Last night, I braved myself to watch the Philippine movie premiere of A Nightmare on Elm Street at Megamall Cinema 6. I’m not really big on horror movies but I guess I’m completely bored out of my wits at home, that I found myself signing up for the premiere when Azrael asked for bloggers who might want to join the said event. I arrived at the cinema just in time to acquaint myself with a Plurk pal - Irene, it was our first time to meet in person, since she hails from Mindanao and is only here in Manila for a business trip. Anyway, shortly after we got to chat and munch on our popcorn and fries, the event kicked off with the national anthem, followed by a few trailers.

After the trailers, the movie started with a ghoulish music and intermittent images of old, worn out photographs of children. Shortly after that, the signature haunting song started playing…

One, two… Freddy’s coming for you

Thee, four…better lock you door……

I could still remember that song from the first Elm street horror flick back in 1984. I was too young (I was 4 then) to remember the story of the movie back then, the only thing that stood out was that song and the frightening image of Freddy.

Warning: This is an amateur review and my first at horror flicks, so forgive me for my shortcomings.

Last night, the movie completely spooked me out. Barely a minute and the we were already holding our breath and holding on to our seats. The chilling background music and the dark and sinister-looking diner paved the way for more horrifying scenes.

As for a little bit of the story, each character, once haunted by Freddy intermittently moves from their current reality into another, where Freddy rules. It is actually a state when they were dreaming, with each of them fully aware that they have to wake up, or they’ll die in their sleep. I finally learned about the story behind the reason for Freddy’s need to haunt and kill these young people.

I also liked the part when two of the teenagers were able to delve deeper into the dead gardener’s past when they bravely marched into the old pre-school and into Freddy’s own room and secret cave, where Nancy (said to be his favorite), remembered being taken into when she was in pre-school. That was a crucial point in the movie and try your best to listen to the exchange of words between the two teenagers to understand Freddy’s motive for revenge.

Overall, I would say it’s worth watching. Not just a typical horror flick that makes you jump out of your seat without ever telling a story. I recommend you watch it with someone, unless you are brave enough to watch it alone. Oh and make sure you’re sleeping beside someone the night after you watch the movie. I was so spooked out last night I couldn’t actually sleep. Was almost 5am perhaps when I fell asleep.