The Corner Penthouse

Warner Brothers recently released the A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection 4K UHD. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), the vengeful child killer burned alive by angry parents, returns to haunt the dreams of their children. From his first terrifying appearance on Elm Street to his resurrection through nightmares, Freddy unleashes horror across generations - where sleep is no escape, and dreams become deadly.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) (Theatrical & Uncut Versions) - Can your nightmares be fatal? In this classic of the horror film genre that launched a movie franchise, a hideously scarred man who was murdered by a lynch mob returns years later in the terrifying nightmares of his killers' teenaged children ... And the dreaming teenagers are starting to die in their sleep.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) - Freddy's back...and he wants revenge. When teenager Jesse Walsh moves to Elm Street, Freddy Krueger starts appearing in his nightmares. This time Freddy takes possession of Jesse's body whenever the teenager falls asleep, using Jesse to kill ... and there's nothing Jesse can do to stop him.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - Freddy Krueger invades the minds of a new group of teens ... and the nightmares begin again. When local teenagers start dying, only Nancy Thompson knows the truth. Now a doctor at the local psychiatric hospital, she is the lone survivor of one of Freddy's previous killing sprees. Now, it's a fight against her co-workers' disbelief and a race against time to stop Freddy before he kills again.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) - Freddy Kreuger resurrects -- hideously scarred -- and returns to haunt the dreams of the teenaged children of the people who lynched him. It's just a nightmare ... but a nightmare that can kill in this tale of terror.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) (Theatrical & Uncut Versions) - For five years, a walking nightmare named Freddy Krueger has haunted their sleep -- seeking revenge for the horribly disfiguring death he suffered at the hands of the children's parents. Now, through the dreams of an unborn child, Freddy has resurrected himself ... and he's looking for new victims.

• Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) (2D & 3D Versions) - In this sixth return to the horrifying world of Nightmare on Elm Street, the town of Springwood decides to forever end Freddy Krueger's deadly hold on their dreams. Freddy finally confronts the one person he has never been able to defeat, a psychologist who now learns the source of her lifelong nightmares, Freddy's daughter.

• Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) - Ten years after writer and director Wes Craven brought his personal nightmares to the movie screen as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street, the horrifying child killer returns, stepping out of his celluloid world to haunt the life of the actress who first defeated him on film.

[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

Each movie is on its own disc, making this a seven disc set. Three of the films have alternate versions. All movies feature English, English (Original Theatrical), French, German, Italian, Spanish audio. All movies feature subtitles in English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Dutch.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:31:10 for the Theatrical Version and 1:31:19 for the Uncut Version. The difference between the two versions is only a mere few seconds during Tina's (Amanda Wyss) and Glen's (Johnny Depp) deaths. The Theatrical Version of the movie has been rated R.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) - The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:25:32. The movie has been rated R.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:36:22. The movie has been rated R.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) - The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:33:14. The movie has been rated R. I am happy to report that a previous DVD and Blu-ray audio issue has been fixed here. At 1:03:03, when Alice walks into the movie theater, the previous releases omitted the audio of the movie playing on the screen in the default "remastered" audio track. (You could only hear it on the Blu-ray's "original theatrical audio" track.) On the 4K disc, on both English tracks, the movie audio is present.

• A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) - The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:29:31 for the Theatrical Version and 1:30:02 for the Uncut Version. The difference between the two versions involves Dan's and Greta's deaths. The Theatrical Version of the movie has been rated R.

• Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) - The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:29:11 for both the 2D & 3D Versions (the 3D ending starts at 1:10:52 in chapter 21). One pair of "Freddy's Dead"-branded anaglyph (red-and-blue) 3D glasses is included. The movie has been rated R for horror violence, and for language and drug content.

• Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) - The movie is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio with a runtime of 1:52:09. The movie has been rated R for explicit horror violence and gore, and for language.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

All of the special features below can be found on the respective 4K UHD discs. (Disc 1 is the first movie, Disc 2 is the second movie, and so on.) Most of this is old content dating back to the 1999 DVD box set, and even the 1996 laserdisc of the first film. Some things originated with the 2006 Infinifilm DVD of the first film. The only new content are two brief featurettes on the last disc.

