I was about 8 or 9 when I first watched the original Nightmare on Elm Street, and it definately had a lasting effect putting the chills up me for months if not years afterwards. As the franchise expanded (and I grew up), Freddy became more of a comedic caricature of himself – the only scare being how more ridiculous he could become. He even appeared in a commercial for the Italian snack food, ‘Fonzies’, where he breaks into a house during a party to eat the salty Cheeto-like snack. There was also going to be a game show from CBS in 2005 that never ended up airing called A Nightmare on Elm Street: Real Nightmares. Freddy was the host making contestants come face to face with their nightmares in an attempt to help them overcome their fears. However he was still an iconic figure of the 80′s and Robert Englund will always be heralded for bringing so much to the part.

So when I heard there was going to be a 2010 remake with Englund, I instantly thought it was scraping the bottom of barrel. However I do think it looks rather good. Director Samuel Bayer has tried to round the character off with a sympathetic intro storyline, and the whole ambience looks suitably creepy rather than gory. Jackie Earle Haley who played Rorschach in the Watchmen, looks quite convincing and as the lead role too. The film is not out until next April, but I definately think it’s worth the wait.

A Nightmare on Elm Street in HD

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