The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Craven directs teenage hangouts as well as horror; Freddy is a miss; the kids get what they deserve; the movie has the structure of an 80s porn
In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 01:25:12Read transcript
- As an appetizer, Wes Craven is as good at directing teenage hangouts as he is at horror, the secret to his success: after 15 minutes with the four kids in the first act, you care about them.
- Craven is likened to Young Jeezy, a master of his genre who transcends it and can stand next to other filmmakers, apart from trying Music of the Heart.
- Another take is that Freddy is a miss, looking like a dime store magician with the gloves, the embroidered fedora, the long arms and the red and green, but that is why the movie stands the test of time: it softens the movie.
- Another participant is Team Freddy: the kids are getting what they deserve, because after a clerical error on a search warrant their parents took the law into their own hands, which amounts to Freddy being lynched.
- The mom kept a trophy, and Fred kills the kids rather than the parents because that is worse to a parent.
- The hottest take, aimed at Van, is that of all the movies made in the 1980s this one most resembles the structure of an 80s porn, with bad acting and set-up scenes for Freddy showing up.