Title: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Starring: Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker
Certificate: 15
Duration: 95 minutes
Released: 25 October 2010
1...2...Freddy’s coming for you on Blu-ray & DVD this Halloween…
When I agreed to review this release I thought I was reviewing the original A Nightmare on Elm Street from 1984. I’d never seen the original. Well I was only 6 years old when it was released so I was probably a little young. I grew up to enjoy sci-fi but was never a horror fan until I was into my twenties. I still get scared now watching horror films but I did like to try to watch them. A Nightmare on Elm Street isn’t actually that scary. In fact many horror lovers will probably not find it to be scary enough, although there are plenty of horror-staples of direction and script. But that’s not to say that the film is derivative or boring, it’s actually pretty gripping. I really enjoyed it.
Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger is excellent. Haley such a acting force to be reckon with in earlier films such as Little Children and The Watchmen really makes you take notice of this film – he’s Oscar nominated for goodness sake and he’s in a slasher horror film. Kudos to the film makers I say for getting him to appear in it. When many people think that remakes are a waste of time or will never stand up to the original films Haley obviously believed in the project and all credit to him, he’s the perfect replacement for Robert Englund.
Katie Cassidy (Gossip Girl) is the sexy blonde haired hottie Kris Fowles who you are drawn into believing early on in the movie is the star along with her handsome co-star Thomas Dekker (Sarah Connor Chronicles) as Jesse Braun. But when Freddie dispatches both of them in quick succession in increasingly brutal and gory fashion you’re left wondering for a few moments who might fill the void. Step up Kyle Gallner (Jennifer’s Body) as Quentin Smith and Rooney Mara (soon to be seen in the Hollywood version of the sick Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (I walked out of the original film and will not be seeing the pointless remake) is Nancy Holbrook. Both less conventionally handsome but both good value in their roles. They
The production values are very impressive and the direction and acting is also really good. I make no apologies for enjoying this horror film, even though some people might think it’s not as good as the original or that it’s just another silly slasher horror movie. I enjoyed it and I’m sticking to my opinions. In fact so impressed was I by this remake that I’ll definitely be watching the original film at some point soon.
Special features include Freddy Krueger Reborn featurette, Focus Points – Make-up Makes the Character, Micronaps, The Hat, Practical Fire, The Sweater, The Glove, The Victims and a couple of deleted scenes plus a decent alternate ending.
Released on Blu-ray Multipack, DVD, On Demand and Digital Download on 25th October 2010
