One...Two...Freddy's Coming for You

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Directed By: Samuel Bayer

Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara, & Katie Cassidy

The idea that Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street needed a remake is blasphemous to many movie fans, including myself. Having seen it a countless number of times over the years, I have practically memorized every scene, even every line. It's not surprising that someone would want to remake it, though I cannot figure out why they wouldn't have chosen to make another sequel instead. Back in 2003 (which isn't that long ago, even in the film industry), Freddy Vs. Jason grossed approximately $82 million domestically. For those of you keeping score at home, that is $18 million more than the Platinum Dunes remake of Friday the 13th made just last year. Alas, a remake has been made; Michael Bay produced it and Samuel Bayer directed it. They replaced the beloved Robert Englund with Jackie Earle Haley in the infamous role of Freddy Krueger, and cast the relatively unknown Rooney Mara in the role of Nancy Thompson, now inexplicably renamed as Nancy Holbrook. The end product is about what I expected. I didn't go into this expecting a revolutionary remake that somehow transcended its predecessor, because that just wasn't possible. I expected an entertaining, well-made horror movie, and that is exactly what I got.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) doesn't stray too far from the original, which becomes its greatest problem. Though it includes a new concept known as micro-naps that is actually used quite effectively, it follows the same basic routine that we have come to know and expect. Freddy Krueger, burned to death years earlier by the parents of Elm Street, reemerges within the dreams of the children he once terrorized. Now they are teenagers, having forgotten about their dark pasts. After one of them dies brutally while sleeping, the others realize that, if they die in their dreams, they will surely die in real life as well. The only major change is that this remake provides more insight into the past of Freddy; now, he is a gardener who worked at a local preschool, where he molested the children in the basement. Freddy fans will be most outraged about the initial proposal that he was falsely-accused and is just seeking revenge for his unjust punishment...but, fear not, even the producers over at Platinum Dunes are smart enough to avoid that controversy. Admittedly, I kind of liked the idea and thought it was far more intriguing than the same-old, same-old formula that the Nightmare franchise has relied on for years. Alas, very little is fresh about this movie.

What is fresh, however, is a mixed bag. Jackie Earle Haley is quite good as Freddy; the screenplay doesn't give him much to work with and it is very evident that he is working in the shadow of a legend, but he does seem to have fun in the role. The new design of the charred killer is genuinely creepy, staying closer to what an actual burn victim would look like than the original Freddy did. Kate Cassidy, playing the lovely and well-developed character of Kris, is also genuinely good. She brings depth to her character and really disappears in the role. I was rather dismayed that she was not the main character, as she was a much more intriguing character than Nancy, who takes the forefront of the movie when...ahem, Kris falls asleep. Rooney Mara has potential as an actress; it shows here, but that potential does not fully manifest itself into a good performance. The script undermines her by failing to give the character of Nancy any ounce of proper character development, but Mara does little to rescue herself either. She mumbles many of her lines and seems, in some scenes, to be sleepwalking through the movie (no pun intended). When she first sees Freddy on screen, for example, she looks at him as though she would an annoying neighbor arriving for a visit, rather than a terrifyingly deformed madman. She made for an uninspiring Nancy.

In fact, A Nightmare on Elm Street begins much better than it progresses. For the first portion of the movie, Kris and her ex-boyfriend, Jesse (Thomas Dekker), are the focal points. Dekker and Cassidy are two good actors tackling two well-written characters. However, soon enough, Nancy and her boyfriend, Quentin (Kyle Gallner), become the leads...and they are decidedly less interesting. The movie does not, as some have claimed, fall apart once they take the lead...but it does lose some of its initial promise. It makes up for that somewhat with the use of micro-naps, in which sleep-deprived people dream while they are awake. That makes for a very interesting last half, in which Freddy can appear at just about anytime and in any place. The final showdown between Nancy and Freddy is also very entertaining. This is when Haley really seems to leap into his role and have fun with it; in these scenes, he comes off as being much more frightening and disturbing than he did at the beginning. Overall, A Nightmare on Elm Street is an undeniable hit for Platinum Dunes. Though it has many flaws, it is actually an effective remake. It starts off on the right foot and falters in the middle, but then brings it all together for a satisfying ending. It is a clear sign of this movie's success that I am actually anticipating its sequel...which will certainly be coming soon.