Sadly, it’s Safe For Work, and ladies be warned: Freddy’s Dildo Glove might cause the wet stuff to flow.

Source: Dread Central

It seems that on a daily basis Killer Film and other media outlets have an article or three on an upcoming movie that’s a remake. Whether it’s a movie from the 1940s or 1980s, it seems that almost no movie is safe from being remade. And the outcry from fans is always the same, “Another remake?” “can’t Hollywood come up with something original?” It’s the same tune to a different song, and quite frankly, it’s enough. The crying that fans do is more annoying than the studios passing up original screenplays for scripts of the past. Why do studios remake films? Why do fans complain about these remakes? Should it really matter anymore?

Since the dawn of cinema, films have been made and remade. It’s a fact of the studio system. A studio is around to make money and run a business. When something is popular, it’s bound to lead to knockoffs. When a movie like 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN comes out and is a smash hit, you’re bound to see more raunchy comedies, and sure enough those came to be. When PG-13 horror started to make money, studios produced more movies with a PG-13 rating. When one remake does well at the box office, more will be made. Remakes have a built in fan base, and studios are trying to capitalize on this. It’s the name recognition that draws people in. You can’t, and shouldn’t blame a studio for looking out what’s best for their bottom line. The idea is to stay in business and to make money. If an original movie doesn’t do well at the box office for a studio, they will be more inclined to pass on the next original script. There’s nothing wrong with that.

When I went to see the remake of FRIDAY THE 13th (which I didn’t consider a remake, but that’s another story for another time), some people in the sold out audience were talking about the not yet filmed, but announced remake of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. The audience members were complaining about remaking a classic. These same people had just paid to see a remake of one of their beloved horror movies. Many of these people also saw the remake of TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. Once you pay to see one remake, you lose all right to complain about other remakes, especially when they haven’t even been made yet. That’s like going to McDonald’s and complaining that Wendy’s is causing the world to be obese.

Another argument that people like to bring up is that “All remakes are horrible.” These are the same people that list THE BLOB, THE FLY and THE THING as some of their favorite horror movies. Do thy realize that these movies are remakes as well? Yes, there are bad remakes, but there have been some good ones and even some great ones. For every DAY OF THE DEAD, there is a DAWN OF THE DEAD,  THE THING, and THE CRAZIES. Look at some original movies as well, there are some great ones, but also some awful original movies. Does that mean that Hollywood should stop making original movies?

One of the main problems with remakes are the different categories they fall into. First you have the shot for shot remake, like PSYCHO. These really are the most unnecessary ones. Why have a shot for shot remake when you can just re-release the old movie. This is one of the few types of remakes that I agree don’t need to be made. Then they have the in name only remakes. These remakes are the ones that take the title of an older movie just to draw the audience in, but the movie is nothing like the original film. Just call it something else then. Next is the most popular remake, and that’s the remake that takes a movie and makes a few changes, it updates the older film, but changes enough to make it it’s own. DAWN OF THE DEAD was one of these. It took the idea of hiding in a mall during a zombie outbreak, but made changes that might draw in a bigger audience. Recently, FRIGHT NIGHT did this. It took an older movie, and changed around a few things. Peter Vincent, instead of hosting a late night horror show, since these aren’t around, made him a Vegas magician, since more people today know that idea.

The next remake is the American remake of foreign films. This type of remake seems to catch the ire of many, many people. Recently we’ve seen the surge in these types of remakes. It became very popular in 2002 with the release of THE RING, a remake of the Japanese film RINGU. The film was a critical and commercial success. This started a surge of the Japanese ghost movies being remade in America. THE GRUDGE (JU-ON), DARK WATER, THE EYE, etc. Some were better than others, but that started to fade out. Recently we’ve seen a number of foreign films being remade. LET ME IN (remake of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN) didn’t do so well at the box-office, but it was a critical success, and the movie going public that saw it tended to like it. Later this year we will see the release of David Fincher’s THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO. This is a remake of the popular Swedish film of the same name. These remakes are of movies that are only a couple years old, so it’s a little understandable that people might get annoyed by these. Many fans complain, however, that American’s ruin movies by remaking them, which isn’t true, and that people should watch the original and just read the subtitle. There’s a problem with that one. Not everyone likes subtitles. Some people have more trouble reading the subtitles for various reasons, whether the subs move too fast or reading in a dark theater is not easy for them. Having a movie in English shouldn’t cause the controversy that it does.

