A Nightmare on Elm Street

The short answer: No.

There is nothing added to this classic film series by this newest (and most expensive) installment. The casting choice had me interested. Haley has put forth some truly creepy performances in recent years (Watchmen, Little Children), and while he’s good in this film; he is not Freddy Kruger. That’s not to say that he isn’t Freddy for EVERYONE. The midnite audience I saw the film with was full of 13-18 year olds who have never seen Robert Englund in the role. Jackie Earl may have followed them home to their bedrooms after the credits rolled, but I certainly didn’t have any nightmares.

The face of Freddy Kruger scared the piss out of me as a kid. I can remember a poster of him that hung on the back of my cousin Joan’s bedroom door. Her response to my asking after the name of that boogeyman involved a VHS tape in her purse the next time she came over to babysit my brothers and I. Sleep did not come for me that night. Because of that face.

Pouring money on these classic characters has yet to work for true fans of the original films. It’s interesting to me that this is the first remake that has gone after a character that doesn’t keep his face covered by a hockey, Shatner, or human skin mask. These characters had a feel about them that was right for the times they were made. A budget the size of these Bay productions ultimately kills the scares. In the past the feeling of “it’s only a movie” was something uttered with little conviction. Nowadays it’s stated with shiny CGI confidence.