Review of A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) by Rawballs B — 25 May 2017

A disgrace to everything Wes Craven created in 1984, this modern remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street falls completely flat in every regard. Everything that made Craven's film so special is nowhere to be found here, and it all reeks of lazy horror filmmaking to make a quick buck.

There's one major plot change that tries to change things up, which, while admirable in attempting to add new lore to the material, turns Craven's original scary-but-campy story into a dour mood killer.

Characters are one-note without the slightest hint of personality, making it hard to root for their survival unlike Craven's more likeable protagonists. The only cast member who even comes close to being an exception is Rooney Mara, but even she can't elevate this material to anything more.

Topping Robert Englund is a seemingly impossible task, but Jackie Earle Haley in theory sounds like a solid replacement as any: unfortunately, like the film as a whole, he lacks the zaniness, and even the creepiness, of Englund's portrayal.

None of Krueger's exploits are ever all that frightening, held down by cheap, by-the-numbers scares and effects that somehow look worse than the 26-year-old original. If the film does anything right, it's bringing Nancy and co.

's same fight to stay awake directly to you.