Review of A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) by Halfwelshman — 13 Dec 2011

The remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street isn't a bad film because of complete lack of competence. On the contrary, on a technical level, the stunts and effects are handled extremely well. What makes it a particularly sub-par film is the fact that it's so empty below the surface.

Whereas the original was a thinking man's horror film, this version substitutes original ideas and genuinely scary imagery for cheap thrills and an abundance of gore. As a remake, it has little new to offer - every scene that "pays tribute" to the original is a pale shadow in comparison, and the few original ideas are lazy and completely lacking in the ability to scare.

Though Jackie Earle Haley makes a decent enough Freddie Krueger, somehow the character loses all power and sense of threat with the filmmakers' decision to flesh out his backstory - he was scary in the original because he was an enigma! The vast majority of the cast are laughable in their performances (though at least Rooney Mara looks like she's trying) and the script is abysmal.

Even after all this, the main crime this remake commits is not that it isn't fit to lick the boots of Wes Craven's chilling classic, it's that it simply isn't scary. It's unsubtle, dumb, and about as terrifying as a trip to your local post office.

Thank goodness Wes Craven had nothing to do with this insulting version of his seminal horror creation, but at least he can still dream of the good old days, when original ideas still counted for something in filmmaking.