NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (2010)
For many horror fans, the only thing scarier than Freddy Krueger is the thought of his signature franchise getting a reboot. Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street was the defining terror series of the 1980s, prompting an entire generation of burgeoning gore hounds to sleep with one eye open, if at all. Filled with surreal imagery, the original film blended genuine scares with an engrossing story line of revenge from beyond the grave.
Sadly, the quality wouldn't last. As the series progressed, the outright horror of the first installment would morph into black comedy, as the fearsome Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) transformed himself into a pun-spouting stand-up comedian. Now Platinum Dunes, the company behind the recent reboots of Friday the 13th and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, are attempting to take Freddy back to his roots with a big-budget remake. Did they pull it off?
The story will be familiar to those who know the 1984 original. A group of teenagers in the town of Springwood, Ohio find themselves stalked in their dreams by a fedora-wearing murderer named Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), who sports a glove with razors on the fingers. The terrifying boogeyman is dismissed as a group hallucination by their parents, but as the kids investigate, they learn that Krueger was a real man, murdered by their parents for perceived sins against their offspring. Now the dead Krueger seems to be exacting revenge against the children of his killers. And as they soon learn, if Freddy murders you in your dreams, you're dead for real.
Jackie Earle Haley received mixed reviews for his portrayal of the iconic Freddy when the remake opened theatrically last April. Many horror fans apparently made up their minds to hate both the film and Haley's performance before they even saw it. I was not one of those people. I thought Haley's amazing work in both The Watchmen and Little Children (another movie in which he played a pedophile, and was nominated for an Oscar in the process) proved he had the acting chops to play one of cinema's ultimate badasses. I was not wrong. Although the script rarely gives him dialogue worthy of his talents, Haley does a lot with very little. Despite his slight frame, he conveys menace, intelligence, and intimidation at all times. That's all I require of Freddy Krueger.
Although relying far too heavily on jump scares for my tastes, there are some fine touches in the new Elm Street. Some nice homages to the original film will please fans, while new additions to the Elm Street mythos (such as the concepts of micro-naps, a type of dream which happens while a person is awake but suffering from exhaustion) helps to keep things fresh. It also ramps up the danger factor for our protagonists.
The single biggest change to the original story is the implication that Freddy Krueger may have been an innocent man. Craven's original installment left little doubt that Krueger was an unrepentant monster, but Haley earns sympathy from the viewers in many scenes as the case against Freddy becomes increasingly flimsy. Fear not: by the end of the film you will know whether or not Freddy is guilty, but the journey to discover the truth is an intriguing one, and adds a new dimension to the story.
Is the 2010 edition of Nightmare on Elm Street, directed by Samuel Bayer (perhaps best known for directing Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit music video), an improvement on the Wes Craven original? Not at all. But is it a creatively bankrupt fiasco that is unworthy of its name? Again, not at all. In fact, it's better than many of the original Elm Street sequels. It's a perfectly fine, if disposable, chiller. Nothing more, nothing less. And as I said above, "perfectly fine" is all I require from a Freddy Krueger flick.
Enough about the movie! What about the Blu-Ray?
Nightmare on Elm Street is presented in a fine 1080p anamorphic widescreen transfer that accurately reproduces both flesh tones and the nightmarish (no pun intended) color pallet of many of the dream sequences. A pleasing layer of film grain is visible throughout, accurately reproducing the way the movie looked when I saw it during its theatrical run.
Audio is available via a choice of English, French, and Spanish mixes, all presented in Dolby 5.1 surround.
The Nightmare on Elm Street Combo Pack (the version I received for review) includes not only a Blu-Ray but a DVD and a digital copy for your iPod or computer as well. Neither of these bonus versions contain any special features.
The Blu-Ray itself includes a 14-minute documentary entitled Freddy Krueger Reborn. A combination of electronic press kit fluff and meaty behind-the-scenes footage, the featurette is worth watching at least once. Haley, who is interviewed in this piece, comes across as a ridiculously friendly man who is very excited to be playing this role, yet also sincere in his appreciation for Robert Englund's work.
Three alternate/extended scenes are offered, including an unused opening and an alternate ending. (Both are inferior to the versions we get in the final movie.) You'll also find an extended version of a scene that did make it into the movie, but the new bits are insubstantial at best. The decision to shorten the sequence was a wise one.
An option called Maniacal Movie Mode will play the film in its entirety, with pop-up interviews and behind-the-scenes footage appearing throughout, offering additional information on whatever is happening on screen at the time. Think of it as a video, rather than audio, commentary track. Note that these video pop-ups can also be watched separately in the Blu-Ray Bonus Features menu, if you don't want to have the movie on the screen at the same time.
The most interesting tidbit I learned from the Special Features: Jackie Earle Haley based the body language of Freddy on the superbly creepy acting in the 1922 silent vampire film Nosferatu, one of my favorite movies. Now that's a pedigree you can trust.
RATING: B-
Nightmare on Elm Street is now available in a Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack. A DVD-only version is also available. As a major studio release from Warner Brothers, Nightmare on Elm Street is available at virtually any DVD retailer in the Scranton area.
Comments
Jackie Earle Haley is a great actor and it's too bad some folks already made up their mind about Nightmare on Elm Street before giving it a chance.
Yipes! Thanks for the info
Very informative, thanks!
Just watched it tonight...um, this morning. My dirty little secret is I HATE horror movies and I still watch them. If I can get to sleep I will not sleep well. Maybe I am just highly suggestible.
Jackie Earle Haley is a fine actor, better than this version of Nightmare on Elm Street. (Which is, as you suggest, not the worst of the lot.)
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