A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

"I keep having these dreams, and there is this man, and he's burnt."

With the remake of the obvious classic, A Nightmare on Elm Street, the circle is complete. The big three slasher icons of the 80's have all been remade now, with questionable and varying results. There is a lot to complain about with the Halloween and Friday the 13th remakes, so where does the Nightmare on Elm Street remake stand?

Surprisingly, it is actually a fairly decent film. It's definitely the superior of the three slasher icon remakes to me and I would rank it somewhere in the middle of the franchise, clearly behind the first two films and perhaps just behind New Nightmare and Dream Warriors. It's a very solid entry in a relatively uneven franchise. Unneeded perhaps, but considering it could have been a disaster, the results are pretty pleasing.

The teenage leads do an adequate job. I basically give everyone a pass because I wasn't annoyed with them, like I am in so many of the more modern horror films. None have the screen presence of Heather Langenkamp, who played Nancy in the original film (and returned in Dream Warriors and New Nightmare) so it's disappointing in that sense, but how many horror leads are that memorable and charismatic anymore? Speaking of the character of Nancy, one of the few holdovers from the original storyline, she's nothing like the original. It doesn't help that the focus doesn't go on her until a good 30-35 minutes into the film, a move reminiscent of the first film, but not for that lengthy amount of time. Instead, the viewer mostly follows Kris, played by Katie Cassidy, in the first act of the film. She was the best of the young people in the film, and the best looking too, so it was a shame to see her character kick the bucket after the first half hour.

Even though the main protagonists are important, everyone comes for the portrayal of Freddy Krueger. Jackie Earle Haley does a passable job. He looks great in the shadows, mainly because it still looks a lot like Robert Englund's classic. I'm not a big fan of how his face looks, but it's not a deal breaker. However, I'm not too fond of his voice. At times, he sounds menacing, but most of the time, he sounds like a drug addict struggling to catch his breath. And his one liners are usually cringe inducing. After the first couple of films in the franchise, the one liners became a part of this character, but those films were also not as serious. This remake is very serious in tone and a lot of Freddy's quotes don't jive too well. However, I think it's going to take me some time for this new portrayal to sink in. After all, having Robert Englund be the only person to play the character since the release of the first film a quarter of a century ago is the main reason Haley deserves a break.

The strongest area of the film is how it honors the original just enough, while expanding on other areas to make it a satisfying addition to the Elm Street saga. Scenes like the above picture with Nancy in the tub return, but play out differently than the original. Yeah, everything is better in the 1984 version, but this film pays tribute while refraining from being a carbon copy remake like the terrible 1998 version of Psycho. I also like how the kills are kept to a minimum. While not terribly creative, it was a good move to keep them all to glove kills. As mentioned, the tone is serious, so anything else would not have fit.

It was always hinted at that Freddy was a child molester, in addition to being a child murderer, but outside of a newspaper article that you had to pause on to read in Dream Child, I believe, it was never more than implied. This new film makes it very clear that Fred is indeed a child molester. As long as you're a normal individual, you should be creeped out by this aspect of his character. In this day and age, the way a lot of mainstream horror films play, I felt it was actually a bold and daring move by the filmmakers to bring this unsavory quality of Krueger to the forefront and spend so much time on it. Outside of actually showing him rape children, which no one wants to see, I think this is as close as we're going to get to the scenario behind the long rumored prequel tale showcasing Freddy's exploits with the Elm Street children.

The film looks great. It has that slick modern day Platinum Dunes quality that plenty of people bemoan (usually myself included) but it also has the dirty, grimy feel of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake. The dream sequences are well done, as expected with the CGI technology of today. Nothing is over the top, which is a good thing, and scenes like Nancy walking back into her room and having it covered in softly falling snowflakes capture the sleepy dream quality the film has most of the time. One negative is that sometimes it is too obvious at first to the viewer that the character is in the dream world. Warped and shuddering bookshelves is one scene that comes to mind. I like how in other films in the franchise, particularly the first two, it is not completely clear if we're in the dream world one minute or not. Like I said, they were mostly well done, but sometimes it was jarring, but I think that is more personal preference than anything.

As for the music, it peppers some of the original's main theme here and there. Thankfully, no heavy metal is present either, which is something too many modern remakes use in place of an original score. While there is some generic chase music here, it is pretty subdued and doesn't overwhelm any scenes. Again, they were careful in this area too and points are deserved.

Overall, the final product was about as much as I could dare hope for. It's a remake to one of the greatest horror films ever, from a time period where film-making was arguably more daring, more creative, and more personal. It's a solid horror film, possibly one of the best remakes in the current remake cycle that began with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in 2003. Getting used to the new Freddy is honestly my only glaring issue with the film and I think only time will help that. Here's hoping the inevitable sequel doesn't fail horribly like the sequel to the Halloween remake did.

Film Grade-
Cinematography: 8
Plot: 7
Score: 8
Suspense: 6
Tilt: 8
Overall: 7.6

Best 10 Year Run For Horror Films

Being bored one day, I organized all of my horror films in order, by the year they came out. It was no great mystery that the late 70’s and early-mid 80’s housed a vast majority of my all-time favorites, but there was something memorable about seeing them all lined up in front of me. One film after another was a bonafide classic, or at least a solid flick filled with the atmosphere you could only get from that period in film-making. What I mean by that is, most of the horror films of today are simply far too sleek and polished looking.



