This reboot of Wes Craven's 1980s horror franchise resurrects sinister predator Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), transforming the character into a child molester whose vulnerable victims are haunted by repressed memories. One teenager (Kellan Lutz) has been so traumatized by nightmares of a burned, knife-fingered fiend in a tattered red and green sweater and faded fedora that he's determined to stay awake. Similar dreams are torturing his friends (Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara). Before long, the teens realize they're haunted by their experiences as helpless preschoolers at the hands of an eccentric gardener named Freddy. After an extensive background in music video, director Samuel Bayer makes his feature film debut here, but even working with a horrifying, repulsive concept, he doesn't manage to conjure up much fear, displaying neither distinctive style nor imagination, even during the switches between fantasy and reality. What is somewhat intriguing is Haley's revitalized interpretation as he turns Krueger into more than just a run-of-the-mill comic book monster. Unfortunately, that's not enough to recommend watching this weak remake. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “Freddy Krueger Reborn” making-of featurette (14 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a “Maniacal Movie Mode” picture-in-picture option that includes separately accessible “Focus Points” production segments (20 min.), plus additional footage, including an alternate opening and ending (8 min.). In addition, the Blu-ray version features bonus DVD and digital copies of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a solid extras package on Blu-ray for a disappointing remake.] (S. Granger)
A Nightmare on Elm Street
New Line, 95 min., R, DVD: $28.99, Blu-ray: $35.99, Oct. 5 Volume 25, Issue 5
A Nightmare on Elm Street
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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