Just remember a few things when a remake is announced, as much as you might like the original, the remake might actually be a good movie. Wait until the film comes out before bashing it. When a remake is produced it’s not like the producers are going to come to your home and take your copy of the original off the shelves so you can never watch it again. The remake just might open the eyes of the younger generation to the original. And on the DVD topic, there are times when the remake helps the original. There are many times when the remake comes out, and the movie company releases a supped up special edition of the original on DVD/Blu-Ray (MY BLOODY VALENTINE had this). Remakes aren’t the end of the world and shouldn’t be treated like it. It’s okay to be annoyed that your favorite movie might be getting a modern take, but like all movies, there’s nothing wrong with giving remakes a chance.

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. Three, four, better lock your door. Five, six, grab your crucifix. Seven, eight, gonna stay up late. Nine, ten, never sleep again.

And with those bone-chilling lyrics, director Wes Craven unspooled a horror bad guy for the ages who is still the king of the movie villain hill. Heather Langenkamp’s portrayal of Nancy Thompson is as American as apple pie. She was the girl next door who knew how to look pretty and kick your ass at the same time. Currently available at the I Am Nancy website and Amazon is the new documentary about the three key players behind the popularity and success of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and the fans who love them.

Jason Bene: What is I Am Nancy?

Heather Langenkamp: It’s a jumble of different kinds of movies. We were kind inspired by documentaries like Super Size Me, Air Guitar Nation and King of Kong. It was those documentaries where you go into a world that people really don’t know anything about, and you try and tell them about it. My first mission was to kind of explain this horror craze that has taken over America. Once we started getting our footage at conventions we really realized that fans had a lot to say about Freddy, of course, and they also had a lot to say about Nancy, which kind of surprised me. It’s kind of Freddy mania out there. Everyone is wearing a red and green sweater. They sell hats and gloves. There are two Nancy dolls and they both don’t move. We started focusing on the toys and the marketing. We started asking people deeper questions about “Who is their Freddy in their life?” “Who was their Freddy?” “What person did you have to battle like Nancy did?” That’s when the heart and soul of the movie started to develop.

The movie has this strange arc. If you really want to know how important the film is to people,  then you really need to go out and meet the fans. The second act of the movie talks about the fans and the marketing and these conventions. This is going to be a big benefit for conventions because they just look like so much fun. Then we move into an interview with Robert Englund. We really get to know what kind of guy Robert really is, and what a great actor he is. His real life personality is sweet, goofy, fun, loving, caring and gentle. Then you realize this is the guy who played Freddy Krueger – people are really going to appreciate Robert Englund in a whole new way. Then we decided that Wes Craven was going to tell us even more about the dynamic between Nancy and Freddy. It’s quite a long interview with Wes. His interview leads us into a much deeper and more philosophical discussion about the movies. We interview Jessica Craven, Wes’ daughter, who was very instrumental in the creation of A Nightmare on Elm Street in several ways. I think fans are going to be shocked by the things they don’t know about Wes and Robert. It’s going to give people a really new insight into the people who made that movie.

Jason Bene: It doesn’t surprise me that you are so popular with fans because your character went against the cliche and fought back and wasn’t a victim. You are also in the three best films in the series – A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.

Heather Langenkamp: I think you hit the nail on the head. I don’t think that it is me. But I do think that Wes knew the formula for this movie had to include this battle between this young person and Freddy. He made the conscious decision to make the character a girl. What is more important about Nancy is the way she approaches the battle. It doesn’t have anything to do that she is a girl fighting, it has more to do with the fact she’s a person who’s actually willing to face Freddy and go straight at him. I think the word victim is more about how you approach your adversary. You consciously admit or decide to feel that you can’t fight back. Wes says, ” A hero is someone who is willing to face fear.” The fact that it is a girl or boy has never mattered. A lot of people want to make it like “final girl”. I really don’t think it’s about that.

Jason Bene: This was filmed at five different conventions in two continents. Is that your normal convention schedule?

Heather Langenkamp: No. I usually do two a year. Only recently did I start doing them because of the 25th anniversary of A Nightmare on Elm Street there were lots of requests to go places. I used that as an excuse for being able to go to these places. We actually went to six conventions by the end of it. We took our camera all over the world. Some of the camera footage is from my Sony HD. We filmed all the fans who agreed to be on camera. We got home and we had over one hundred hours of footage. We took a year to edit this film. There are probably close to one hundred fans featured in the film. We also have a music video on the DVD that features more fans because there were some fans that we hated cutting. We tried to put everyone who could in the movie. They are the stars in a lot of ways. In the end, everyone just wants to be on screen.

