9. Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Horror films are renowned for throwing in supposedly self-conscious or parodic remarks, and Wes Craven is at the centre of that trend. Just look at his innovative work on Scream, for instance. In Wes Craven's New Nightmare, however, he attempted to play on that style by casting Robert Englund, star of the A Nightmare On Elm Street films, as both himself and Freddy Krueger, making for an interesting play on the balance between reality and fantasy in cinema. The film isn't always successful. Freddy might be the most overdone character in film history, and New Nightmare struggles to overcome that. But Englund's performance is genuinely impressive. He is typically creepy as Freddy, but when he shifts into the portrayal of "himself" he manages to create a complex and multi-layered figure. Does he know what is going on? Is he ACTUALLY Freddy? Or is he a caring co-star? Every nuance of his face and voice offers clues. Forget the far more commercially successful Freddy Vs. Jason, which followed this film. This is where Englund's portrayal of Freddy should have ended. A thoroughly enjoyable and clever performance.