1
Kruger. It shows that most attempts to kill Freddy have been typical things parents say to their frightened children’s “just don’t worry about it, don’t think about it.” This is valuable to the adaption because it proves that the main focuses were on neglect of the unthinkable and that I need to take the unthinkable and turn them into reality. Thanks to this piece, the adaption will have a different sense of control over situation and will bring new ideas on how to take down Freddy.
“Fact Check: Was Freddy Kruger from ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ based on real life serial murder”
A common trend in horror movies is to base the big screen slasher on a real life killer which gives movies a sense of realism. Freddy Kruger, however, isn’t based on a somebody but actually a disorder “But the family’s son was haunted with post-traumatic stress that eventually killed him” (1.) PTSD is a disorder in which a victim of catastrophic events relives the horrors in their mind, typically permanently damaged physiologically. Wes says he based the nightmares of of PTSD which in my eyes is brilliant. I will keep this concept in my adaption, but I will emphasize on the PTSD of one character specifically, Freddy, and how his years of slashing have been slowly catching up to him.
“Karma, Rebirth, and the Value of Nature”
Karma is a religious belief that all things come around at the end of the day. This religious belief comes from Hinduism and is thought that repeated action has an affect on the world at large and each subsequent action furthers the impact of the negative connotation of the action this is touched upon by Deutsch “every deed or act that one performs has its effect in the world and
Fournier !2
forms a “tendency” (samskara or vasana) within the doer to act in a similar way in the future; to form, in other words, a habit of action” (6.) In A Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy kills over and over for pleasure. If the feeling he gets is pleasure then he will be more likely to do it again the next time; however, each time a kill is made, Freddy further impacts the community at large. My adaption will carry a large focus on the negative reaction of Freddy’s actions and how the idea of karma comes around.
“Anxiety”
The way one thinks and acts can be largely altered by the amount of stress put on someone. Freddy spends most of the movie antagonizing his victims, getting close to really hurting them and pulling back at the last second. This results in a wave of anxiety of the victim and the viewer “Heightened fear or tension that causes psychological and physical distress” (1.) Not once does Freddy experience the feeling of anxiety. My goal is to explore how the shock of this new adventure can force someone to spiral out of control because of the immense pressure coming from their own anxiety. Freddy will be overcome with anxieties he previously hadn’t had to worry about.
“The Origin Story of Freddy Kruger”
This article explains who Freddy was before the dream world. While reading this article it became clear that he was a greedy man in life and when he was burnt alive he was
Gifted a power from hell “the Dream Demons granted him the ability to enter his victims dreams and kill them, as long as he had their fear as a source of power” (1.) I am going to take this
Fournier !3
concept and reverse it. Maybe Freddy thought he was special when the dream demons granted him this power, but on the other hand maybe the dream demons give this power to one of Freddy’s victims to use against him. This article gave me insight on what some of Freddy’s fears are and how I could incorporate these fears of his into a power for the victims.
“Freddy’s Glove”
Probably the most iconic piece from the entire nightmare series is the old tattered leather glove with four rusty blades attached to the fingers. This weapon is used to kill the majority of his victims “Freddy's Glove is the main weapon of the various versions of Freddy Krueger” (1.) Outside from being able to manipulate the dream world, Freddy’s only weapon is the glove. If you take away his glove and give others a similar power you will see almost a helpless Freddy in a sense because it is clear he is full of himself and has to much trust in his abilities.
My story
Freddy’s Nightmare
Introduction
There is a tale parents have told for ages now, in hopes that the gruesome stories would scare their children into behaving. It is the tale of Freddy Kruger, but not the entire tale you see, below is the actual story of Freddy Krueger. Like most people know, the story starts out with a man who was once horribly disfigured by a fire. This man was given the power to enter the dreams of young kids to terrorize them and when he was bored, he murdered them. However, the murders happened in the dreams where in reality it appeared the victim had been part of a freak accident. The mans name was Freddy and he loved to play mind games with his victims, giving them a sliver of hope only to catapulted them back into what seemed like hell. Most people these days have heard this part of the story, or at least a similar version, but no one has heard about the time Freddy found himself in similar shoes as his past victims. This is the tale of Freddy’s Nightmare. Some believe the following events are pure fiction while others aren’t as convinced, but the events that transpired are nonetheless damning.
Chapter One
The evening was brisk with the crisp sound of leaves crunching underfoot, the sky carried a meek red hue which held a heavy air that smelled of cool damp earth mixed with the foul wretched smell of rot to form an aroma that comforted the likes of Freddy. This was the graveyard of victims, well it wasn’t much of a graveyard and more or less a field of the damned. The wind rushed through bare, equally as dead, trees which sent a howl through the air that mimicked the screams of those who lay fallen in the field below. A thin wiry grin danced across Freddy’s face, a Perfect day. However, the feeling of joy quickly faded as he closed in on the furthest grave marker from the entrance. The name that was scrawled across the marker read Nancy Thompson, his favorite spot int he whole field. Upon arrival Freddy’s grin had fully transformed into a frown as he stared at the empty whole where the body of Nancy should be. It was then that Freddy heard it. A voice which sent shivers down his spine as the words “Freddy come find me” rang out.