Jason Bene: I like how you joke in the trailer how Robert Englund has a huge line of fans compared to you at the convention.

Heather Langenkamp: I try to be really tongue-in-cheek about that. I pretend I am the little sister who gets no attention. That’s part of the humor of the film is that we really try to play that up. We try to come to this serious place, but all along the way we try and make people laugh. In horror, everyone wants to scream and be scared. I’m hoping that people have patience with the fact that I don’t think they will ever get scared by my movie, but they might laugh.

No word on extras, but they did have the cover art:

Too bad they aren’t releasing them all in HD, making it reasonable on our wallets.

It’s kinda cool looking, but very A Nightmare on Elm Street mixed with The Howling, huh?

A huge improvement over George A. Romero’s dull movie from ’73.

The best genre film of 2010. Jon Knautz hit it out of the park.

Yes, I liked Jonah Hex. The horror-western came off like a big budget version of The Adventures of Brisco County Jr.

Although the casting is off and Freddy’s make-up looks all wrong, the film is scary and plays more like a prequel than a remake. After pointless rehashes like The Hitcher, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Friday the 13th; Platinum Dunes finally got it right.

Genre-whippin boy M. Night Shymalan returns to glory in the producer’s chair with a Twilight Zone-esque nailbitter.

John Cusack, Chevy Chase, and Crispin Glover. What is not to like?

Robert Rodriguez’s unholy drive-in triple feature is complete. From Dusk Till Dawn, Planet Terror, and Machete lay on loads of gore, violence, hot women and action.

It is a redux and it was converted to 3D. So what! Myself, and horror fans abroad, have been crying for a gory and sexy splatter flick that would let it all hang out. Well, Alex Aja delivered the bloodiest flick since Peter Jackson’s Dead-Alive, and more nudity than several year’s worth of pictures. The advertising for Piranha 3D was quite clear in telling audiences what they were in for.

Adam Green’s best film to date. Open Water and The Blair Witch Project have nothing on this frigid classic.

The best of the series. Paul WS Anderson directs the action with Wachowski aplomb. If you missed it in the theaters in all its 3D glory you really missed out.

The Film:

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. This is this generation’s Freddy, take that for what you will. Most will balk at the loud, jump scares and the lack of the wild dream scares like tonguing Nancy through the phone from the original, but even the most jaded horror vets will appreciate one thing about this remake of the 1984 slasher classic. And that is, A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)puts the “monster” back into Freddy Krueger. Freddy could only be an icon from popular culture, and that makes him generational, so the classic glove and sweater have jumped ship from Reaganomics into a post-Columbine Massacre, post-9/11 society, and he has brought at least one thing from the 1984 film, and it’s the most important thing: He’s scary once more, making a solid reason why kids won’t want to sleep again.

Isn’t that enough to have some sort of celebration? I think so. But with the “how can you remake this” classic line, it has been never been uttered more than the thought of remaking Wes Craven’s 1984 original. For a good reason too, because it’s original, scary, and introduced us to a new boogieman – a boogieman that not only stalks us into our dreams, but has a verbal bite with that razor sharp gardening glove. Portrayed by Robert Englund for eight films, Englund became so tied to the character, only Bela Lugosi as Dracula can comparable to a relationship to a role, and that’s the biggest reason why there was a communicative groan at the thought that someone else would have to don that ugly sweater and fedora. In a casting decision that has to be the biggest use of common sense in a good while, Hollywood wisely chose Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) to be the new Freddy.

Haley’s Freddy is a tad different than Englund’s, and I think it needed to be, for this remake to feel like it had a right to exist. Haley is pure intensity. He never lets up for one second. His walk is determined. His killing methods are brutal. His bark is like a dagger of darkly put jabs, sometimes making you rethink what he said, and have us remark: Did he just say, what I thought he said? The 2010 Freddy is unique in this regard, and while the original series really ramped up the dark humor into camp in later films, this is a trademark that couldn’t be overlooked. Haley’s line delivers are spot on. Every time his Freddy is on screen, the film feels alive with terror and intensity, something that most of the sequels lacked (even though we loved them).

