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Hollywood loves its horror remakes. After all, as far as the studios are concerned, they’re no-brainers. Why waste the time trying to come up with a new idea when there are plenty of foreign hits and old favorites, just ripe for the remakin’? So, in the last decade or so, Leatherface, Michael Myers, and Jason Voorhees have all gotten a new look. Now it’s Freddy Krueger’s turn.
In director Samuel Bayer’s reimagining of Wes Craven’s 1984 horror classic, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jackie Earle Haley takes over Robert Englund’s legendary role as blade-wielding serial killer Krueger, terrorizing a whole new generation of teenagers’ dreams.
Dean (Kellan Lutz) was the first to talk about the nightmares—the ones where he’s stalked by a disfigured man wearing a knife-covered glove. But it isn’t until Dean dies a gruesome death in the middle of a diner that other kids start admitting that they’ve been having the nightmares, too.
As the mysterious killer claims more and more victims, Nancy (Rooney Mara) begins having visions of a preschool. And with the help of her friend Quentin (Kyle Gallner), she uncovers the story of a kind of murderous pied piper who’s taking revenge on the children of those who betrayed him.
Like most remakes of classic ‘80s horror, the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street wasn’t really necessary. After all, Wes Craven’s original is still as chilling now as it was in 1984. Still, I have to admit that music video director Bayer did a pretty decent job with his feature film debut, updating the film while still keeping that ‘80s horror feel. It’s creepy and suspenseful without resorting to long, drawn-out torture scenes to intensify the shock value. The thrills here come from the suspense—the game of cat and mouse that Freddy plays with his potential victims.
Really, the only element of classic ‘80s horror that’s clearly missing is the sense of humor. While old slasher films tended to balance the scares and suspense with the occasional touches of humor, A Nightmare on Elm Street takes itself a bit too seriously. It focuses a bit too much on the horrors in Freddy’s past while throwing in only the occasional awkward one-liner.
At the same time, while Jackie Earle Haley is still creepy as Krueger, he’s definitely no Robert Englund. Instead of looking like a crazed killer who’s out for revenge, his makeup makes him look more like some kinds of strange, sweater-wearing alien.
While it definitely has its flaws, though, A Nightmare on Elm Street is still a decent slasher remake—one that stays relatively true to its ‘80s roots—and I look forward to seeing what Bayer has in store for his 2012 sequel.
