MovieChat Forums > A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Discussion > I never understood the front cover.

I never understood the front cover.


Who is that supposed to be? And the hair makes it even more confusing.

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It's badass. That's all you need to know.

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I've always assumed that was Nancy. Looks like Nancy to me. I'm also guessing you've never had long hair and fanned it out over a pillow?

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I assumed it was Nancy too, but when I look at the face, it looks nothing like her. I bring up the hair because the face looks like it could be the dude, but it's not Johnny Depp or the boyfriend who was hung in jail because they have short hair.

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Dream Warriors always bugged me. They must have drawn that one up before they even cast the movie.

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It doesn't look like Nancy, it looks like Mr. Bean

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Never understood it? It's a figure of speech. Right? It's obviously a shocked Nancy being assaulted by a monster in her dreams.

I remember seeing this at the video rental, as a kid, and figuring it out instinctively (I got confirmation when viewing the movie, a couple of years later). I mean... to me, I don't know if it can be anything else.

And of course it's meant to be Nancy. It looks like her even though her face is slightly distorted. It's not like she's the first actor who's illustration doesn't fully deliver justice to. I guess we all see things differently. In my mind I never even thought it could be someone else.

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I'm sure it's meant to be Nancy, but it looks nothing like her. And she's a high school student in the film and she is sleeping topless on the cover which never happens in the movie. It's just an odd illustration.

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To me it looks like it was done by someone who didn't see the movie. Like Wes Craven gave the concept to some artist, along with a random Heather Langenkamp photo and let him go from there. Wouldn't be the first time. The same kind of incongruities happen with book covers too.

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I have to be honest. I don't like that original poster that moviechat has on the page. I prefer the later ones they used for the DVDs and blurays.

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Nah, I'll take the hand painted original poster any day over late 90's photoshop.

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I always thought the original movie poster -- which was featured on the original VHS & DVD covers -- was weak. Looking at it from a distance, it clearly looks like a dude and not Nancy (although a closer inspection tells otherwise).

At the time, the producers probably didn't have the money for anything better and no one was aware that the movie would be such a success with the ensuing decades-running franchise.

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Movies from the 40s and 50s often had poster that were drawn, but it really doesn't fit with this movie.

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We had this cover in Europe:

https://www.filmonpaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/ANightmareOnElmStreet_doublecrown_UK_GrahamHumphreys-1.jpg

Which is pretty decent.

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Much better.

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That's a good poster!

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I’ve never thought it was anyone but Nancy. Looks like she’s trying to stay awake and has a crazed look on her face.

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But do you actually think it looks like her or just assuming it because she's the lead?

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Looks like her to me.

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I also like this one a lot better too.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/proxy/to0Vl8WeRt-n6f2meQHMhb40TMtjeTVXZeoGWEe9W27WjAXJl39zVjW-muBc6lwKG4puPUXVGxoZ0Lb5IedWYkQ6EErcOeRjzgc7Y8Cj1rnbku7hSEb2jnoT8dAvdN1piY-6kkn6BQ

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Best one so far.

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Link is dead, post another? Curious what poster it was.

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https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0233/6235/products/10121897-0-a_nightmare_on_elm_street_infinifilm_edition-dvd_f.jpg?v=1568992310

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That is a good cover, I thought it was gonna be a rare one I hadn't seen before. I think that may be my favorite one overall for a Blu-Ray cover (not as a poster though).

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