It’s been fifteen years since A Nightmare on Elm Street last premiered in a movie theater. While it wasn’t the resurgence of the franchise many of us had been hoping for, and in some cases a downright awful experience, there are things about it worth celebrating. You may have already stopped reading. You might be […]
It’s been fifteen years since A Nightmare on Elm Streetlast premiered in a movie theater. While it wasn’t the resurgence of the franchise many of us had been hoping for, and in some cases a downright awful experience, there are things about it worth celebrating. You may have already stopped reading. You might be in the comments instead, saying derogatory things.
Look, I understand all the shortcomings of the film. The awful look of Freddy, the quick edits, the pillow-gloved recreations of iconic scenes, the total lack of suspense. That being said…
Here are five things worth celebrating about the Nightmare on Elm Street remake.
A Solid Opening Sequence
Every great slasher needs an awesome opening kill. Turns out not so great slashers have them too. While we’re quickly introduced to some of the characters at the now very neon Springwood Diner, we’re also treated to some “How sweet, fresh meat,” with the gnarly death of Dean (Kellan Lutz). Dean has been trying to fight off sleep in a booth at the diner when the waitress rudely ignores him and heads to the kitchen. Like any normal person would do, he decides to follows her into the bowels of the fire laden kitchen and oh shit… this is a dream! It was such a super-charged moment of electric anticipation at the theater when, seconds later, Freddy’s glove drops into frame.
After our first introduction to those terrible quick-cut “Teleportation of Freddy Krueger” edits, Freddy gives him a quick slice to the hand before Dean awakens. Next thing you know, his friend Kris (Katie Cassidy), helplessly watches him stand up from the booth, screaming and fighting an invisible force while holding a steak knife to his own neck. Freddy has him dead to rights in dreamland and he’s acting out the scenario alone in front of Kris, God, and everyone else. Dean shoves the steak knife fully into his neck and without pulling it out whatsoever, digs it across his throat. A scream and a title drop.
It’s a solid introduction to our characters and an intense opening kill that sets a tone, letting us know that this isn’t joke-cracking “MTV” Freddy Krueger we’re dealing with. This shiny new and clean Platinum Dunes remake surprisingly managed to make us squirm with a pretty brutal death scene from the jump.
Everything BUT the Look of Freddy Krueger
Jackie Earle Haley did an admirable job of filling in for horror icon Robert Englund, and I still believe that the role could be filled again with the right actor. However, there was nothing anybody could have done with the look they gave him. Once full of personality, this version just looked like someone threw pizza cheese on the face of a hairless gopher. BUT WE’RE BEING POSITIVE. And in that spirit, the voice he brought with him added a pretty cool element to the character.
Whenever this iteration of Freddy speaks, there is a sort of an imperfect rawness. An extra creep factor. I’m not going to sit here and blaspheme or pretend it’s better in any fashion than what was done during the high points of the original films. But I would be lying if I didn’t say that it’s a nice departure after the likes of Freddy’s Dead. The way he slowly speaks, almost as if it’s painful for him though he’d never admit it. There are also some pretty cool lines drawn up here for Krueger that include: “Why are you screaming? I haven’t even cut you yet!” and “Did you know that after the heart stops beating, the brain can function for well over seven minutes? We got six more minutes to play.”
Kyle Gallner and Rooney Mara
Kyle Gallner and Rooney Mara. These two would arguably be even more intriguing to see on the screen together in an Elm Street movie all these years later. Gallner has not only turned himself into a mustachioed physical specimen, as anyone who saw Strange Darling can attest, but he’s also become horror royalty. In his still extremely young career, the actor has starred in everything from Jennifer’s Body to Smile, with a litany of others in between. It’d be electric to see his character return to the franchise today. Rooney Mara has also established herself as a versatile actress capable of shining on screen alongside some of the best actors in the world.
These two were underrated in each of their performances in what would have probably been better off as a stand-alone sequel rather than a remake. They were the clear standouts amongst their peers and had a great chemistry on screen together. Some were skewed on this topic because when you compare Mara’s portrayal of Nancy to Heather Langenkamp’s, the two are night and day. They were playing two entirely different characters. Mara’s Nancy was a more introverted and haunted character for a movie that was attempting to be more grounded. She was also extremely believable when the character is under duress in a way she doesn’t often get credit for among all the crazy shit happening in this movie.
Gallner managed to completely nail the portrayal of a teenager tortured by sleeplessness. I also appreciate the way their characters are both good people, and they fit together like an awkward little puzzle. I wanted these two to survive and make it. Maybe go on a damn normal date where they can eat pizza and listen to My Chem in peace.
The Micro-Naps
“Your brain will start to shut down its functions for a few seconds in an attempt to get the rest it needs. You’re dreaming, but you don’t know it… It’s called a micro-nap.” – Quentin, explaining Micro-naps to Nancy.
The addition of micro-naps was a fantastic idea because it stripped our victims of their very last safety net. Even if they managed to stay awake, Freddy now had a plausible way to quickly splinter himself into your reality during them. This resulted in a couple of pretty good jump scares, including an intense scene at a pharmacy, and Freddy showing up in the road ahead as they drove. They are also a real phenomenon that folks with insomnia can suffer from.
If the future of the franchise (should there be one) keeps one idea from this movie, I hope it’s micro-naps. I also enjoyed some of the additions to the story. Such as Quentin jacking the adrenaline from the hospital and utilizing his ADHD medication to fight the sleepies.
The Fact That It Even Exists
I am endlessly gob smacked at the lack of Freddy Krueger in our modern society. This franchise, in the modern landscape of Hollywood, is basically a license to print money. But forget money. authentic and talented individuals such as Mike Flanagan have openly stated they’d love to work on the franchise with the care it deserves.
So, why is no-one even discussing it out loud?
Robert Englund’s glove is a gargantuan one to fill and they would have to find a replacement with the utmost care. But the idea of Freddy Krueger is an everlasting one. A horror icon that is unescapable to any human being who needs sleep. He is inevitable, and the dream world is without limits, making the potential of the franchise equally boundless.
So, as perplexed as I am at the astounding lack of Freddy Krueger in our lives in the inexcusable fifteen years since? I am happy this pretty bad remake exists. Because it’s fun to talk about (even when we’re complaining), there’s a few cool kills (shout out to Jesse getting punched through the chest), and it’s living, breathing, proof that even the worst-reviewed Freddy movies can still make money at the box office. So get Ari Gold or Less Grossman or whoever the hell you have to in the offices at New Line on the phone with whoever is in charge at the Craven estate, and let’s make some magic!
