Movie: Nightmare on Elm Street

Once upon a time, in the land of 1984, there was a great idea that sprung from the mind of Wes Craven. A Nightmare on Elm Street was brilliant and fresh (originality that Hollywood is seriously lacking today). Freddy Kruger does not kill you by walking behind you, trudging with weapon in plain sight as bystanders seriously neglect the situation. No, he kills you while you sleep. And not in the nice way.

It is a brilliant and terrifying idea, really. To think that the one thing you need to live will kill you is sadistic and perfect for smart horror. Now, what could ruin such a great idea and terrific movie, you ask? How about if there was a remake in 2010 in which Freddy was a child-molesting gardener?

Yes, yes. That could do it.



Enter Samuel Bayer's A Nightmare on Elm Street. And if you're paying attention, a certain producer named Michael Bay appears in the credits. The same producer for these absolutely terrible remakes: Friday the 13th, The Amityville Horror, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Hitcher. And you know that thing Bay dedicates his life to? That whole explosion thing? The answer is yes, in case you were wondering. Yes, Michael Bay's patented explosion does make an appearance in A Nightmare on Elm Street. You can smell it from a mile away.

This movie is pretty awful, I have to say. I'll just put it out there. The best part about it is the dream sets. The place the kiddies go in there sleep are amazingly put together, but that does absolutely nothing to help Freddy's terrible lines and the terrible acting. If there was such a thing as a saving grace for this movie, Jackie Haley (Freddy) is about as close as it gets. He makes a fantastic Freddy Kruger. Had the writers actually gave him something to work with, he would have been awesome. But, no. And you know who I blame? Explosion Man. I don't know how he did it, but I know he was behind it all.

There's nothing really left to say. Luckily, it was dollar movie night for college students. And that's about how much I would ever pay for this movie----maybe less. Maybe never see it, ever. Not if you like the original.

All in all, there are some ideas floating around in the movie that could have been really, really good. But that's just it: they were floating. They weren't strung together or flushed out. They were short clips and brief flashes. The movie was bad. Please stop remaking horror films, for the love of god. Just...please.

In conclusion:
"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (2010)
1 out of 5

Source of information: IMDb.com