Chris Klimek convenes a showdown between arguably the two most influential slasher films ever made: John Carpenter's "Halloween" and Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

One helped define the modern slasher, introducing audiences to the silent, implacable force of Michael Myers and transforming suburban streets into sites of terror. The other revitalized the genre six years later with Freddy Krueger, a wisecracking dream stalker who turned sleep itself into a death sentence.

Arguing for "Halloween" is Jason Zinoman (Shock Value, The New York Times), who contends that Carpenter's film remains the genre's most influential and enduring achievement. Defending "Nightmare" is Deirdre Barrett, a Harvard dream researcher, psychologist, and author, who makes the case that Freddy Krueger taps into some of our deepest and most universal fears.

Choose your winner at moviedeathmatch.com.

(Times will not be precise with ads.)
Intro / Meet the Advocates (00:00:00-00:16:41)
Rd. 1 – The Movies in Their Time (00:16:42-00:41:49)
Rd. 2 – The Movies in Our Time (00:41:50-01:06:16)
Rd. 3 – The Movies for All Time (01:06:17-01:37:03)
The Verdict / Credits (01:37:05-01:45:23)

More From Jason:

-‘Halloween’ 1978: The Times Finally Reviews a Horror Classic

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/17/movies/halloween-1978-review.html

-Book: Shock Value: How a Few Eccentric Outsiders Gave Us Nightmares, Conquered Hollywood, and Invented Modern Horror

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143121367

-Instagram

@zinomanj

More From Deidre:

-deirdrebarrett.com

http://www.deirdrebarrett.com/

-Book: Pandemic Dreams

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0982869533

-Instagram

@deirdre_barrett_dreams

Follow Chris: 

-Instagram | Bluesky | X