One of the biggest differences between the films is how Nancy is used. In the original film, Nancy became a heroine based on situational necessity from her parent’s dark secret. Here, Nancy (Rooney Mara) is used as a breadcrumb for the audience to follow. For this reason, most of the kids, including Nancy are lacking character development for us to care about them. Most will feel this weakness and it sort of is, especially since Heather Langenkamp’s Nancy from the original become such a strong female protagonist. Mara’s Nancy, like I said, is a guide into what this film is really all about: Freddy Krueger. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) is Freddy’s movie, and Nancy leads us through the nature of what Freddy is. Is he a wrongly excused victim or is he a child-killing pedophile? This is the film’s hook, and by the end, regardless of some audience’s jaded thoughts on remakes and some others feelings on the weak teenage characters, A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)delivers on the promise that Freddy Krueger is really just one sick, son of a bitch.

Would…wait, should we have it any other way? It doesn’t fire on all cylinders, but the flaws don’t cripple the entire, well-shot film. Welcome back to our nightmares Freddy, and may we never sleep again.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: WB issues their typical strong HD release again. Bayer’s film looks superb in HD with the cold colors and really dark scenes featuring depth and clarity. It’s a flawless looking film, with everything one would expect from a new film on Blu: high levels of contrast in details and bold colors. The DTS mix is loud, active, and bass friendly. Home theater and Blu-ray horror fans will be instantly pleased.

Maniacal Movie Mode: This is Warner’s P-i-P feature and it’s pretty good. It’s filled with interviews, early art/make-up tests, and on-set footage, which all seems typical and it is, but for fans, it’s worth the watch, especially since there’s no commentary track. Focal Points is an extension of the P-i-P mode, with it goes a bit more detailed in certain subjects.

Freddy Krueger Reborn: Running about 14 minutes, this is sort of a “why the remake exists” featurette. We get the reason of why this or that is changed from the 1984 film. There’s some good info here for fans of the remake, but this thing gives the one’s that disliked it too much ammo for their hatred of the film.

Additional Footage: Running under 10 minutes we get extended scenes of interesting, but wisely cut bits. A different opening and ending are offered. There’s elements I like in each, but overall were wisely cut. The ending gets further into Freddy’s pedophilia urges. Sadly, a few scenes seen in the trailers are here, but are oddly talked about in the Maniacal Movie Mode.

A second disc of the Digital Copy and the DVD is included.

Conclusion: For some, it was another remake to groan about, but given the chance, it’s isn’t all that bad. The WB Blu-ray delivers in the pic/audio department, but the extras are pretty standard and weak.

The Film: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Movie Web got a chance to interview Jackie Earle Haley, who portrayed Freddy Krueger, about the possibilities of returning.

A Nightmare on Elm Street will be available on DVD/Blu-ray on October 5.

Source: DVDActive

Mara joins yesterday’s news of Vi$$er to the long list of actresses vying for the hottest female role in recent memory. Spinning the names around and around, we get Carey Mulligan (a once front-runner), Kristen Stewart, Ellen Page, Keira Knightley, and the fore-mentioned South African rapper Vi$$er, along with Alice in Wonderland‘s Mia Wasikowska. Noomi Rapace is the original Lisbeth in the Millennium Trilogy that are the Swiss version of the Stieg Larsson novels.

In short, casting is key. Mara has just finished working with Fincher on Social Network, but story, until finalized, will be like the news for Nolan’s third Batman: constant and speculation. Thoughts? Who would you like to see as Lisabeth?

Source: The Playlist

Who dared to open the same weekend as Marvel’s latest feature film creation? Why Focus Features’ Babies, which cried itself into $1.5 Million overall. Babies does has a mass appeal due to the overall cuteness and other such reasonings, but it would’ve taken more than a bunch of infants in order to take in more money against a mammoth like Iron Man 2.

A Nightmare on Elm Street did the typical drop, making $9.1 Million in it’s second place slot from the overall weekend. Of course that does not sound really impressive but when you figure that the budget is made back and then some, it’ll be no surprise that another sequel can crop out of this ongoing franchise. Enough chit-chat, check out the top ten below from Box Office Mojo.:

Weekend Box Office (May 7-9)

1. Iron Man 2  ($133.6 M)
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street  ($9.1 M)
3. How to Train Your Dragon  ($6.7 M)
4. Date Night  ($5.3 M)
5. The Back-Up Plan  ($4.3 M)
6. Furry Vengeance  ($4 M)
7. Clash of the Titans  ($2.3 M)
8. Death at a Funeral  ($2.1 M)
9. The Losers  ($1.8 M)
10. Babies  ($1.5 M)

All because Iron Man 2 is out in theaters does not mean that the summer season is towards a close, it’s barely getting started. Within the selection of wide releases the movie gods give us Robin Hood, Letters to Juliet and Just Wright. In the limited openings there is Princess Kaiulani.

