A Nightmare on Elm St. (2010)

I was fortunate to be able to catch a sneak peak of A Nightmare on Elm St. last night, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised and I enjoyed the film!
When I first heard they were doing another reboot of a classic horror villain, a la Friday the 13th and Halloween, I must admit I rolled my eyes and thought "here we go again." To compare, I thought the Jason and Michael remakes were decent in their own right, but overall, I did not think they were a must see nor would I give them a "thumbs up." But with the new Freddy, it is the opposite.

Among the "Big 3," Freddy has always been my favorite of the bunch because of the scare and reality factors. When you get down to it, Michael and Jason were not as scary because they were sort of big "lumbering" characters who would appear out of nowhere at times and and used mostly knifes, machetes, or whatever was at their disposal to dispatch their victims. And both characters wore masks that although iconic, did not inspire much fear. Freddy, on the other hand, had no mask and was horribly scarred and disfigured. Also, he had the "knives for fingers" glove that looked bad-as$ and intimidating. Also, the fact that he would kill you in your sleep...that right there is the kicker because we all need to sleep, so it's just a matter of time before he gets you...

The new film itself had some scenes that paid homage to the original Wes Craven film, which I appreciated a great deal. Overall, the film brought its own style, flair, and story to the table while paying respect to the original. The new film has some decent scares/"jumpy" moments using old school scare tactics, and the "kill scenes" are pretty bloody and violent. I have seen some reviews saying the film should have been longer to include more character development and back story, but I thought the film did a good enough job in that respect (the new film has about the same run time as the original - about an hour and a half). The actors in the film turn in fine and believable performances. The new Freddy make up is very good, and now he looks more like a real burn victim, and Jackie Earle Haley does a commendable job stepping into the "BIG" shoes of Robert Englund and taking over the "glove." In the film, Freddy was an evil man who was punished for his sins, but in an odd twist of fate, is given the power to exact revenge on the children of his killers. He is a ruthless, cut throat (no pun intended), sadistic man who relishes in the pain and fear of his victims. The way Haley "plays" with the glove of Freddy, with the noises, scratches, and sparks that fly with every swipe of the glove on skin and metal...is gut-wretching at times. It is "play time" for Freddy and the victims know that the fate that awaits them is inevitable. And don't fret, Freddy still has some clever quips and one liners to amuse the audience AND his victims as he disposes them, but it is clear in the film - Freddy means business.
Overall, I recommend the film for any horror or Freddy fan. I think it is a definite must see, and would not hesitate adding it to my horror film collection. Freddy is back y'all!...and he is back to his frightening and menacing roots this time out.
1...2...Freddy's coming for you...