Review of A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) by Kyle20Ellis — 08 Aug 2016

I wasn't expecting the remake to Nightmare on Elm Street to be as good as the classic original, but I was expecting a decent enough film. As a remake and on its own terms, this Nightmare on Elm Street is a mess.

Is it the worst remake out there? Not quite, Psycho and Wicker Man were worse. But it is among the most pointless, at least to me. This time round, the story is over-simplistic, the characters shallow and dull and the script jumbled.

And apart from one, the acting is terrible, especially from Kyle Gallner. The editing in general could've been tighter while the effects lack clarity and distract from the atmosphere rather than enhance it.

Speaking of the atmosphere, it seemed bland here, the nail-biting suspense and build ups seem very subdued and I don't think I remember being shocked by any scene from this movie. The only redeeming quality I feel is the efforts of Jackie Earl Haley.

Robert Englund's performance was iconic and wonderfully creepy so Haley had big shoes to fill, and while he is a little too small for the role his makeup is believable and he does make a valiant attempt with his characterisation.

All in all, pointless and messy.