Unlike many other people, I am actually a big fan of producer Michael Bay's horror remakes. I really enjoyed "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," "The Amityville Horror," and "Friday the 13th." And although they were kind of unnecessary, they always pulled through, in my opinion. So, did I enjoy the 2010 edition of "A Nightmare on Elm Street?" I more than enjoyed it. I loved it!
For those of you who don't know the plot, here's a summary: The movie revolves around five friends: Kris, Jesse, Dean, Quentin, and Nancy. All of them are having terrible dreams of a burnt man in a red-and-green sweater, wearing a fedora hat and knives for fingers. After they start to die in their sleep, one by one, all that is left is Nancy and Quentin. And they will discover that the boogeyman of their dreams is real, and if you fall asleep, you die in reality.
1984's "A Nightmare On Elm Street" introduced one of the most iconic slashers of all time, Freddy Krueger. The original film is wonderfully atmospheric and scary, but then came the sequels. After parts 2 and 3, Freddy turned into a comedian. He slowly lost his scare factor, until Wes Craven revived the true Freddy in "New Nightmare." Did I think a remake was well-deserved? Frankly, yes. And you wanna know something? In some ways, this remake might surpass the original.
First off, the movie was, without a doubt, very scary. A real horror movie wouldn't give you a chance to breathe. In "Nightmare," you get plenty of "BOO!" moments.
Also, this adaptation actually delves a lot more into the origins of Freddy, and makes you question whether or not he was innocent or very much a psychopath.
Third, the dreams are terrifying. And while Freddy is hacking up teens in their sleep, we get a new and original element: micro-naps. At times, I wasn't sure if a character was dreaming or not, which made it very suspenseful.
"A Nightmare On Elm Street" is directed by Samuel Bayer, the music video vet most famous for making the iconic video for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Bayer shows tremendous style throughout the film and pays close attention to the characters. I look forward to many more projects directed by Bayer, as it is obvious that he knows how to make a horror movie.
The acting in "Nightmare" is actually better than the original. The teens are nicely cast. Katie Cassidy does a great job as Kris, and her death was amazing. The same goes for Thomas Dekker as Jesse, Kyle Gallner as Quentin, and Kellan Lutz as Dean. Then, there's Nancy, played by Rooney Mara. You can disagree with me if you want to, but I dug the new Nancy. She was a sad, sympathetic, dark character that I cared about. Mara's Nancy is very different from Heather Langenkamp's Nancy, but both are very good performances. Langenkamp would be very proud of Ms. Mara. Nancy and Quentin's parents are played by Connie Britton and Clancy Brown, who both give great performances.
And last but not least, there is Freddy. The new Krueger is played by the fantastic Jackie Earle Haley. After films like "Breaking Away" and "Bad News Bears," Haley made a comeback with his Oscar-nominated performance as a convicted sex offender in "Little Children." And now, everyone knows him as Rorshach from last year's hit "Watchmen." It is time for people to let go of Robert Englund. His performance was great, but he can't be known as Freddy for the rest of his life. Therefore, Haley IS Freddy! I think the new version of the gloved maniac is more sadistic and terrifying than Freddy's ever been, and Haley's one-liners are much darker than as portrayed in the sequels. The real Freddy I loved was the one in Part 1, the unforgiving, monstrous ghoul that took great delight in killing these teens. Haley heightens the viciousness and fright of the original Freddy, and his performance WILL creep you out.
I think the ones who will love the new "Nightmare On Elm Street" will be those who refuse to compare it to the original. Going into this, I knew what I was in for: just a great time at the movies. And that's what I got. The "Nightmare" redux was everything I hoped it would be: scary, creepy, fun, bloody, and creative. With a great cast, especially the performance of Haley as Krueger, a cool new story, great deaths, and endless jump scares, this is one trip down Elm Street that I will cherish forever. "One, two, Freddy's coming for you...."
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