Maybe it’s all in my head and I’ve just become biased subconsciously over time, but if I’m at a store like Newbury Comics where there is an excellent selection of horror, I’ll read the synopsis of a film on the back of the case, and glance down at the year it came out, knowing it has a superb chance of coming from around that ten year timeframe. And I have no issues taking a chance on buying it. It happened the other day in fact. I finally got my hands on yet another good slasher film I wanted from the 80’s, The House on Sorority Row, and I found myself also intrigued by a little film called Hell High with a tagline that came out fresh out of the 80’s: “Where the students are dying to graduate.” Another caption was proudly plastered across the front, with clearly 80’s teenagers looking like their having a ball in their car: “The teachers are tough…but their exams are murder.” Lo and behold, the year was 1986, so armed with those great taglines and a price of $5.99, how could I possibly resist? On a side note, the film was a decent effort.

The House on Sorority Row was simply great. If you love slashers, it is impossible not to fall in love with this movie. The ingredients are all there: a memorable costumed killer with the usual sad backstory, pretty girls, interesting kills, and enough tense moments to make it one of the better ones.



Looking at the long list of great horror films, I got to thinking about what my personal favorite 10 year stretch of horror films is. Aided by the order of my films, there’s no question that it is from 1977-1986. Both an unbelievable quality and quantity of horror came out. Classic after classic, and if not, usually a good time at least. Being born in 1985, I didn't get to experience this golden age first hand and I envy those who did.

Personal Favorites from ’77-86:

1977: Suspiria

1978: Dawn of the Dead, Halloween

1979: Cannibal Holocaust, Phantasm, Tourist Trap, Zombi 2

1980: The Beyond, The Changeling, Christmas Evil, The Fog, Friday the 13th, He Knows You’re Alone, Inferno, Maniac, Motel Hell, Prom Night, The Shining, Terror Train

1981: Bloody Moon, The Burning, Evil Dead, Final Exam, Friday the 13th Part 2, The Funhouse, Halloween II, Happy Birthday to Me, The Howling, My Bloody Valentine, The Prowler, Student Bodies

1982: Creepshow, Friday the 13th Part 3, Pieces, Poltergeist, Tenebre, The Thing

1983: Evil Dead II, House on Sorority Row, Psycho II, Sleepaway Camp, Videodrome

1984: Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Phenomena, Silent Night, Deadly Night

1985: Day of the Dead, Fright Night, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Re-Animator, Return of the Living Dead

1986: April Fool's Day, From Beyond, Night of the Creeps, Slaughter High, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2



Man, just look at that list. That's not every great horror film, but damn...at least a handful of great movies in any given year. Years like 1980 and 1981 have a good dozen apiece. It's such a foreign idea to me, probably going to the theater to see a good horror flick month after month. Liking these films as much as I do, I'd likely be going every two weeks like clock work.

I didn't introduce a new topic or anything, but figured I'd do it a little different than just picking a particular decade.

Audition (1999)

"This wire can cut through meat and bone easily."

This is the movie that sold me on the brilliance of Takashi Miike. Perfection. The premise of Audition, like most of the greats, is simple. A man, trying to get over his grief of losing his wife, holds a fake audition for a show, to meet a girl that way. If that isn't creepy, I don't know what is.

The first hour of the movie plays out more like a love story, with only a few signs of the weirdness to come. I would have given anything to not hear a thing about this movie, not even see the DVD case before watching it. Because even though my stomach felt like it got kicked in, that probably would have brought me to my knees. The turn the film takes is simply unreal. That's all one can say, really. Un-freakin-real. Posting pictures contradicts what I just wrote about not wanting to be spoiled.


Really, Asami is beautiful, quiet, and all around lovely...you never knew she had it in her! Well, obviously you suspect there's something strange about her, but still. Multiple scenes come to mind when trying to name a favorite. When the main guy calls her and she is sitting there with her head down waiting...wow, that gave me the creeps. The fact that she just sits by the phone weirded me out. Then the bag roars and rolls a bit...and of course, her amazing smile that curls up on her face, wow. The whole vomit scene almost made me puke myself and still does whenever I watch it. And the whole conclusion with the piano wire and pins is mindblowing to me. I held my breath the entire time, it was so crazy and intense.

Audition is a masterpiece, there's no other way to call it. Do I recommend it? Hmm...I've had a tremendous failure rate with this movie, when it comes to lending it out to friends or when they ask me about it and rent/buy it themselves. So, I'll have to say that it is a decision you'll have to take the plunge on yourself...and don't hassle me when it doesn't live up to expectations. I give the same "warning" every time...it is a slow-moving romance film a majority of the time...but it pays off by the end. In my opinion, it is the best I've seen from Asia to date.

Film Grade-
Cinematography: 8
Plot: 8
Score: 8
Suspense: 10
Tilt: 10
Overall: 9.1