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yendiI know, I said I'd kick off my countdown series today, but time made it tough.
Besides, the Nightmare series deserves an intro.
You see, unlike the Halloween and Friday the 13th movies, the Nightmare movies aren't about a straightforward killer. Jason and Michael may be, in theory, invulnerable (until the final reel, at least), but you could imagine someone escaping them by simply outrunning them, or even finding a big enough gun to just blow them away. You could even envision someone finding a safe, secure haven.
Not so with Freddy. Freddy isn't just evil, he's all-powerful within his own realm. And his realm is the dream realm. Where we all go, whether we want to or not. And sleep, of course, is supposed to be a safe realm. Sleeping is how our bodies heal, and how our minds often process difficult information.
The thing with Freddy is, there's never any sense that anyone has a chance. In the end, he toys with his victims too much, and that occasionally gives them an out (and unlike Michael or Jason, he toys with his victims equally, so even though the Final Girl is usually pretty obvious, it's not because the killer treats her much differently). But there's never a sense of safety, even for the survivor. Unlike the movies featuring Jason and Michael, at the end of these, there's no body, no physical evidence that they've won. All they have is something they've witnessed in a dream, a state in which Freddy is fully in control, and they know it.
I'll talk more about the evolution of Freddy as the countdown continues, but I wanted to at least get a few words on virtual paper, as I'd promised a post.
Tomorrow, expect comments on the weakest movie in the series, followed by a countdown all the way to the best one.
Besides, the Nightmare series deserves an intro.
You see, unlike the Halloween and Friday the 13th movies, the Nightmare movies aren't about a straightforward killer. Jason and Michael may be, in theory, invulnerable (until the final reel, at least), but you could imagine someone escaping them by simply outrunning them, or even finding a big enough gun to just blow them away. You could even envision someone finding a safe, secure haven.
Not so with Freddy. Freddy isn't just evil, he's all-powerful within his own realm. And his realm is the dream realm. Where we all go, whether we want to or not. And sleep, of course, is supposed to be a safe realm. Sleeping is how our bodies heal, and how our minds often process difficult information.
The thing with Freddy is, there's never any sense that anyone has a chance. In the end, he toys with his victims too much, and that occasionally gives them an out (and unlike Michael or Jason, he toys with his victims equally, so even though the Final Girl is usually pretty obvious, it's not because the killer treats her much differently). But there's never a sense of safety, even for the survivor. Unlike the movies featuring Jason and Michael, at the end of these, there's no body, no physical evidence that they've won. All they have is something they've witnessed in a dream, a state in which Freddy is fully in control, and they know it.
I'll talk more about the evolution of Freddy as the countdown continues, but I wanted to at least get a few words on virtual paper, as I'd promised a post.
Tomorrow, expect comments on the weakest movie in the series, followed by a countdown all the way to the best one.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-21 12:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-21 01:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-21 01:52 am (UTC)Now, I assume "Freddy vs. Jason" will make an appearance somewhere in this list, but this time you'll be writing it from Freddy's side?
(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-21 05:16 am (UTC)Might wanna fix that. ;)
I've only seen parts of, what, 7? The one where they're all together making the movie of Freddy and he starts attacking the actors and shit? Yeah, weak. Toss up between that and part 2, really. Heh.
The other fun thing about Freddy is, even if you survive, you probably die in the next movie anyway. So much for surviving.
I love Nightmare. I even watched the TV show, which was only slightly more relevant to the movie than Friday the 13th the TV Series was...
(no subject)
Date: 2006-03-21 05:27 am (UTC)Actually, neither part 2 nor part 7 is where I'm planning on starting. I expect some folks to bitch about where I start tomorrow.