BY MIKEY MIGO
In the history of “horror film” we have Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolfman, and the other iconic figures. But I’m inclined to include Freddy, Jason, and Michael Meyers into this bunch. They’ve become just as much part of the horror mythology as any. For me, Freddy was always the coolest. Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s, to say Freddy Krueger was a part of pop culture would be an understatement. Robert Englund’s image was a constant during this time frame. I had the glove, a fedora, the old NES game, a few comic books, never the sweater, but all the love in the world for Freddy Krueger. I avoided this remake for long enough. During this past Halloween season I took the time and watched it. I wish I hadn’t. It wasn’t a horrible movie, but it just didn’t do it for me. They made Freddy look like a real burn victim, gave him a gravellier voice, and made him more vile. The problem is that he’s far from being as scary as the original. Englund’s Freddy would make you laugh, cringe, and have recurring nightmares all at the same time. You wanted to see him defeated, but you enjoyed the ride. Jackie Earle Haley’s Freddy is just annoying. Not so much scary, but pretty much a violent and sadistic bully. They attempted to make it scarier and more “real”, but it just equaled fail. The thing about movies with horror figures like Freddy and Jason is that we’re groomed to automatically not care about the cast. This movie tried too hard to make the cast likeable and relatable but I didn’t care about them. I didn’t care they were molested by a gardener turn burnt Edward Scissorhands. I didn’t care if they fell asleep. They wanted us to care, but eh… why? In today’s horror landscape we want to cheer the monster and it kills in most magnificent ways. Why else would ANYONE watch a horror movie other than to get a cheap gore thrill? Story? Drama? Acting? Not a chance. Maybe a 2010 Freddy doesn’t work. With modern technology, it’s almost as if Freddy is more of a cyber bully than a killer. Who wants to see that? I’m sure they’ll make a sequel because that’s what Hollywood does, and I hope it’s better than this one. C-
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