A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) Discussion & Grading

[Admiral James Kirk]

T'Baio wrote:

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You know what's starting to really annoy me about the reviews for this film? Whether people think it's good or bad, I don't care. But there are a lot of reviewers out there mocking the concept of micro naps, derisively calling it pseudo this or that, or saying it's an awfully convenient plot device.

All these people are making themselves look really stupid.

Micro naps/sleeps are a real thing! I give the writers credit for doing their research.

So many reviewers...so many morons.

Wes Craven also included micro-naps in the original though he never referred to them as such. But read the script and it says in the stage directions that a character is having a mico nap.

[Ethros]

I enjoy horror films but I've actually never seen any of the original Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
My main knowledge of them comes from that Simpsons Halloween parody episode

I'll probably go see it anyways when it comes out in Blighty (not till May 7th)

[Garm Bel Iblis]

Ethros wrote:

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I enjoy horror films but I've actually never seen any of the original Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
My main knowledge of them comes from that Simpsons Halloween parody episode

I'll probably go see it anyways when it comes out in Blighty (not till May 7th)

Wife and I went to this yesterday and she asked me before it started, knowing i hadn't seenthe originals, ifi knew the concept?

"Yep, groundskeeper willie was burned to a crisp and vowed vegeance on the children through their dreams."

[RedShirt]

I'm surprised this movie isn't getting more buzz here (either good or bad)... I remember some pretty full threads when the remakes of Halloween and Friday the 13th came out.

Punky and I saw it late Saturday night and as children of the 80s and fans of the original movie we were both mightily impressed. Jackie Earl Haley nailed the part, and the whole package of acting/writing/directing/etc. went the distance in making Freddy scary again (instead of the parody of himself that the character had become in the original series). I liked the blurry and sometimes disorienting cinematography during the dream sequences and found myself commenting more than once that the backgrounds in my dreamscapes are similarly vague.

My only "issue" was with the prominence of the boiler room in the forced nightmares... in the original Freddy lived in a school boiler room so that was as much a part of his "world" as the dreamscape, but this time I think the only real link to it was was it was just where Freddy died. I suppose they were going for poetic justice of some sort with Freddy dragging his victims there but it seemed a little like the setting was just shoehorned in there just because it was part of the original mythos. Wasn't a real biggie to me, though.

The only thing I really wish they had done was to deepen Haley's voice in post production (as post-burn Freddy) like used to be done with Englund's.

A damn good film that kept us on the edge of our seats throughout and left us entertained. We can't wait to own this on DVD.

[Cmndr J Crichton]

I don't think they did that till ANOES2. I seem to remember Freddy sounding pretty human in the original.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I wish this movie had balls that I could kick.

[Ethros]

Saw it the other day for something to do. I was expecting some forgettable, mildy enjoyable slasher fluff akin to last years Friday the 13th remake, and I can't say I was let down.

Rorschach, John Connor and Smallville's The Flash were in it at least

[T'Baio]

Spaceman Spiff wrote:

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I wish this movie had balls that I could kick.

Apparently you saw it recently?

I'd have to say, and apparently this is the general consensus...I really liked Jackie Earle Haley in the role. I thought he did wonderfully with what he had.

Other than that, the movie is complete and utter shite.

[Spaceman Spiff]

I went into it expecting it to be about on par with the Platinum Dunes' Friday the 13th remake. Kind of dumb, with some weird choices, but entertaining with a full audience.

So I went in with low expectations, and I was still let down. What a piece of shit. I think I read that this thing had the budget of the first FIVE Elm Street movies, and it still sucked.

[T'Baio]

There were so many little things that annoyed the shit out of me, too. Nancy's Mom can afford that house as a fucking flight attendant!?! Then there's the blonde girl, can't remember her name, but she died like Tina in the original, was it just me, or did her and her Mom look practically the same age? Then dude injects a shitload of epinephrine into himself, gets all high, but then falls asleep not 2 seconds later?

I thought the bravest thing they could have done was make Freddy innocent. When they were suggesting that, I thought it was a ballsy, brave move if they went for it and would definitely elevate the movie. But then, of course...no. Freddy really did coax the children into his hole in the wall cave that no child would ever go into because of how scary it is.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Yeah, that was just a bad idea. People like to trot out the fact that Freddy was originally supposed to be a child molester, but the studio (wisely, in my opinion) vetoed it.

Innocent Freddy could have worked, if written right. Especially if they let Haley let loose with the justified rage.

There were so many dumb choices in this movie. Some of them were laughable. One of my favorites was the Asian kid having a micronap and getting killed in the middle of recording his video blog ... and yet it somehow gets uploaded to his site.

Who the hell did that? His folks? "We ... we should upload the final video depicting his death. It's what he would have wanted."

[T'Baio]

I hate to admit...that's one I never thought of!

I must have been distracted by all the other stupid.

[Davros]

Is the remake as funny as the original?

[Mike Farley]

The original NOES wasn't very funny. It wasn't until the 3rd movie that dark humor became a big part of the series.

That being said, the new movie isn't INTENTIONALLY funny.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Yeah, Greg Cox and I had this conversation with Davros some time back. He seems to remember Freddy spouting one-liners the whole movie, but that's not the case. As you say, he didn't do that until the sequels. In that sense, Freddy makes more wisecracks in this one than the original. Pity they're all retreaded lines from the sequels, though. "How's this for a wet dream," etc.

Davros, it'd be worthwhile to rent the original to reacquaint yourself with it. They just released it on Blu Ray a few months ago.

The Never Sleep Again documentary is out, too. I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard good things.