Review - Kathryn Ryan

   

When it comes to visiting Six Flags over Texas, I have only one expectation of the rides: they better be fast, they better be full of twists and turns, and most importantly they better make me feel a thrill. On most of the bad boy rides, it begins with the slow, anxiety building trek up the first hill of track. Sitting with hands locked on the bars, eyes facing forward and not looking around, and stomach turning over, the buildup is taking over you. The peak of the hill finally arrives and you are suspended in a moment of excitement and anticipation. The first drop is exciting and is easily the best rush of the ride; but what if a roller coaster gives you a buildup, but then when it hits the peak, doesn’t ever drop? What if the ride just keeps climbing and then just plateaus at the top? This is the case of the latest Hollywood Horror remake, Nightmare on Elm Street.

Keeping to the original story (in most respects) the film follows a small town where some strange things have been happening: the teenagers are dying in their sleep. It would seem like a peaceful way to go, but the kids have nightmares of a horrifically burned (and unfashionably dressed) man named Freddie. The teens make it their mission to fight to stay awake long enough to figure out who this man is, what he wants, and stop the cycle of killing before someone is dozes off and is brought back to his frightening dream world.

In some respects, the movie is okay. The writers did stay fairly faithful storyline while adding a few modern twists. The beauty for them is the fact that literally anything can happen in a dream so their world used to create the death sequences was unlimited, but they did not fully explore those options. The acting was exactly how a horror film’s acting usually is. The teens can cry on cue, the guys are all jerks, and the villain, Freddie (Jackie Earle Haley) makes you feel a little scared and paranoid. Of those three groups, Freddie was easily the best part, but for this movie that is not saying much. If only the pure evil of that character was fully realized but alas, his fright factor never made it to a memorable mark.

With the plot itself, the story just kept going upwards very slowly. Each scene made me wonder when a big scare was about to happen. The buildup of the entire first fifty minutes is then met by a thirty-five minute plateau, and then the slightest drop of scare happens at the very end. By the time the big battle and scary parts occur and you realize its happening, the credits begin to roll. It is not a fun feeling to be so thoroughly let down by the promise given to you by a horror film’s premise.

This movie is rated R for strong bloody horror violence, disturbing images, terror and language. There is definitely blood and gore (though not terror-inducing) along with language every ten seconds. For a parent, it would be wise to see this one yourself first and determine how your child will react to the material. The uniqueness of the premise because it does involve dying in your sleep may make your child lose it for awhile. I would recommend this movie only to someone who is either a die-hard Freddie fan, or is with a large group of friends who understands that you will probably chuckle more than scream. Aside from those two groups, I would advise the rest of the world to skip this one and use the ten bucks to save to rent the original one.

I give Nightmare on Elm Street one out of five adrenaline shots. This film promised a suspenseful premise but failed to deliver a punch worth remembering. I went home that night, went to bed, and had a dream about giant cockroaches, and even that was more scary than the film I just saw.