A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) - A Movie Review

Better be careful about falling asleep tonight. You know Krueger is murdering people.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2010 remake of the 1984 cult classic. A handful of teenagers are haunted in their sleep by a disfigured man. One by one, they are killed in violent ways by the man with scissors as hands.

The remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street has been a mixed bag. Since I have always enjoyed a good horror film, I’m always up for watching it. Sporting different themes than the original 1984 movie, in my opinion, I feel that this film works on its own.

Taking over the reins of Robert England’s terrifying performances as the iconic Freddy Krueger, Jackie Earle Haley made a wise decision to create his own sinister personality for this evil character. He improvised most of his lines to create tension with cast members.

With the change in his character backstory, his behavior is sickening. San for inconsistencies in his appearance, Haley is the best part of the remake. In fact, he was the only actor to really find the mindset for this film.

Casting fell flat at times. I liked the actors for the roles, but none acted like they wanted to be in this film. Since most of the characters were written for the kill count, there’s no room to let the characters develop.

As the only character who has the same name as the original, Rooney Mara almost quit acting after being in this movie. Mara and Kyle Gallner were the two best actors in the remake. Gallner was especially noteworthy, particularly in the scene where he confronts his dad about the past.

Starring in the Tina role from the original, Katie Cassidy was memorable in her part. The actors do look genuinely scared which is the right atmosphere to drive a horror film along. Some even went to extremes and didn’t sleep the night before their scenes were filmed.

Other credits include Thomas Dekker, Kallan Lutz, Connie Britton, and Clancy Brown who Spongebob fans should recognize as the voice of Mr. Krabs. Half took the film seriously while most were not interested in being in this film and it shows.

What was Samuel Bayer attempting to change? Most of the scenes from the original are reshot for this film, but they lack depth. This remake fails at even attempting to copy iconic scenes from the original. The scene where Freddy stretched through the wall looked scarier with practical effects than the apparent digital effects.

Going through 15 script changes, writers should have attempted to make the remake their own film. The new plot point about Freddy Krueger once being a child molester in the pre-school that the characters went to eas a scrapped idea from the original.

Cinematography sells the film. My favorite moment is in the store where it switches between reality and a nightmare. Makeup effects were also lacking. Haley quips that he spent three hours in the makeup chair before filming eating day, but half of Freddy’s burned appearance is added with digital effects. It was distracting.

Breaking the record for midnight openings when it was first released, A Nightmare on Elm Street did not receive the best reviews. It just feels like a film where actors are agreeing to their directions without making an effort to sell it.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a suspenseful and eerie film. The subject and Freddy’s inappropriate sexual behavior are uncomfortable to watch at times. Find the remake on Netflix if you’re curious to watch it.