Exposed and Bare
A Nightmare on Elm Street has been one of my favorite horror movies for as long as I can remember. It is one of those films that has developed not only the way in which I sought out horror films, but in my personal development as well. The idea of a “Final Girl” (while some tropes visibly problematic) has been a badge of honor to hold in my world. Do I want to watch my friends horribly murdered and then fight off my assailant creatively through my surroundings, no. But the symbolism of the final girl is what attracts me to it. The idea that you and you alone can overcome any adversity set before you, that the strength was inside you all along, and that girls no matter how young kick ass. Nancy Thomas, like for a lot of women, has been that rock and driving force for me. Without breaking out the tiny violins I have faced a lot in my life and most of it came to me like an 18-wheeler off a highway. Hard and fast, square in the face. Every time I fell, I found myself coming back to Elm Street, above all other slashers, and I think because at it’s core Nancy uses her intellect and ingenuity to creatively take down Freddy. The costumes in this film have become as iconic as the story and lore of Freddy Kruger himself. Dana Lyman gave us garments that are instantly recognizable still to this day, with the help of Wes Craven and his inventive story telling. I initially came back to this film to write a piece on sleepwear, one that I did write, and you’ll get to see soon elsewhere. But as I was watching, I noticed more subtleties that I hadn’t before, and it ultimately led me here writing a full fledge post on the film. It would have happened eventually considering my love for this film, so I thought it fitting to make this my first post of 2022 and January being my birthday month.
The first thing that really stuck out to me this time around is not actually a “true” costume piece at all, or there for a lack of costume. There are a lot of moments within the film where Nancy and her friends are barefoot. Typically, it isn’t customary to go to bed with your shoes on so that does explain this, but a lot of these occurrences happen in their waking life as well and knowing how cleaver Craven is I know that there is more to this. To be barefoot in your dreams is quite a common and could symbolically mean a many numbers of things. Historically to be barefoot and to be unable to afford shoes was a symbol of poverty, in the dreamscape while it might not mean that this will directly correlate into your waking life and you’ll suddenly wake up poor, this could point to the poverty in your life. Loss of friends, loved ones, maybe finances, but it’s more of the intangible poverty that you have gone through or are about to face. For Nancy, Rod, Tina, and Glen this gives them a look into their reality and their future. Death is following these children and they are unaware why. There are ties to the earth, which we see twice Nancy must sit by the side of a friend’s casket as they lower them into the ground. Running barefoot is said to be a search for stability in your life or a sign that someone is out to harm you. After the death of Tina, Rod is framed for her murder. Even though he cries out multiple times that he didn’t do it, because it was only himself and Tina in the room, the logical brain of the police officers points the fingers at him. When we see Nancy walking to school in her soft pink sweater vest and under shirt, with her khaki pants, Rod pulls her into the bushes and frightens her. He is a fugitive, running from the law. Poetically all he had time to grab when departing from Tina’s house is his jeans and his leather jacket. Running barefoot on the pavement you fear that he’ll step on something sharp and not get very far. In the two shot of him and Nancy the bare chest leaves his heart and chest vulnerably further signifying his persistence to have the truth come out while the leather jacket keeps the tough exterior of his personality in somewhat tact, although he appears to be coming apart. After the death of Glen, Nancy vows to put a stop to Freddy Kruger at whatever cost. She puts on her armor, her pj’s, and falls asleep. When she emerges in the boiler room, she is barefoot descending the rusty stairs and on the hunt for Kruger.
Nancy’s PJ’s in this moment are one of my favorite subtitles in costume design I’ve seen. The pure white cotton, thin and vulnerable. There’s a delicate blue pipping that I attribute to her “masculine” strength one every final girl must have. But the rose details on the front are feminine strength. Flowers have always been a symbol of femininity, made most famous by the paintings of Georgia O’Keefe. While flowers literally look like female genitalia, there is a softness and strength to them symbolically. Flowers specifically roses are durable and can weather any storm when taken care of properly. While Nancy comes from a home life that is less then ideal, there is a love and tender care for her from her friends and even her parents that has allowed her to grow into such a strong woman. She like the roses appears delicate on the outside but she has thorns and can fight back. Even falling through her dreams into a rose trellis for more effect.
We know that Nancy will be our hero, not only because after the death of Tina she is our only girl left, but because her skin is consistently the most covered. Tina is always shown to us in various states of vulnerability. Short baby-doll night dresses that expose her whole arms and most of her legs. When she is later killed, she is wearing nothing but what we assume is Rod’s button-down shirt. Through her death and the point of Rod to which I spoke earlier, there is an exposure to the chest that we see played out through this as well. Whether our clothing is heavy or lightweight there is a layer of protection that comes with concealing our torso. For modesty’s sake, but also because our vital organs to survive lie beneath the chest cavity. We use our garments to cover them to allow ourselves to be less vulnerable to our enemies. A layer or protection, literally or metaphorically. Freddy meets his victims in a state of their most vulnerability, which is when we are sleeping. He takes pleasure out of the torture and killings of these kids, and for the torture of Rod, he rips open Tina’s shirt and takes four large gashes out of her chest. We see this device used again when he kills Glen. Glen is famously wearing that male jersey crop top. He is our jock character and up until this point we haven’t seen him truly effected by the dream manipulation of Freddy, so we assume he is safe. However, when Glen finally falls asleep, we see the maniacal arm of Kruger reach through the bed and grab Glen around his mid-section. The part of himself that was completely exposed. As geysers of blood come rushing through the bed, an amount no human could possibly hold within their body, the exposure of Glen and the vulnerability of his garment led us to this conclusion.
With each watch of this film not only do I love it more, but I find new pieces that I want to dive into further. I’m sure this will not be my only post on this film, so while I didn’t talk about that famous sweater or how poorly pleated Nancy’s khaki pants are, I wanted to bring you a completely new perspective that I’m sure not many of you think about when watching this film. I have been writing so many professional articles lately it was freeing to ramble on like a mad woman, so thank you for coming on this ride with me. Until next month, I hope this piece of design leaves you hanging by a thread.
