Outstanding prequel to the '84 horror classic

Warning: Spoilers
After claiming his latest victim (a brief, but memorable appearance by the adorable Gracie De La Rosa), vicious Springfield Slasher Freddy Krueger (superbly played with chilling menace and relish by Roberto Lombardi) gets arrested for a horrific rash of brutal child killings. Determined Lt. Donald Thompson (an excellent portrayal by Shawn Parr) tries to get a written confession out of Krueger, but gets more than he bargained for when he interrogates the unrepentant fiend. Do-It-Yourself indie auteur Chris R. Notarile handles this gripping short in his usual crisp and straightforward manner: There's no needless padding or filler to speak of, the brisk pace never flags for a second, and a tremendous amount of tension is well created and sustained throughout despite the fact that the bulk of the picture takes place in a single claustrophobic police station room. However, Notarile's key artistic triumph here is his presentation of Krueger as an absolute monster: Vile, boastful, and arrogant, this Freddy is an utterly hateful, revolting, and above all frightening pedophile and murderer who's the stuff of true nightmares. The sterling acting from the two first-rate leads rates as another substantial asset: Lombardi looks and sounds just like a young Robert Englund while Parr bears an uncanny resemblance to an early 70's era John Saxon complete with sideburns. Notarile's polished cinematography offers a few nice black and white surveillance camera shots that add a nifty stylistic flourish to the proceedings. The use of Charles Bernstein's shuddery original score is a sound and effective choice as well. Highly recommended.

9/10