A Matter of Quality

I watched the original “Nightmare on Elm Street” movie yesterday.  I was in the mood for a good horror flick, since Halloween is this weekend and all.  Over the weekend, I had actually watched the new 2010 version. 

After watching the 1984 edition, I began to think about what makes it so much better than the new one.  This isn't the elitist in me saying this either, because I tried really, really hard to enjoy the new one.  And, when viewing the new one without drawing any comparisons to the original, I did quite enjoy it.  The idea is still quite fresh — using dreams as a means to scare you.  No one else has really done it other than Freddy Krueger. 

So why exactly do I enjoy the Wes Craven version so much?  I've come to a few conclusions.  First, I eliminated what WASN'T the problem.

It's not Freddy.  I think Jackie Earl Haley did an exceptional job.  The makeup was different and it worked just fine.  He had the right attitude.  The right laugh.  The right swagger about him.  He made the role his own and he pulled it off. 

It's not that the new film is too dark.  If you watch the original 1984 movie, that is also quite a dark film.  I would say it's the darkest of them all.  Freddy is not the wise-cracking jokester that he became in the later sequels.  He's a monster in that movie, and the film is quite scary.  It has both the psychological scares, and the “jump” scares. 

So, I've come to the conclusion that the problem with the new film is the main cast (aside from Freddy).  In the original film, I truly like the four main characters.  They're VERY likeable.  This is especially the case with Nancy, played by Heather Langenkamp in that movie. 

In the new version, I simply don't like Nancy.  She starts out as quite unexceptional in the beginning of the film.  They try to portray her as being strong, and it just doesn't work.  Later on in the film, they try to make her seem strong willed.  Instead, she seems cold and kind of a bitch. 

Sadly, the only character I actually liked from the new movie was Quentin.  And I truly believe this is the main reason why I think the film is so bad, especially compared to the quality of actors that were in the original.