Wes Craven’s unquestioned horror masterpiece A Nightmare on Elm Street celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. We even honored the occasion by putting Freddy Kreuger on the cover of FANGORIA #25, which is out now. Now, the folks at Mondo and WaterTower music have come together to celebrate Freddy’s 40th birthday by bringing the first three Elm Street soundtracks to a shelf near you on vinyl. These are just your average soundtrack release, mind you, as these expanded editions will have a lot to offer hardcore fans.
Mondo and WaterTower Music are giving the soundtracks for 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, 1985’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge and 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors expanded 2XLP editions. The first disc features the soundtrack in its original form, just as it was upon its initial release in the 1980s. The second disc is where things get interesting. This bit of wax compiles the rest of the film's themes and cues, many of which have never been previously released on vinyl. The soundtracks are set to be released on October 2. We’ve also got artwork for each of the releases for you to check out below, as well as a full breakdown of each release.
A Nightmare on Elm Street – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (40th Anniversary Expanded 2XLP), $40
- On sale 10/2
- Composer: Charles Bernstein
- Artist: Mike Saputo
- Variant: Boiler Room Blast
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (Expanded 2XLP), $40
- On sale 10/2
- Composer: Christopher Young
- Artists: Mike Saputo
- Variant: Freddy Burst
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (Expanded 2XLP), $40
- On Sale 10/2
- Composer: Angelo Badalamenti
- Artist: Mike Saputo
- Variant: Hypnocil Dream Haze
Charles Bernstein created the score for the ‘84 original and Freddy's main theme that was used throughout the series. Christopher Young (Hellraiser) provided the score for Freddy’s Revenge, which has gained cult status over the years. Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks) composed the score for Dream Warriors, which is often cited as a favorite entry in the series by fans.
Craven birthed an unquestioned horror icon when Robert Englund suited up as Freddy Krueger for the first time in A Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy became an all-timer of a slasher icon, playing the role over and over again up through 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason. Freddy last graced the silver screen in 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street remake, which featured Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy.
The Nightmare on Elm Street 40th anniversary soundtracks will be available soon from MondoShop.com. For more, check out our retrospective on the career of Freddy himself, Robert Englund.
