A Nightmare on Elm Street

When I write this review, I'll be coming at it as a casual fan of Nightmare on Elm Street. When I say a casual fan, I mean someone who's  a horror fan and has seen the original Nightmare on Elm Street and enjoyed it, but none of the sequels (although I've seen clips from reviews). The original to me is a classic horror movie, while now it may not be very scary because of the age of the film, that doesn't mean it isn't entertaining. Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger is always fun to watch, even when he's murdering teenagers in their dreams, and the premise is actually quite original for the time. But I won't say too much about that movie as I'll probably do a review of it another time. However, I will be comparing the two movies in this review.
Today, I'm talking about the Platinum Dunes remake of Nightmare on Elm Street (or NOES for short). Now to me, this movie has received a lot more noteriety than it deserves. Although Platinum Dunes are remaking every great 80s horror film with lack-lustre crews, with only the aim to drain each franchise of money, I think this movie should be given more of a chance. I've not seen the other Platinum Dunes remakes yet, although I did see a bit of the Amityville Horror remake and I will admit it scared the shit out of me, but I'm getting off track now. Because remakes like the Hitcher, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th weren't well recieved by fans and critics, meant that this remake was inevitably going to get people who wanted to hate this remake of NOES because let's admit it, we movie-goers nowadays will sometimes enjoy hating a film, and Platinum Dunes are prime targets of these people. 
 
The NOES remake in my opinion is not as bad as everyone says it is. It's somewhat faithful to the original movie but does add it's own stuff into the mix, plus there are elements of the remake that are better than the original. 
Firstly, I've got three words why you should see this movie...JACKIE EARLE HALEY!!! Oh my god, this guy is f**king fantastic as Freddy Krueger. He is scary as shit, and (deep breath) he's better than Robert Englund. Now you can send me comments below about how I'm a traitor to Wes Craven, but come on, as Robert went on throughout the sequels, he just turned into a really bad comedian with a tendency to kill people, but I'm sure that was just because of poor material he had to work with, not because of his acting. I mean come on, would you be more scared of the Freddy in Part 6 who uses stupid puns and can't beat a teenage girl... 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBscaTcJwG8  (watch from 1:53) 
Or would you be more scared of the Freddy in the remake that has a chilling voice and who's one-liners are actually horrifying. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klke1EjnU_Y  (watch from 1:48) 
I'd be more scared of the latter. In this movie, Jackie Earle Haley is a more scary Freddy Krueger than Robert Englund, his face looks more like a burn victim now, and he's got more of a sexual reason for killing children, and although it's pretty wierd and wrong on every level, it's more realistic that Freddy is a child molesting murderer rather than just a murderer. Plus that scene from the remake I showed you just now has one of the scariest lines Freddy has ever said to a victim at 3:23, I almost soiled myself it was that creepy to listen to. Jackie, you're the man!!! 
Another element of the remake that's better than the original is the ending. In the original, Nancy (the main protagonist) sets up an elaborate trap for Freddy to fall into after she sends him into the real world. Freddy then just prat-falls everywhere setting himself on fire, falling over and other stuff I'd expect to see in a 1940s Three Stooges sketch than a slasher film, however the twist ending at the end is wierd with Freddy possessing Nancy's car. The ending in the remake is a lot more dark, with Freddy killing Nancy's mother in a similar fashion to the original, by stabbing her in the face with his bladed glove and pulling her body through the glass, however in the remake it's a mirror when in the original it's the window of her front door. Both movies have a twist ending but the remake does it better with a much more grim tone. 
 
Now I bet you all think now that I prefer the remake to the original, with all the praise I've given it. However I still think the original is better for a few reasons. First of all, the supporting characters are more likeable in the original than the remake. Nancy in the original is played by Heather Langenkamp (I hope I spelt it right) and although she's not that good looking, well at least not until New Nightmare, she's still smart, resourceful and a generally likeable person. Rooney Mara who plays Nancy in the remake looks very skinny and strange-looking, but the reason why she's not as good is because she's pretty emotionless until the end, kind of droning around everywhere. Her boyfriend, is also played funnily enough by Johnny Depp (albiet a less experienced Johnny Depp), in his first film ever. He's also pretty good to say it's his acting debut in cinema. Who'd would've thought that the kid who played Nancy's boyfriend in NOES would later become the highest-payed actor in Hollywood. You'll be suprised how many actors start out in horror films, Kevin Bacon started out Friday the 13th, Jamie Lee Curtis started out in Halloween and as everyone knows, Sigourney Weaver became famous when she was in Alien. The other characters in the remake are okay, like Nancy they just seem to to drone throughout the movie until Freddy kills them, but then again, if I was being haunted by nightmares of a child molester trying to murder me, I'd be pretty depressed  and scared too. 
The original is also better than the remake in that the dream sequences  and death scenes seem much more surreal and interesting than in the remake. Remember the scene in the original where Freddy's walking down the alley with his arms being like a metre in length and chasing Tina? That was wierd and very fitting for a dream. Another example is when Freddy's killing Tina in her bedroom by throwing her around the ceiling and slashing her chest open. Although the remake's special effects are far better than anything from the 80s, the original scene is far scarier, due to the lighting and cinematography employed by Wes Craven. 
 
So in conclusion, the NOES remake is not as good as the original, but that doesn't mean you should just cast it aside without giving it a chance. Watch the movie, and for casual NOES fans like me, you'll be entertained. However, for hardcore fans of the series, you may not be so interested. But please give it a chance, FREDDY DEMANDS IT!!! 
 
See you later guys, reply in the comment section below and tell me what you thought of the film and what you think of the review. 
Thank you very much and goodnight!