• DISC 1: Audio Commentary ("2001") - with writer/director Wes Craven, actors Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon, and cinematographer Jacques Haitkin. This is only available for the Theatrical Version. I should note that this is mislabeled as being from 2001, when it's really from the 1996 Elite laserdisc; albeit with the first 20 minutes cut differently. I owned that laserdisc, and when this commentary track first appeared in the 1999 Elm Street DVD box set (where Elite is credited for producing and providing the track), I compared it to the laserdisc and noticed the difference, prompting me to inquire about it with Elite. A rep from Elite told me that they provided Warner Brothers with the complete uncut audio commentary track, and that WB may have cut it differently.
• DISC 1: Audio Commentary ("2006") - with separate comments from writer/director Wes Craven; New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye; actors Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Amanda Wyss, and Ronee Blakley; producers Sara Risher and John Burrows; cinematographer Jacques Haitkin; composer Charles Bernstein; editors Rick Shaine and Patrick McMahon; mechanical special effects designer Jim Doyle; special makeup effects artist David B. Miller; and finally, film historian David Del Valle. This is only available for the Theatrical Version.
• DISC 1: Focus Points (18:13) - A total of 29 short behind-the-scenes segments and unrestored alternate takes which were originally available on DVD and Blu-ray as branching extras while playing the movie or picture-in-picture over it. They are only available as a standalone extra, though there is a "Play All" function. The full list of short videos is: "Alt Take Glove Construction", "Alt Take Freddy Chases Tina", "Alt Take of Rubber Ceiling", "Tina and Worms", "Alt Take of Freddy in Alley", "Wes on Glove Sparks", "Alt Take of Freddy in Alley 2", "Alt Take of Freddy Cuts Fingers", "Alt Take of Freddy Face Peel", "Dave Miller on Tina's Chest Ripping", "Alt Take of Freddy in Tina's Death Scene", "Alt Take of Stunt Double Falls", "Alt Take of Tina's Death", "Miller on Maggots", "Alt Takes of Freddy Chases Nancy", "Alt Take of Bathtub Scene", "Alt Take of Bathtub Scene 2", "Freddy and Feathers", "Sleep Clinic", "Marge Discusses Freddy", "Nancy and Unused Phone Line", "Alt Take of Phone Scene", "Alt Take of Blood Pours from Bed", "Robert on Freddy's Voice", "Ronee Talks About Her Dummy", "Alt Take of Dummy in Bed", "Haitkin Talks About Camera Effects", "Alt Take of Freddy Comes Out of Bed", and "Alt Take of Nancy and Freddy".
• DISC 1: Alternate Endings (4:58) - Included are "Scary Ending", "Happy Ending", and "Freddy Ending".
• DISC 1: The House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror (21:52) (2006)
• DISC 1: Never Sleep Again: The Making of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (49:54) (2006)
• DISC 1: Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven's Nightmares (15:33) (2006)
• DISC 2: Freddy on 8th Street (5:34) (1999)
• DISC 2: Heroes and Villains (6:27) (1999)
• DISC 2: The Male Witch (2:53) (1999)
• DISC 2: Psychosexual Circus (3:32) (1999)
• DISC 3: Burnout (3:44) (1999)
• DISC 3: Fan Mail (0:52) (1999) (DVD is 1:28)
• DISC 3: The House that Freddy Built (0:44) (1999)
• DISC 3: Onward Christian Soldiers (9:07) (1999)
• DISC 3: Snakes and Ladders (6:10) (1999)
• DISC 3: That's Showbiz (2:06) (1999)
• DISC 3: Trading 8's (4:15) (1999)
• DISC 3: Dokken "Dream Warriors" Music Video (5:10)
• DISC 4: The Finnish Line (2:29) (1999)
• DISC 4: Krueger, Freddy Krueger (8:18) (1999)
• DISC 4: Hopeless Chest (3:47) (1999)
• DISC 4: Let's Makeup (2:22) (1999)
• DISC 5: Womb Raiders (6:25) (1999)
• DISC 5: The Sticky Floor (5:47) (1999)
• DISC 5: Take the Stairs (0:58) (1999)
• DISC 5: Hopkins Directs (0:37) (1999)
• DISC 5: A Slight Miscalculation (1:28) (1999)
• DISC 6: 86'D (1:46) (1999)
• DISC 6: Hellraiser (0:45) (1999)
• DISC 6: Rachel's Dream (2:55) (1999)
• DISC 6: 3D Demise (2:24) (1999)
• DISC 7: Audio Commentary - with Wes Craven.
• DISC 7: Boiler Room Confessional (7:33) (2025)
• DISC 7: Freddy's Footnotes (7:48) (2025)
• DISC 7: Becoming a Filmmaker (8:00) (1999)
• DISC 7: Filmmaker (4:43) (1999)
• DISC 7: An Insane Troupe (0:57) (1999)
• DISC 7: The Problem with Sequels (1:41) (1999)
• DISC 7: Two Worlds (2:10) (1999)
• DISC 7: Welcome to Prime Time (49:53) (1999) - This multi-part feature includes "It Really Happened", "A Childhood Memory", "Sometime in the Early 80s", "So It Began", "Beauty and the Beast", "Making the Glove", "Shapeshifter", "The Shoot", "The Revolving Room", "All's Well that Ends Well", "Talalay's Tally", "It Couldn't Have Happened", and "Alternate Ending Version 1". At the end, it mentions the DVD's "Labyrinth" feature (as the place where to find another alternate ending), but the "Labyrinth" feature isn't here. Oops.
• DISC 7: Conclusion (17:27) (1999) - This multi-part feature includes "Where Gothic Plots Come From", "Why We Like Gothic", "Sadomasochism", "Freddy vs. Pinhead", "Freddy's Manic Energy", "Creating Lasting Characters in Horror", "No More Magic Tricks", "Monster with Personality", "Freddy as Sex Machine", and "Campfire Stories".

