Modern horror has become so gory and unhinged that one of the scariest films of all time has seen its 18 certificate downgraded.
A Nightmare on Elm Street has given many of us nightmares in the four decades since it was released in 1984, with Wes Craven’s classic slasher introducing us to the ultimate boogeyman Freddy Kreuger.
The teen horror sees supernatural killer Freddy, played by Robert Englund, attacking and tormenting teenagers as they sleep.
A Nightmare on Elm Street was so haunting that it received the highest certificate in the UK – 18 – when it was released in cinemas a year after the US.
However, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has just lowered the age limit to watch the blockbuster to 15.
In their justification, the association explained that while Elm Street features ‘bloody moments’, they are ‘relatively discreet’ in comparison to what the kids are exposed to these days in video games and new horror movies, not to mention content that they can easily find on social media.
The surprising change was sparked after Warner Bros filed a new application to change the certificate on August 1 ahead of a home entertainment re-release in September.
Not everyone applauded the move with Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes reacting: ‘I should have thought that showing A Nightmare On Elm Street to a 15-year-old constituted child abuse. I can’t help feeling that these people should get out more.’
A spokesperson for the BBFC later defended the decision insisting that the 15 rating is in line with age ratings given to current horrors.
The spokesperson told The Guardian newspaper: ‘At the BBFC, we review the classification of older films when they are submitted to us by the distributor, typically ahead of an upcoming re-release. When doing so, we apply our current standards as set out in our published Classification Guidelines.
‘In the case of A Nightmare on Elm Street, although the film features various bloody moments, it is relatively discreet in terms of gore and stronger injury detail. The kills often leave more to the imagination than visceral detail, and largely occur within a fantasy context.
‘Compared to more recent precedents for violence and horror [classified] at 18 – such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, Immaculate or Saw X – the film is now containable at 15 and we reclassified it accordingly.’
A Nightmare on Elm Street has become an iconic staple of the slasher horror genre and went on to spawn six sequels, as well as a remake in 2010 and the spin-off Freddy vs Jason, which saw Freddy go up against Friday the 13th killer Jason Voorhees.
In 2023, Freddy actor Englund ruled out ever reprising his role as the villain, telling Variety: ‘I’m too old and thick to play Freddy now. I just can’t do fight scenes for more than one take anymore, I’ve got a bad neck and bad back and arthritis in my right wrist.
‘So I have to hang it up, but I would love to cameo.’
A Nightmare on Elm Street is available to watch on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV.
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