“Look, I’m gonna catch a lot of heat for this, but some of these fans on the web should just get up, stretch, breathe, go outside and get some fresh air, maybe get a girlfriend and just get a life. They should see the movie and make up their own minds.”

Hopefully, you all read my review here of the film. I don’t speak for all of the staff members of Killer Film, but interesting choice of words from Bayer, no? How do you all take what he said? Did Bayer need to be so pissy with fans?

BloodyDisgusting

“With the remake looking to top $35m this opening weekend, buzz from inside New Line Cinema is that a 3D sequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street is already being discussed, while Platinum Dunes producer added more fuel to the fire via Twitter by adding that a sequel is “already in the works.”"

Director Samuel Bayer refused to convert the first film to 3-D, so it’s no surprise the studio wants to shoot the sequel this way. There’s no word on whether or not Jackie Earle Haley will return as Freddy or if Bayer will return to direct.

Daniel Farrands (Co-director/producer), Andrew Kasch (co-director/editor), Thommy Hutson (writer/producer), Heather Langenkamp (narrator/executive producer , Nancy Thompson in Dream Warriors), Buz Wallick (director of photography), Sean Schafer Hennessy (composer), Michael Granberry (main titles designer), Benni Pierce (editor), Lito Velasco (co-producer), Annette Slomka (line producer/assistant editor), Justin Cruse (sound design), Kim Williams (post production supervisor), Mike Mendez (assistant editor), Don Crandall (key grip), Jenna Busch (makeup artist).

- Heather Langenkamp (NOES 1 & 3, New Nightmare)
- Leslie Hoffman (Hall Monitor, NOES 1)
- Jacques Haitkin (Cinematographer, NOES 1 and NOES 2)
- Sara Risher (Producer, NOES 1-7)
- David Miller (Special Makeup Effects, NOES 1, 5, 6, & 7)
- Kim Myers (Lisa Webber, NOES 2: Freddy’s Revenge)
- Robert Rusler (Ron Grady, NOES 2: Freddy’s Revenge)
- JoAnn Willette (Girl on Bus, NOES 2: Freddy’s Revenge)
- David Chaskin (Writer, NOES 2: Freddy’s Revenge)
- Christopher Young (Composer, NOES 2: Freddy’s Revenge)
- Jennifer Rubin (Taryn White, NOES 3: Dream Warriors)
- Ira Heiden (Will Stanton, NOES 3: Dream Warriors)
- Ken Sagoes (Roland Kincaid, NOES 3: Dream Warriors)
- George Lynch & Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN!!!!)
- Mark Shostrom (Makeup, NOES 2 & NOES 3)
- Roy Wagner (Cinematographer, NOES 3: Dream Warriors)
- Tuesday Knight (Kristen Parker, NOES 4: The Dream Master)
- Brooke Theiss (Debbie Stevens, NOES 4: Dream Master)
- John Carl Buechler (Makeup, NOES 4 and NOES 6)
- Kelly Jo Minter (Yvonne, NOES 5: The Dream Child)
- Erika Anderson (Greta Gibson, NOES 5: Dream Child)
- CJ Strawn (Production Designer, NOES 5: The Dream Child)
- John Skipp (Writer, NOES 5: The Dream Child)
- Tobe Sexton (Teenage Freddy, Freddy’s Dead)
- J. Peter Robinson (Composer, New Nightmare)
- Mark Irwin (Cinematgrapher, New Nightmare)
- David J. Schow (Writer – Freddy’s Nightmares)
- Monica Keena (Lori Campbell, Freddy Vs Jason)
- Zack Ward (Bobby Davis, Freddy vs. Jason)
- Miko Hughes (Dylan Porter, New Nightmare)
- Mick Garris (Director, Freddy’s Nightmares)
- William Malone (Director, Freddy’s Nightmares)
- Tom McLoughlin (Director, Freddy’s Nightmares)
- Nancy McLoughlin (Nurse, Freddy’s Nightmares)
- Sean Clark (Horror’s Hallowed Grounds)