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One of the most detailed and entertaining documentaries on horror films ever made, the two-disc, four-hour Never Sleep Again explores the history of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and its enduring legacy for both its fans and filmmakers. Narrated by actress Heather Langenkamp, the once and future Nancy Thompson from Wes Craven's original 1985 Nightmare (and an executive producer on this documentary), Never Sleep Again covers all six surreal, blood-soaked Elm Street pictures through candid interviews with the primary creative figures, including Craven, New Line exec Robert Shaye, Freddy Krueger's offscreen alter ego Robert Englund, and nearly all the above-the-line personnel from each feature, among them directors Jack Shoulder (Nightmare 2), Renny Harlin (Nightmare 4: The Dream Master) and Ronny Yu (Freddy vs. Jason), special effects and makeup wizards Mark Shostrom, Kevin Yagher, and David Miller, and the majority of the casts from each film (though not Johnny Depp from the first Nightmare or Patricia Arquette from Nightmare 3), as well as deleted scenes, production photos, and conceptual art. Viewers are given the full lowdown from multiple perspectives on each film from inception to release (including personality clashes and production troubles, which are discussed in frank terms), as well as Freddy's rise from low-budget boogeyman to pop culture figure and hero to millions of adolescents. Directors Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch, who chronicled the adventures of another '80s horror star--Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th franchise--in His Name Was Jason, have outdone their previous efforts by compiling this wealth of information and keeping it informative, frequently funny, and eminently watchable for first-timers and hardcore Freddy heads alike over its considerable running time. And they're to be commended for making room to paint an unflinching look at the effect the Nightmare series had on New Line Cinema, which rose from modest indie to Hollywood player on the finances reaped from the films. As a portrait of an iconic genre movie series, Never Sleep Again sets the bar for all future endeavors. They've also done a Criterion-level job of supplementing their film with enough featurettes to fill an entire second disc. Not only is there an additional hour of extended interviews (which include some amusingly dismissive comments about the 2010 reboot), but there's also a tour of the first film's Southern California locations, conversations with the composers for all six films (as well as pop-metal rockers Dokken, who reaped a hit with their theme to Dream Warriors), a look at the memorable poster art of Matthew Joseph Peake, and an impressive array of collectibles and memorabilia from fans, some of whom have taken their love for Freddy to extreme levels (i.e., tattoos). A hilarious rant from the Angry Video Game Nerd about the Nightmare on Elm Street game for Nintendo is a highlight, while a preview of Langenkamp's own documentary, I Am Nancy, is a quirky look at the actress's apparent attempt to comprehend the Nightmare phenomenon. Never Sleep Again is quite simply the definitive look at every aspect of the Nightmare franchise. --Paul Gaita
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