In the film, Krueger stalks a group of suburban teens in an attempt to kill them, but he can only do so in
their dreams when they are asleep. His initial main motive in the killing spree was to target the children of the parents
who burned him alive. But as these young victims quickly learn, as long as they manage to stay awake, they can escape a doomed
death at the hands of the killer.
As one of the most memorable horror films of all
time, Krueger was able to capture your attention in many ways. To most, it was his right hand. A hand that held a glove aligned
with sharp razor blades. For others, it was his voice. A raspy, devilish voice that was fit for only a man with ill motives.
And his laugh only added to his persona. A laugh that implied you were just a toy in his psycho game, and only he had the
last say.
Much like horror flicks before it such as Halloween, A
Nightmare on Elm Street included the morality play that revolved around sexual promiscuity in teenagers that resulted
in their untimely death. The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise has also been successful at blurring the boundary
between the imaginary and real, toying with the audience’s perception of what’s real. Is she asleep or isn’t
she? The concept for the first film spawned many sequels, as well as a television series, during which Krueger was able to
kill and kill again all throughout the 80s and 90s.
And now, after years
of speculation, the rumors are true. Freddy’s Back! On April 30, disfigured serial killer Krueger returns to the big
screen in the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street.
All of the familiar elements
are back in Nightmare, including Krueger’s black fedora, red-and-green striped sweater, burned skin and razor-blade
fingertips. But one of the critical aspects from the 1984 hit seems to be missing in the 2010 version. The voice of Krueger,
now played by Jackie Earle Haley, doesn’t quite seem to match the creepy, raspy voice that made him such a scary figure
26 years ago.
The plot remains the same, and Krueger’s method of killing
is still just as menacing. He haunts the teens in their dreams, but the longer these teens fight sleep, the more their dreams
seem to feel like reality. Their eyes become bloodshot, fatigue sets in and the slightest moment of dozing off leaves them
cut and bleeding from Krueger’s murder attempt.
When insomnia sets in,
it becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish what’s real and what’s not, and eventually the victims begin
to dream without knowing it—even while they’re awake—allowing Krueger a chance to take their lives.
Making his feature film debut is director Samuel Bayer, best known for directing music videos such
as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Green Day’s “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.” This
2010 remake of the ultimate slasher horror of the same name, Bayer recreates a contemporary, more horrific version of the
old-school classic.
The tortured teens being targeted by Krueger are
all played by young, new actors already familiar with thriller films. These actors include Kyle Gallner (The Haunting
in Connecticut), Katie Cassidy (Taken and the “Supernatural” TV series), Rooney Mara (Urban
Legend: Bloody Mary), Thomas Dekker (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) and Kellan Lutz (Twilight
series).
Bottom line: The jump-out-of-your-seat scare factor is still present
in the 2010 version, making Bayer’s Nightmare incarnation a respectable tribute to the original.
