Nightmare's New Face
Nightmare On Elm Street Trailer is Released to Controversy
The razor blade fingernails emerge from the bathwater. The familiar outline is revealed, adorned with a striped shirt and fedora. He leans in, and viewers get a glimpse of the face they've been anticipating -- the face of... Freddy?
A Brand New Nightmare
The trailer for the Nightmare On Elm Street remake (opening Spring, 2010) was recently released to widespread debate. The shadowed and brief peak at Freddy Krueger's new face was enough to start a fan frenzy. Most likely, the uproar has less to do with the facial upgrade than it does with the fact that, for the first time in the franchise's 25 year history, this beloved horror icon will not be portrayed by the equally beloved Robert Englund.
Englund originated the role in 1984, and went on to resurrect Krueger seven times (including 1994's New Nightmare, which also included a change in Freddy's features, received with less hoopla). It began with the frightening premise of being murdered in one's dreams. The center of that nightmare was a child molesting, burn-scarred Freddy, possessed of a wit as sharp as his nails. Seven ever worsening films later, Freddy's become more of a pun rattling ham than the terrifying dream stalker audiences were first introduced to.
A Batch of Horror Remakes
The wearing down of a franchise points directly to the barrage of horror remakes hitting the screen in recent years. A successful film leads to sequel after sequel, until the commodity is so tired it calls for a complete overhall. The more defining the original, the more contentious the reaction to the reboot.
Gus Van Sant's 1998 shot for shot recreation of Psycho, the Granddaddy of the slasher, was the very definition of redundancy. His experiment was intriguing, but ultimately it was an exercise for him alone, leaving critics and audiences cold.
Rob Zombie's take on Halloween, the 1978 masterpiece of modern horror, was more successful. This one was a hit, thanks in part to Zombie's willingness to mine unexplored areas of the franchise.
Still, whether the new Nightmare is a retread or goes for reinvention, it may not make a difference. The updated versions of Friday the 13th and Texas Chainsaw Massacre were unimaginative drivel, yet both performed well at the box office. It's likely that Nightmare will follow in their footsteps, despite (or, perhaps due to) the controversy surrounding it.
An Ace in the Hole?
Amidst the uproar, there is an ironic twist. Nightmare's greatest detriment (the absense of Englund) might also be its greatest strength. Freddy's shoes are being filled by the fiercely talented Jackie Earl Haley. The former child star's career was reborn with his Oscar nominated turn in 2006's Little Children, continuing in this year's Watchmen. The unusual casting of a true thespian is inspired. It might also prove to be the key to raising this horror remake above the bar.
Nightmare 2010 poster
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