A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (REVIEW)
This is a perfect example of why classic films should
not be remade. What should have been a trip down memory lane, in this
case, Elm Street, is nothing more than a morbid mess.
The 1984 original came with a warning for viewers with
bad hearts and it introduced filmgoers to a young Johnny Depp and of
course the now iconic villain, Freddy Krueger. It spawned 6 sequels
that became progressively comical rather than scary, while the fifth
instalment was partly in 3D and showcased Alice Cooper as Freddy's father,
none of them matched the impact of numero uno.
The basic plot points are still here in the 're-imagining'
- some back-story has been revised and it's not pretty. For the teenagers
living in suburban Elm Street, sleep time is fright time. Almost all
of them suffer from disturbing visions of a burned up man wearing a
tattered red and green sweater, a dusty fedora hat and gloves with razor
fingers.
When a popular student seemingly kills himself in front
of his girlfriend, things get awry. He muttered something before his
death about his dreams being real but until now, nobody took notice.
The group are seeing even more vivid illusions of this man not knowing
whether they're awake or asleep, so as a group, they take it upon themselves
to find out who he is. With very little help from the adults, the teenagers'
investigations all lead back to pre-school days and whispers of child
abuse by a gardener named Freddy.
The underdeveloped script trawls along with most of the
young cast simply looking gorgeous while being slaughtered. Two thirds
of the movie is taken up by uncovering Freddy Krueger's background,
which is ok, but once it's established, he's worse than evil. The movie
goes in circles. There is a nice imaginative plot twist amongst it all
that will leave old school Elm Street fans with a wry smile. An effective
element to the earlier films was the subtle way dreams went into reality
- this is a little lost in translation here.
Fortunately, Jackie Earle Haley personifies the 'new'
Freddy in his own remarkable way. Such a sensation in 'Watchmen' and
more recently in 'Shutter Island', Haley takes the dream killer into
the shadows of immorality and shakes hands with the devil. He is the
reason to see this film. Impressive in the little seen gem, 'Youth in
Revolt', the lovely Rooney Mara, as Nancy, becomes the hero of the group
in her own way against the cruel Krueger. Others such as Kellan Lutz,
of Twilight fame, Thomas Dekker and the ever reliable, Clancy Brown
round out script hampered cast.
You can tell the director is a former music video mastermind
who worked with artists Green Day & Nirvana, the accelerated editing
ruins any expectancy of suspense. Not scary at all as the unspeakable
violence is overused. More lurking by Krueger would have worked a treat.
At least the famous bath scene that shocked audiences in 1984 has been
included. One two Freddy's coming for you, three four, better lock your
door, five six...
Shane A. Bassett
