The University of Houston-Downtown carries its own traditions in the spirit of festive holidays, such as Halloween, where students can congregate on UHD’s North Deck to experience the thrill of a horror film.
The event will take place on Oct. 16 at 7 pm, where “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (dir. Wes Craven, 1984) will screen to highlight the annual event’s three-year focus on U.S. slasher horror films from the classic period. Chuck Jackson, Professor of English and programmer for the event, chose the film based on discussions with UHD film studies students in the Spring of 2025.
“Nightmare on Elm Street” was released in 1984, but it continues to have connections with broader cultural or social themes that are relevant today.
Jackson locates the common ground noting, “It might be that such a story strikes a chord with a new generation of viewers who recognize the power of such a metaphor – falling asleep, zoning out, not paying attention, remaining willfully ignorant of the world around us, or – without even realizing it – slipping into dream worlds that threaten to destroy us.”
Considering this Halloween event’s roots in film studies, the screening encourages students to watch the movie not just for entertainment but also for the glory of perception. Horror films captivate audiences through a form of catharsis, similar to that found in earlier Greek tragedies that confront dark emotions. Bodily fluids and hollowing screams arouse our curiosity for the “uncanny”, a Freudian theory. Despite repelling us simultaneously, the audience should embrace the thrill with all its details.
“I love the film’s rich use of color, especially reds, but I’d also encourage students to attune themselves to how the film’s colors are enhanced by its textured surfaces, including human skin. That’s where the most visceral horrors can be found,”Jackson remarked.
As Jackson observes, the film’s monster, Freddy Krueger, breaks the rigid slasher mold of the silent masked villain. The audience is introduced to a slasher who speaks with a grotesque, burnt face and a supernatural power to transverse into the dream world. Set apart with his bladed hand, Jackson notes, he seemingly emulates the character Leroy from the mid-century film “The Bad Seed” (dir. Mervyn LeRoy, 1956), who also spends time in the basement and is depicted as the monster, although not being one in the end. Monsters are the “impure” beings who, like Freddy, blur categories between the supernatural and the natural world.
Jackson picked UHD’s North Deck, situated between the former Jesse H. Jones Student Life building and the One Main Building. This location was selected due to it being rarely used yet pleasurable, liminal space that allows for an enjoyable outdoor rooftop experience. The event is a communal gathering, a place for students to express their feelings.
“My hope is that UHD students will bond with each other as we watch – please talk, yell at characters who make terrible decisions, scream or shout, and laugh at how ridiculous it all is,” Jackson stated. “Enjoy and know that film studies, as a concentration in the B.A. English as a minor through CHSS is alive and well at UHD!”
