WARNING: This Review Contains Spoilers
One, two Freddie’s coming for you. Three, four better lock your door. Five, six grab a crucifix. Seven, eight gonna stay up late. Nine, ten never sleep again…..but what if you don’t know when you’re sleeping and when you’re awake? Prepare yourself for … A Nightmare on Elm Street.
What Dreams May Come
A really great thing about the original film is that it is hard to tell, until Krueger rears his ugly head (I mean this literally, but wouldn’t you look ugly after being burnt alive?), when our characters are dreaming and when they are awake. It took me by surprise, especially at the beginning, because even though I know the premise of the film – the way Craven has filmed it, you genuinely believe that they are still awake, the switch is just that seamless. However, I am afraid that once this brilliant concept ended up in the hands of Samuel Bayer it becomes obvious when they are asleep. Quite often the scenery completely changes or things happen that wouldn’t happen in the real world – like it snowing in Nancy’s bedroom.
If I Die Before I Wake
I honestly had reservations when it came to the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. I was really worried that they would try to shoe-horn additional deaths into the film instead of keeping it to the select group at the centre of the story. Thankfully, I am happy to say they did not take it that extra mile.
What I am about to say, I have said in at least two previous articles (‘Seven Sisters on Sorority Row’ to mention one) but I am also glad that to an extent this is another 21st century film that has not tried to outdo its predecessor by making the deaths extra gory. I say to some extent because there is at least one point where it does take it that step too far (and I am not talking about the ending, yet). In both version of the film, one of our characters goes to prison for a murder he didn’t commit (well, who can prove that a dead guy you can’t see did it?). Unfortunately, both of these guys end up dead in their jail cell but I prefer the original way it was done. In 1984, Rod is strangled to death with his own bed sheets whereas Jesse, in 2010, bleeds out on the cell floor from his chest being ripped open (his poor cell mate). The benefit to the original death is that it looks so much like suicide that it aids the opinion that Nancy is going crazy from a lack of sleep.
Killing Krueger
It is revealed in both films that the parents of the children being stalked by Krueger killed him by burning him alive, but it is only in the remake that we truly delve deep into this part of the story. Nancy and Quentin learn that their dreams are being caused by repressed memories of being molested by Krueger in pre-school, and he is now taking his revenge on them for telling the truth about his behaviour, resulting in his death. We flashback to this time in their lives, as well as to the murder before they find Krueger’s basement dwelling and photos of a young Nancy.
This pre-school connection is non-existent in the original film. It is only drawn attention to when Nancy’s mother is trying to explain to her that it could not be Krueger that is killing her friends because he is already dead.
Finale Fantasy
Here is possibly where I actually stared at my TV screen and said ‘No way’. I ask for all of you reading this, to sit and watch these films and tell me if you think it has been a dream all the way through or if Nancy’s plan to drag Krueger into the real world just doesn’t work. I will admit, it messes with your mind a little bit more in the remake because Nancy actually physically kills Krueger, making it look like her plan succeeds, instead of her turning her back on him and making him disappear.
My only real issue with the ending of the remake is what happens to her mum. In the original film, Nancy walks away from her mother and gets into a car with everyone that had passed away earlier in the film (like I said the question isn’t if the ending is a dream or not – the way that plays out is pretty clear). As the car drives away Krueger pulls Nancy’s mother back through the window of the front door. However, the remake takes it that one step too far. They decide that instead of leaving it to the viewer’s imagination whether she dies or not, they show Krueger’s bladed hand reach through a mirror and straight through her mother’s head.
In Conclusion
If I took the remake as a standalone film, never having seen the original film, it would possibly be a pretty good film but it doesn’t quite stand up to the psychological thrill of the 1984 version.
