Horror
American
1984 · Directed by Wes Craven · 91 min
In a quiet American suburb, a group of teenagers share the same terrifying dream of a scarred man in a battered hat and a glove fitted with blades. One of them, Nancy, begins to suspect that staying awake is the only way to stay safe. A low-budget horror film that treats sleep as a threat.
Why it matters in cinema history
A central film of the 1980s slasher cycle, and the one that gave the form a supernatural, surreal dimension while turning its killer into a character with a personality.
Watch with intention
Watch it as a film about the border between waking and sleeping, and ask how clearly the film itself marks that border.
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