With almost 20 years since the release of the last movie in the franchise and with a budget of $35 million, you would think that the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street would be just what the franchise needed to revive it from its long sojourn away from theaters. Over the years, the Nightmare on Elm Street series has proven to be one of the more popular horror movies along with other horrifying Hollywood hits such as the Friday the 13th, Halloween, and the recent Saw. However, it had not even struck two minutes into the movie when it was already evident that the movie wouldn’t hold a candle to the 1984 classic. The modern day camera work with crisp colors and clever angles couldn’t even mask the "nightmare" that was this film.

As the film opens with a scene at the Springwood Café, a boyfriend and girlfriend spend some time together drinking coffee late in the evening. It would seem as if Kris (Katy Cassidy) was reading her lines straight from the script, as she was a very one dimensional character who choked back on showing emotion when emotion was needed. One of the movie’s downfalls was its unseasoned cast. The acting was very shady throughout the movie which really compromised the element of horror. Some parts that were intended to invoke fear in the audience couldn’t be taken seriously, and the forced dark humor just left the audience shaking their heads.

The ant-agonist of the film, Freddy Kruger (Jackie Earle Haley), has lost a lot of his distinguishing qualities since his heyday. The old, burn victim with the homemade knife glove he was so famous for has had a makeover in the new film, and it’s for the worst. Through CGI enhancement, Kruger has been made to look less like his old self and more like something you could only find in Area 51. He was expressionless most of the movie and spoke in such a monotone voice uncharacteristic of his past self; it was like watching a completely different movie. The only things true to the original were his signature red and green sweater, dark hat, and his glove. The rest was tainted while trying to improve the stalker of dreams.

CGI and an array of special effects were employed in this movie for a variety of different scenarios such as improving the characters dream sequences to synthesizing parts of Kruger’s face. However, the special effects left the audience laughing or the majority of the movie rather than gasping. In the scene where Kris is being thrown around her room, the effects caused the scene to look so fake that the audience burst out laughing. When she was in her classroom and all of the students crumble to isolate her with Freddy, it looked purely overdone and unrealistic as well. The original envoked more terror, if anything, through its simplicity and not through millions of dollars in effects.

All in all, if you are a diehard Nightmare on Elm Street fan this movie may not be for you. The original just seemed so natural while its modern day remake was extremely forced. Although they did share some similar scenes, such as Freddy emerging out of the wall in Nancy’s (Rooney Maria) room and the claw emerging from her shower, it just couldn’t be taken seriously due to major plot tweaks here and there and a plethora of poor special effects. The ending implies that a remake. might be imminent. Save your money. Better yet, rent the original. Spend the money on a pizza and invite over a few friends