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Movies & TV

A Nightmare On Elm Street

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (Warner Home Video, 2010) D: Samuel Bayer, w/ Jackie Earle Haley, Rooney Mara. Rating: NNN DVD package: NN Rating: NNN


Director Samuel Bayer and his co-creators haven’t done anything notably new and different. It’s still the same old Freddy Krueger, dead child molester killing teenagers in their dreams because their parents killed him.

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The dysfunctional family dynamics of the original are gone, but now we have a motive for Freddy’s depredations. (Rage and revenge aren’t enough?) He wants the kids to remember what he did to them as tots. This directly contradicts his claim that he is fueled by their memories, but it does provide an excuse to send the teens creeping around a derelict daycare centre.

The fedora, striped sweater and blade-fingered glove are back and, as Jack Nicholson said about playing the Joker, “This is one of those jobs where you just stand there and let the suit do the acting.” Still, Jackie Earle Haley is menacing as Freddy, though Rooney Mara and Kyle Gallner, the embattled teens, both seem unnecessarily bland.

Bayer creates an eerie dreamscape with a mix of new elements and classic shots from the original, all underscored by an effective soundtrack. Unfortunately, he uses the music to signal the onset of dreams, thus erasing much of the surprise factor.

The sole bonus feature offers a lightweight original-versus-remake comparison.

EXTRAS Rebooting-of-franchise doc. Widescreen. English, French, Spanish audio and subtitles.

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