American ‘Nightmare’

It was recently reported that “A Nightmare on Elm Street--4” was a top money maker for a particular week. And many mainstream critics have lauded the film as intelligent, sophisticated and occasionally witty.

I’m dismayed that this situation hasn’t caused the uproar that “The Last Temptation of Christ” has. After all, the “Elm Street” series’ raison d’etre is to visualize the countless ways that gruesome Freddy Krueger has to rip young people to shreds. What type of mentality makes a subcultural hero out of a creature whose fingers turn into razor-sharp blades or syringes?

Americans can’t understand why so many nations hate our society. Maybe it’s just that “Freddymania” doesn’t translate well in the Third World.

MICHAEL NOVIKOFF

Desert Hot Springs