Guest Blog - Justin Ruff - Nightmare on Elm Street

So, while we're on vacation, we asked for guest bloggers. Thanks to Justin Ruff (@justinruff) for volunteering! Below is his review of Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET - BY JUSTIN RUFF

So yesterday, I saw Nightmare on Elm Street in the dollar theater. (This is not part of the movie, but the theater did smell and my coke tasted funny.) I, like most people in my age bracket, hold the original Nightmare on Elm Street in sacred, reverent territory. Freddy Krueger was such a beloved villain and the Nancy character really paved the way for strong women’s roles in horror films.

We had a decent cast. Rooney Mara (sorry, Kate is still my favorite Mara sister), Thomas Dekker (Sarah Connor Chronicles), Clancy Brown and a VERY underutilized Aaron Yoo. I hate Kyle Gallner. I’m not sure why anybody casts him. Ever. So I had to sit through his inane… whatever he does on the screen. And from the beginning, I was ok with Jackie Earle Haley. I like him and I thought he’d be able to bring the same creepiness to Freddy.

To say I was disappointed was an understatement. I felt life they took a great movie and then injected it with all the angst of Twilight and withdrew everything that made the first one click. There were no over-the-top gore scenes (like Johnny Depp in the bed). There was no sex (not even with their bras on). It was dark and brooding and just depressing.

I’m not going to blame Jackie Earle Haley. I think he delivered his lines great and played the role great. There just wasn’t much there for him to work with. Freddy always had so much glee and joy behind what he did. He had a smile on his face, as sadistic as it was. Jackie never got the chance to do that charismatic glee.

As cruel as I’m being, the ending was a lot better than the first (even though it really made no sense). I’m trying to think of things I liked about it, but they’re just not there. I liked Aaron Yoo. It’ll be interesting where Rooney Mara goes in her career. She’s not the prettiest Mara sister, but she does have a plain look and does the Nancy role well.

So, should I see it or not? I say yes to completest or people who have no connection to the original. It has virtually no sexual content. The tub scene doesn’t show too much of Ms. Mara’s “assets.” The language wasn’t too bad and the violence was tame by today’s horror standards (and in my opinion, a lot tamer than the original). I’d let a mature teenager see it. Why not check it out?