Release: May 27
Running time: 95 minutes
Rating: MA (strong horror violence)

I have not been doing this gig for very long, but I know that when you are given a promotional (blood-filled) bookmark on your way into a film screening, it is difficult not to come to a conclusion about the film.

And, suffice to say, it was not a very good conclusion.

The remake of Wes Craven’s 1984 Nightmare on Elm Street is classic Hollywood-gore with the odd jolting moment, but, unfortunately, there is little to recommend in this mildly entertaining suspense flick.

Elm Street2.0 follows five teenage classmates, Nancy, Kris, Quentin, Jesse and Dean as they search for answers about a murderer they dream about who’s killing them for real as they sleep.

Though the special effects were impressive, they didn’t quite make up for the terrible dialogue and uncomfortable sexual innuendo. For instance, when Nancy (Rooney Mara) is struggling through a hallway of blood, Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley) likens the situation to a wet dream, which feels awkward and unnecessary rather than the blackly funny sequence no doubt intended by the filmmakers.

The scenes involving the teenagers’ parents were especially stilted. We know that the parents are hiding something, but the actors may as well have used the nudge-and-wink acting style of the ‘30s in the scenes in which play dumb in front of their children.

Although aesthetically pleasing (in a horror film, lots-of-blood kind of way), the new-look film was not enough to stand up on its own without the notoriety of its predecessor.

Most of the acting isn’t impressive enough but the clincher is that it’s just not scary enough. Krueger’s voice is too overdone, and the filmmakers reveal too much of his face to maintain that illusive phantom-villain façade. In fact, we saw a bit more of the murderous Krueger than we bargained for, when towards the end of the film, a cinema employee dressed as the killer paced in front of the screen for a few scenes before disappearing. To those who noticed, it seemed like a last ditched effort to cause a bit of a stir amongst members of the audience.

That last ditched effort was mimicked in the film itself, with a surprise murder in the final scene, which seems to have been used so the film could end with one last scream.
For director Samuel Bayer, his first feature film is a flashy endeavour that will impress the pre-teen market but will most likely fail to win over anyone beyond that demographic.
The blood bookmark didn’t help get things off on the right foot, but the film itself steered everything downhill from there.

Bridget Fitzgerald