For quite some time, John Wayne Gacy enjoyed his seat high upon the public throne of urban atrocities — holding the title of America’s creepiest and most efficient pedophile. Enter Fred Krueger, the child-molesting murderer who returns from the grave to harvest in his victims’ nightmares after he was burned to death by the outraged parents of Krueger’s worldly prey. Crafted so brilliantly in Wes Craven’s original film “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Krueger would carry his charismatic wickedness into seven sequels.
Although Craven’s “A Nightmare On Elm Street” was in no way worthy of Academy Award recognition, nearly 30 years after its principal release in 1984, the film remains credited as one of, if not the No. 1, slasher film of all time. Of course, Michael Bay, high on his “Transformer” franchise, had to take advantage of this. Admittedly, he and his Platinum Dunes production company earned some critical success with their 2003 remake of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and 2005 adaption of “The Amityville Horror,” but “Friday the 13th” and the reimagining of Craven’s “Nightmare” released Friday are textbook examples of the failures resultant of careless script writing dependent upon gimmicky homage to the source material.
Samuel Bayer, music video director famed for his work with David Bowie and Nirvana, makes his motion picture directorial debut in “Nightmare” and makes a solid attempt. But ultimately, without the addition of a backing track, his work looks clumsy and disjointed. Most scenes have awkward cuts that distract the audience from the already broken dialogue. He missed the opportunity to showcase what look to be beautifully-designed, elaborate and interesting sets by keeping them almost completely hidden in darkness and leaving characters virtually always in the center of the 2.35:1 wide frame. Bayer does implement some interesting transitions to blur the line between dream and reality nicely, however, the inappropriate use of Steve Jablonksy’s score at each dream’s beginning ends all speculation. The only shots with any confidence are the ones ripped from Craven’s original, but even they are often marred by poor lighting.
The script has undergone a complete overhaul from Craven’s original by Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer who, even together, have a short and unimpressive film r?sum?. Their adaptation attempts to entertain an element of conspiracy surrounding Krueger’s execution, hinting his innocence of alleged pedophilia. However, a keen observer would dismiss this theory almost immediately after watching Krueger’s interactions with his Elm Street children. The mere fact he’s attempting homicide each time a character sleeps, via a glove fashioned with seven-inch razors, should be evidence enough. But I’ll admit, continuity seems to be an afterthought in the majority of recent horror films. Strick and Heisserer have rewritten dream sequences so unimaginatively that even the special effects struggle to please. Craven’s famous kill scenes are replaced with generic maiming and impalements. The only interesting kill is the first, but it seems as if it was tacked on last minute after the producers realized it would be impossible to achieve the highly sought-after PG-13 rating. The dialogue is cringingly expository, yet still uninformative as scenes from Craven’s original are awkwardly spliced among new material, serving only the purpose of convincing “Nightmare” fans of this film’s legitimacy. Without seeing the original, it’s quite possible a viewer may miss the key plot point ? namely, the idea that bodily harm in dreams results in physical injury in reality.
Jackie Earle Haley (“Shutter Island”) as Fred Krueger is this film’s only triumph. His brooding, monotone delivery of Krueger’s dialog is excellent and considerably better than Robert Englund in Craven’s original. Haley’s movements are precise and always with purpose, and along with Haley’s makeup (utilizing the Harvey Dent technology from “The Dark Knight”), Bayer’s Fred Krueger is by far the better depiction. Haley only receives several minutes of screen time, but with it he creates a presence felt throughout the film’s entire 97-minute run.
For fans of the original, Bayer’s “A Nightmare On Elm Street” is far from acceptable, and with the removal of key characters, scenes and plot points, it hardly feels like a “Nightmare” film. The film’s climax is barely that, and works only slightly for those familiar with the “Nightmare” lore. Haley’s disturbing portrayal of Krueger might be worth a Blu-Ray rental, but prepare for disappointment.
1 1/2 stars out of 5.
