Honestly, wanting to scream from Freddy Krueger violently killing teens wasn’t what I did. Yes, I may have jumped out of my seat a few times, even plugged my ears and wanted to look away, but mainly I was hypnotized by the computer graphics and costume design, especially the very graphic mask that actor Jackie Earle Haley had to wear for this performance of Freddy Krueger. But the multiple pop-out-from-around-the-corner scares got old as the movie progressed.
Nancy, Krueger’s “number one girl,” played by Rooney Mara, is left to solve the mystery of her friends’ deaths, all after sharing the same dream of the same man with the burned face, wearing the iconic red and green sweater. In my eyes, however, several scenes showing Krueger make the sweater appear red and black.
Everyone knows the old saying “save the best for last.” Well, Krueger did not do that at all.
The first kill was more along the lines of amusing than anything. Dean, portrayed by Kellan Lutz (“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse”), ended up slitting his own throat, or so it seemed to his friend that witnessed the kill, in a diner at the very beginning of the film.
Director Samuel Bayer, originally a music video director, including Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” definitely put some effort into his first feature film and took this remake and made it better than others.
Even though the movie itself was outstanding, the thrills and chills could have been a lot less of the pop-out-from-around-the-corner variety, and more of what was done in the scene where Krueger chases one character into a closet, then disappears into thin air, reappearing behind her.
I was almost excited to hear the song that is also tied into Krueger’s character, “One, two, Krueger is coming for you. Three, four, better lock the door. Five, six, grab your crucifix. Seven, eight, better stay awake. Nine, ten, never sleep again,” as sung by children, brought the best chills in the entire film.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street” is a must see, but remember, don’t fall asleep.