Remakes Galore: "A Nightmare on Elm Street"

A week ago, we had a lovely spring storm where I live. It was the perfect thunderstorm, so I did what any sane person does in stormy weather: turn out all the lights and watch a horror movie. I decided on 1984's "A Nightmare on Elm Street." It was my first time and I was eager to see a classic slasher flick that included the debut of one Johnny Depp (My best friend loves Johnny Depp the same way I love TV, so I know way too much about him). Well, the film was basically what I expected: horny teens, funny 80s technology, the famous Freddy Krueger. The only previous exposure I'd had to the villain was an afternoon viewing of "Freddy vs. Jason" on the SciFi channel about a year ago (oh, excuse me, the SyFy channel). While that was a camp classic that I thoroughly enjoyed, I felt like I wasn't getting the true Freddy Krueger experience.

So now I've seen the original, and I have to say I'm undecided on whether or not they should have remade it. The original isn't a cinematic masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but it had its dated charm. I particularly enjoy pre-CGI era special effects because the filmmakers were forced to be more creative and often used models and puppetry that give older movie effects a more tangible feeling. I kind of hated the ending, because I was just so very confused by what was real and what wasn't. But I figure that was the point all along. There were plenty of moments that made me laugh that probably weren't supposed to. Like, was it a rule in lots of 80s movies that parents/the dad had to be assholes? My favorite funny moment was when poor Nancy was screaming from her window to her father across the street that Krueger was in the house but the dad doesn't bother to check it out until much later. Meanwhile, Nancy's pulling a "Home Alone" with her booby traps while her father disregards all the hysterics of his terrified daughter.

Anyway, will the new remake be just like every other horror movie remake? They butcher an already-not-that-great movie by casting late-20s actors fresh off of MTV to be killed off in a gory, spectacular manner? Most of what horror movies lack is a sense of realism, that the threat is, well, threatening. That's apparently what made people rave about "Paranormal Activity." (A movie where all I could think about the entire time was how could these two beautiful young people, one of whom is a student, afford a giant California home. And if anyone actually pronounces Micah as Meekah). But they cast Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker, and Kyle Gallner, who are actual names with resumes. I particularly enjoyed Katie Cassidy on "Supernatural" before they replaced her with the subpar Genevieve Cortese. Also, Jackie Earle Haley is cast as Freddy himself. Which actually gives me pause. Freddy is so iconic, can Haley embody the villain without taking us out of the movie? Besides, Robert Englund, the original Krueger, also starred in about a thousand sequels. So I'm ultimately torn, to see or not to see? It doesn't look like absolute trash, but it doesn't look like it's putting a new, fresh spin on the idea either.