Synopsis: Freddy Krueger with his razor glove hunts teenagers in their dreams.
Release Date: April 30, 2010 MPAA Rating: PG-13
Genre(s): Horror,
Film Review
Production
There is no need to be afraid to go to sleep for this version of “A Nightmare On Elm Street” may get your heart racing but it just as quickly stops it from beating. The film in itself is actually mildly entertaining. It has a solid back story and it keeps the mystery of why Freddy Krueger is killing the teenagers at bay just long enough while not overdoing the explanation. It is simple and to the point which makes it easy to watch for seemingly mindless entertainment. Where the film falters lies in its most important element, the character of Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earl Haley). He is not a character to be feared but one that slowly becomes the subject of laughter and amusement towards the end of the film. Buried beneath a face of charred flesh his eyes emotions are practically nonexistent and so an essential element is lost. You want to see the evil pouring out of them as they bore down onto his victim. Feel the anger and hatred he exudes towards the teens. Alas, it does not exist. Haley’s Krueger does not fulfill his obligation to the viewer to be frightful, menacing, and atrocious. It may be a shock to hear but it is the actual story that keeps you amused for the duration, it has nothing to do directly with Freddy Krueger.
Sound
Every sound in the film is gloriously amplified. The footsteps in the factory, the rain off-screen tapping against the glass of the coffee shop windows, and most importantly, the razor sharp glove gliding across the chalkboard, the wall, or metal piping. It is the use of sound that incites suspense and fear in the viewer. You know something is about to happen and your ears tell your eyes and the heart pumping inside of your chest to be on alert. As possibly the most important element in any horror film sound adds the special ingredient that makes the viewer’s emotions twist and turn. This film succeeds in building the suspense and leading the viewer into the maniacal world of Freddy Krueger and the torturous deeds that await the victims in the film.
Scary Factor
Freddy Krueger should insight chills and make you have nightmares for weeks. He is one of the scariest horror film characters ever created. In this new retelling of the story of “A Nightmare on Elm Street”, Freddy has been subjugated to a mere creepy pedophile with nary an ounce of real scare in him. All that leads up to his appearance (the music, ambient noises, lighting, and camera techniques) get your heart pumping and build the suspense immensely. It is the payoff, the moment you expect to jump out of your chair and spill popcorn all over the person in front of you, that never happens. You feel cheated and annoyed. If you wanted to watch a burned pedophile with a dirty sense of humor kill a bunch of teenagers in not so interesting ways you would. That is not why you come to see this film. It is for the fear and chills it evokes within you. The movie may play up your fears but in the end it has done just that, played with you and not given you what you wanted in the first place…to be scared out of your mind.
Cast and Crew
- Director(s): Samuel Bayer
- Producer(s): Wesley StrickEric HeissererWesley StrickJackie Earl Haley (Freddy Krueger)
- Screenwriter(s): Kyle Gallner (Quentin Smith)Rooney Mara (Nancy Holbrook)Katie Cassidy (Kris Fowles)
- Story: Thomas Dekker (Jesse Braun)
- Cast: Glen ScantleburyJeff CutterPatrick Lumb
- Editor(s): Marian Ceo
- Cinematographer: Steve Jablonsky
- Production Designer(s):
- Costume Designer:
- Casting Director(s):
- Music Score:
- Music Performed By:
- Country Of Origin: USA