A Nightmare on Elm Street Page #27

Synopsis: In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams -- which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) solve the puzzle before it's too late?
Genre: Horror
Director(s): Wes Craven
Production: New Line Cinema
  2 wins & 3 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.5
Metacritic:
78
Rotten Tomatoes:
94%
R
Year:
1984
91 min
Website
1,301 Views


There's HIDEOUS SCREECHING of MUSIC jamming in with GLEN's

ECHOING SCREAMS -- then an unholy, sudden silence.

Next moment what's left of GLEN is vomited up from the pit of the

nightmare bed...a horrible mess of blood and bone and hair and

wires...streaming out and over the bed. Then the pit in the bed

is gone as if it were never there.

Drawn by the terribly screams and struggle, GLEN's mother bursts

into the room. The women stares for one moment of horrified

disbelief, then reels back and lets out the most god-awful SCREAM

imaginable. The cry splits the night.

165. EXT. ELM STREET. NIGHT. 165.

The SOUND of the SCREAM CROSS-FADES WITH the WAIL of the

AMBULANCE as it screeches to a halt at the curb, followed by two

BLACK AND WHITES and an UNMARKED CAR. Uniformed POLICEMEN spill

out FOREGROUND.

LT THOMPSON and PARKER exit the unmarked car. By habit or by

premonition THOMPSON glances at the house that was his home. His

eye is caught by a movement; his daughter is at her upstairs

window, white-haired, hollow-eyed, looking down on him through

her bars. She gives a little wave.

Unnerved, THOMPSON waves back, then walks rapidly for GLEN's

home. MR LANTZ, pale as a ghost himself, waits on the porch; we

can hear the mother's WAILING inside.

166. INT. NANCY'S ROOM. NIGHT. 166.

CLOSE ON NANCY'S BIG OLD WINDUP ALARM CLOCK. Its big and little

hands sweep together at midnight.

BURN ON:

THE NINTH DAY:

There's a BABBLE of POLICE RADIOS, SIRENS WINDING DOWN, RUNNING

FOOT-STEPS, SHOUTS, NEIGHBORHOOD KIDS and DOGS BARKING as CAMERA

LIFTS TO NANCY'S FACE. Set. Unafraid. Ruthless.

The girl pulls the window shade on it all, then looks at her

bed.

NANCY:

Okay, Krueger, you bastard.

We play in your court.

167. INT. GLEN'S LIVING ROOM/NANCY'S KITCHEN -- INTERCUT. NIGHT. 167.

168. LT THOMPSON is halfway across the living room when he stops. 168.

Something dark and red is welling from a crack in the ceiling.

One of his men is rigging a bucket beneah to catch the leaking.

The telephone rings and PARKER picks it up.

PARKER:

Lieutenant. It's your daughter.

Says it's urgent.

THOMPSON turns away from the dripping.

LT THOMPSON:

(low)

Tell her I'm not here, tell

her...

PARKER:

Uh, she just saw you, sir...

THOMPSON nods, crosses and picks up the telephone. SCREEN

SPLITS; we see both.

LT THOMPSON (CONTD)

Hello Nancy.

NANCY:

Hi daddy. I know what happened.

LT THOMPSON:

Then you know more than I do --

I haven't even been upstairs.

NANCY:

(guessing)

You know he's dead though, right?

THOMPSON debates, then admits it.

LT THOMPSON:

Yeah, apparantly he's dead.

How the hell'd you know?

A tear coarses down NANCY's cheek, but her voice remains firm.

NANCY:

I've got a proposition for

you. Listen very carefully,

please.

LT THOMPSON:

Nan, I --

NANCY:

Please. I'm gonna go get

the guy who did it and bring

him to you. I just need you

be right there to arrest him.

Okay?

LT THOMPSON:

Just tell me who did it and

I'll go get him, baby.

NANCY:

Fred Krueger did it, Daddy,

and only I can get him. It's

my nightmare he comes to.

The detective flinches at the name.

LT THOMPSON:

Where'd you hear about Krueger --

NANCY presses, very firm, very rational.

NANCY:

-- I want you to come over here

and break the door down exactly

twenty minutes from now -- can

you do that?

LT THOMPSON:

Sure, but...

NANCY:

That'll be exactly half past

midnight. Time for me to fall

asleep and find him.

LT THOMPSON:

Sure, sure, honey. You just

do that -- get yourself some

sleep -- that's what I've been

saying all along.

NANCY:

And you'll be here to catch

him, right?

PARKER:

Lieutenant -- they're waiting

upstairs.

THOMPSON waves curtly, still speaking to NANCY.

LT THOMPSON:

Sure, okay, I'll be there.

Now you just turn in and get

some rest, sweetheart. Please.

Deal?

NANCY:

Deal.

NANCY hangs up. LT THOMPSON starts upstairs. But then he stops,

and as an afterthought he could never really explain, turns to

PARKER.

LT THOMPSON (CONTD)

Get outside and watch her house.

If you see anything funny call

me.

Rate this script:3.7 / 3 votes

Wes Craven

Wesley Earl Craven was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor, who was known for his pioneering work in the horror genre, particularly slasher films, where he mixed horror cliches with humor and satire. The cultural impact and influence of his work have dubbed him a “Master of Horror”. more…

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Submitted by shilobe on March 28, 2017

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