Chapter Two
“...Nancy...” Freddy murmured fearfully under his breath. “How could this even be.. sh- sh- she’s dead.” Freddy knew this to be a fact as he was the one that carried out the killing. “There most be a reason for this. Uhhh maybe I’m dreaming. Wait no don’t be stupid Freddy You LIVE in the dream world that can’t be it.” But if it wasn’t dreaming what was it? Freddy didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to stick around to see what would happen.
While pacing around trying to find a reasonable answer to what he had just experienced, he realized his only hope at gaining some insight would be to ask the dream demons. The dream demons were the paranormal beings that gave Freddy his powers. They are the true overseers of the dream world and are the only reason that dreams exist.
To summon the dream demons Freddy set up an alter and did the required steps, however, no one came. Again he tried and again the result was displeasing. “Fine if no one wants to tell me what’s going on here I’ll just go figure it out myself.” And he set off towards the woods heading in the direction of the only place he thought Nancy could be. The old Boiler room.
Chapter Three
Freddy traversed through the very old very dead forrest, but this time the howling of the wind had a more sinister feeling to it and it made Freddy feel a way he hasn’t felt in years. It was like an icy fist had been clenched around his stomach and sweat started forming around his brows. The feeling was fear and it had been absent for so long that the slightest hints of fear were almost unbearable.
Finally Freddy could see the boiler room in the horizon and as he crept closer he could still smell the burned wood from the fire years earlier. As he pushed open the creaky door he was immediately thrown back in time. The door slammed shut with a deafening bang and when Freddy turned around he saw that the boiler room wasn’t burnt. In fact the only fires that appeared were those heating the water. However, the air carried an uncanny familiarity and thats when it happened.
The Molotov’s came crashing through the windows in a fiery spray. The yells of rioting parents, parents of those Freddy had abused in his real life, but how could this be, how could they be here. The fire was growing intensely hot and Freddy could feel his skin boiling “why has this happened. Why have the dream demons cursed me like this! They swore I’d be the one who prays din the dream world forever” it was during the middle of this frantic state that Freddy caught a glimpse of Nancy through the window. She was standing there with a a grin surround by the parents, as if the rioters could not see her. “I must get to her” Freddy murmured as he set of through the blaze breaking through the weakened walls, but as he emerged from the fire everything was back to normal. No rioters, no fires, no boiler room, nothing.
Chapter Four
As Freddy emerged from the resting dust, a new figure appeared in front of him. It was Nancy and she looked angry. “Freddy Kruger I have been gifted this gift to stop you from tormenting young children. There is no place for you here”
“But that can’t be true. I am the king of the dream world and no one can take that from me”
“Well clearly this is a lie you have convinced yourself to believe because if such was true I wouldn’t be standing here about to end you like you did to me and many other unfortunate children.”
“Please no” Freddy tried to use some of his old tricks but nothing worked. It’s not that he was powerless but everything he threw at her she was able to throw right back at him. The playing grounds were leveled and Freddy hadn’t played fair in years.
Nancy chased Freddy through the field while hands of the deceased shot through the ground trying to trip Freddy up. Eventually Freddy fell and as Nancy approached with his own set of razor sharp claws he had an immense feeling of regret and he was scared, but at the same time knew he probably deserved this. Just then the blades sank into his chest and he fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Chapter five
Freddy awoke with a startle and was breathing heavily. It was just a dream, but unlike with his victims the death didn’t carry over into Freddy’s reality. “What a relief” thought Freddy “I think it’s time to choose a different profession”
“I don’t think you have that kind of time Freddy”
Freddy’s heart sank. He fell for his own trick. A trick he uses to seal the deal and if this played out like any of His own attacks then Freddy knew this truly was the end for him.
Introduction
There is a tale parents have told for ages now, in hopes that the gruesome stories would scare their children into behaving. It is the tale of Freddy Kruger, but not the entire tale you see, below is the actual story of Freddy Krueger. Like most people know, the story starts out with a man who was once horribly disfigured by a fire. This man was given the power to enter the dreams of young kids to terrorize them and when he was bored, he murdered them. However, the murders happened in the dreams where in reality it appeared the victim had been part of a freak accident. The mans name was Freddy and he loved to play mind games with his victims, giving them a sliver of hope only to catapulted them back into what seemed like hell. Most people these days have heard this part of the story, or at least a similar version, but no one has heard about the time Freddy found himself in similar shoes as his past victims. This is the tale of Freddy’s Nightmare. Some believe the following events are pure fiction while others aren’t as convinced, but the events that transpired are nonetheless damning.
