Nightmare On Elm Street 2010

I remember seeing the original Nightmare On Elm Street like it was yesterday, even though it was more than 20 years ago. At that time Nightmare On Elmstreet was one of the most horrifying experiences I had ever had, it ranks up there with Jaws and the Shining. Me and my friends were so energized by seeing Freddy Kruger that we climbed a tree and got on top of the roof of the Multiplex in hopes of scaring the living shit out of the kids leaving the theater. It worked, the cops came and we all got into a lot of trouble.

Fast forward to 2009 or whatever it was when I first heard that Brad Fuller and Platinum Dunes was re-imaging the Wes Craven masterpiece that literally put New Line Cinema on the block. I let out a predictable sigh but as I have come to accept the remakes as here to stay. The remakes are gonna happen, might as well embrace them and try to enjoy them. The alternative is not seeing them and thats just not gonna happen. I was interested when Jackie Earl Haley signed on to play the iconic roll of Freddy Kruger being that I had been a huge fan of Kelly Leak in the original Bad News Bears.

So what did I think about Nightmare on Elm St 2010? I thought the movie was OK. Not hating on it for being a remake of one of my all time most favorite film, I went in to the theater with an open mind looking forward to being entertained. The movie opens with the atmosphere I had hoped to find. The young actor struck me as rather Twilight looking, and yes I know one of the actors is also one of the stars of the Twilight series. But it wasn't just him, they all seemed to have Twilight eyebrows and seemed forever stuck in the navel gazing brooding position. Maybe thats a stylistic decision based on blockbluster mentality and maybe I'm dreaming it.

Overall I thought the movie was lacking in a few elements. Mostly, the score. The original NoES score is one of the all time great horror scores. The new one plays on the motifs and riffs but it falls far short of being rememberable. The sound design also was weak as it used timing as a crutch to emphasize the scary moments, The original provided truly scary moments that were accented with sound design. Freddy moments are predictable therefore because of the score and the sound design. I think those are two of the biggest problems facing the new film and those two elements are an obstacle to creating a similiar experience of horror that was so unique in the original film.

Everything else was just fine by me, other than the Freddy makeup that left burned Freddy alot less expressive than the original makeup worn by Robert Englund. I feel this FX decision essentially tied one of Jakie Earl Haley hands behind his back in terms of his ability to use his face as a tool for cinematic theatrical expression.

This is my broad brush impression of the new Nightmare On Elm St. I;ll be seeing it again this week and I will review the film on a smaller scale but I don't see myself shredding the movie. Its a fun watch. Even if it doesn't contain the dozen or so set pieces and memorable moments of the original, its a decent popcorn movie. If you are a horror hound its worth seeing, and I'm gonna see it again. Don't sleep.