[ WHAT'S MISSING ]

Since neither bonus discs from the 1999 DVD and 2012 Blu-ray sets are included here, there's quite a lot missing. Leaving off all of the trailers is inexcusable.

• "A Nightmare on Elm Street" Theatrical Trailer (1:49) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• "A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge" Theatrical Trailer (1:28) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" Theatrical Trailer (0:46) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master" Theatrical Trailer (1:30) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child" Theatrical Trailer (0:45) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" Theatrical Trailer (2:14) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" Theatrical Trailer (2:41) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street: "Fact Track" Subtitled Trivia (Infinifilm DVD, Blu-ray)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Fat Boys "Are You Ready For Freddy" Music Video (5:31) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: Whodini "Anyway I Gotta Swing It" Music Video (3:25) (DVD, Blu-ray)
• Fear Himself: The Life and Crimes of Freddy Krueger (31:03) (Blu-ray Bonus Disc)
• Freddy's Nightmares episode "It's a Miserable Life" (47:02) (Blu-ray Bonus Disc)
• Freddy's Nightmares episode "Killer Instinct" (45:53) (Blu-ray Bonus Disc)
• The Nightmare on Elm Street Series Encyclopedia: "Labyrinth" - This elaborate interactive feature/game was the highlight of the 1999 DVD box set. You would play it to find exclusive extras, such as clips of Freddy on MTV, that were not found in that disc's "Index" menu. For the full list of Labyrinth-exclusive footage, see the "Footage Not Listed On The Index" section of my Nightmare Series Encyclopedia guide. Needless to say, all of these clips have never reappeared (aside from nine MTV clips being a Blu-ray Bonus Disc Easter egg), nor has the "Labyrinth" game. (DVD Bonus Disc)

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

A digital copy code voucher is included inside the thick black 4K Ultra HD case. Each of the seven discs is on it's own page (no overlaps or stacking). A slipcover is included; at least in the first print run. It should be noted that some copies are in a black case, while others are in a red case. Mine was in a black case. Also inside the case is one pair of "Freddy's Dead"-branded anaglyph (red-and-blue) 3D glasses. I believe these are the same glasses that were originally included with the 1999 DVD box set, though I believe that set came with FOUR pairs.


[ NOTES ]

A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection is available on 4K UHD, 4K UHD Steelbook, Blu-ray (2012 Set), DVD (1999 Box Set), and DVD (with Freddy vs. Jason). The new 4K set is recommended, but NOT highly recommended due to missing all of the extras listed above from the previous DVD and Blu-ray releases.

This item has been provided by Warner Brothers for review on this site.