Chapter One
The evening was brisk with the crisp sound of leaves crunching underfoot, the sky carried a meek red hue which held a heavy air that smelled of cool damp earth mixed with the foul wretched smell of rot to form an aroma that comforted the likes of Freddy. This was the graveyard of victims, well it wasn’t much of a graveyard and more or less a field of the damned. The wind rushed through bare, equally as dead, trees which sent a howl through the air that mimicked the screams of those who lay fallen in the field below. A thin wiry grin danced across Freddy’s face, a Perfect day. However, the feeling of joy quickly faded as he closed in on the furthest grave marker from the entrance. The name that was scrawled across the marker read Nancy Thompson, his favorite spot int he whole field. Upon arrival Freddy’s grin had fully transformed into a frown as he stared at the empty whole where the body of Nancy should be. It was then that Freddy heard it. A voice which sent shivers down his spine as the words “Freddy come find me” rang out.
Chapter Two
“...Nancy...” Freddy murmured fearfully under his breath. “How could this even be.. sh- sh- she’s dead.” Freddy knew this to be a fact as he was the one that carried out the killing. “There most be a reason for this. Uhhh maybe I’m dreaming. Wait no don’t be stupid Freddy You LIVE in the dream world that can’t be it.” But if it wasn’t dreaming what was it? Freddy didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to stick around to see what would happen.
While pacing around trying to find a reasonable answer to what he had just experienced, he realized his only hope at gaining some insight would be to ask the dream demons. The dream demons were the paranormal beings that gave Freddy his powers. They are the true overseers of the dream world and are the only reason that dreams exist.
To summon the dream demons Freddy set up an alter and did the required steps, however, no one came. Again he tried and again the result was displeasing. “Fine if no one wants to tell me what’s going on here I’ll just go figure it out myself.” And he set off towards the woods heading in the direction of the only place he thought Nancy could be. The old Boiler room.
Chapter Three
Freddy traversed through the very old very dead forrest, but this time the howling of the wind had a more sinister feeling to it and it made Freddy feel a way he hasn’t felt in years. It was like an icy fist had been clenched around his stomach and sweat started forming around his brows. The feeling was fear and it had been absent for so long that the slightest hints of fear were almost unbearable.
Finally Freddy could see the boiler room in the horizon and as he crept closer he could still smell the burned wood from the fire years earlier. As he pushed open the creaky door he was immediately thrown back in time. The door slammed shut with a deafening bang and when Freddy turned around he saw that the boiler room wasn’t burnt. In fact the only fires that appeared were those heating the water. However, the air carried an uncanny familiarity and thats when it happened.
The Molotov’s came crashing through the windows in a fiery spray. The yells of rioting parents, parents of those Freddy had abused in his real life, but how could this be, how could they be here. The fire was growing intensely hot and Freddy could feel his skin boiling “why has this happened. Why have the dream demons cursed me like this! They swore I’d be the one who prays din the dream world forever” it was during the middle of this frantic state that Freddy caught a glimpse of Nancy through the window. She was standing there with a a grin surround by the parents, as if the rioters could not see her. “I must get to her” Freddy murmured as he set of through the blaze breaking through the weakened walls, but as he emerged from the fire everything was back to normal. No rioters, no fires, no boiler room, nothing.
Chapter Four
As Freddy emerged from the resting dust, a new figure appeared in front of him. It was Nancy and she looked angry. “Freddy Kruger I have been gifted this gift to stop you from tormenting young children. There is no place for you here”
“But that can’t be true. I am the king of the dream world and no one can take that from me”
“Well clearly this is a lie you have convinced yourself to believe because if such was true I wouldn’t be standing here about to end you like you did to me and many other unfortunate children.”
“Please no” Freddy tried to use some of his old tricks but nothing worked. It’s not that he was powerless but everything he threw at her she was able to throw right back at him. The playing grounds were leveled and Freddy hadn’t played fair in years.
Nancy chased Freddy through the field while hands of the deceased shot through the ground trying to trip Freddy up. Eventually Freddy fell and as Nancy approached with his own set of razor sharp claws he had an immense feeling of regret and he was scared, but at the same time knew he probably deserved this. Just then the blades sank into his chest and he fell to the floor with a loud thud.
Chapter five
Freddy awoke with a startle and was breathing heavily. It was just a dream, but unlike with his victims the death didn’t carry over into Freddy’s reality. “What a relief” thought Freddy “I think it’s time to choose a different profession”
“I don’t think you have that kind of time Freddy”
Freddy’s heart sank. He fell for his own trick. A trick he uses to seal the deal and if this played out like any of His own attacks then Freddy knew this truly was the end for him.