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Post by Chainsaw on May 1, 2009 3:00:01 GMT -5
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Post by Chainsaw on May 7, 2009 3:50:23 GMT -5
Here is a non-favorable script review for the new movie. It has already been pulled off the site it originally appeared on by the studio but here's a transcript.
And so it comes to pass that one of mine, and “Hollywood Movie Star” Clint Morris’ favorite 80’s horror flicks “A Nightmare On Elm Street” is about to be remade…. I mean, first & foremost, the recent “Friday the 13th” is a prime example of why you shouldn’t insist on rehashing a true classic horror film - so… yeah, look, I’ll be brutally honest, I’ve just finished reading the script for the new “Nightmare”, and to say it’s horrible wouldn’t be fair, because it’s not - unfortunately what it is happens to be a typical “Platinum Dunes” film - a watered down teen slasher film that ultimately wipes it’s feet on the original superior story / movie, and will no doubt be instantly forgettable.
The draft I read is presumably the finished shooting script, by Eric Heisserer dated January 14th and is of course “based” on the original Wes Craven film. Basically, the cannon fodder is introduced at a party in the beginning, and instantly screams out “Fuck me this is going to be an awful raping of your memories”, introducing Quentin, Kris, Dean, Jesse & our hero, Nancy (described as “18, petite, approaching goth”… for fuck’s sake why not just go the whole hog and describe her as a whining emo kid).
Anyhow, it’s not long before our first young teen meets their end as:
Four parallel slashes RIP through Dean’s shirt, as if by an invisible bladed weapon –
His eyes snap open and he stares right at Kris, half whispering a warning as his last words:
DEAN He’s back –
He falls backward off the ledge –
Wow - an invisible bladed weapon you say - hmm, I WONDER WHAT THE FUCK THAT COULD BE? Dude, you’re writing “A Nightmare On Elm Street”… The party scene that opens the film is actually a pretty good indicator of throwing shit against the wall and seeing what sticks - we’re introduced to some mind numbingly boring characters that you will not care about, or remember two seconds after walking out of the cinema, and of course, as the young kids would do, instead of banging each other stupid - they’re holding “Guitar Hero” competitions.
Aw, Hell - anyway, in case you needed a refresher on what type of instrument Freddy uses, here’s another choice moment from a few pages later:
TIGHT ON A BURNED HAND
with bone exposed at the knuckle, as it reaches for something among the spilled tools…
THE GLOVE.
Like a gardening glove, but with a set of razor-sharp blades welded onto the back of the hand.
Well bugger me, that’s quite descriptive isn’t it? So, it’s like a gardening glove with blades on it……Let me ask you, why not just attach a screen grab of Robert Englund from the first flick with a big arrow pointing at his hand and a note that says “Oi! This thing here - that’s what it should look like!” - y’know, like, ummmmm. FREDDY’S FUCKING GLOVE THAT HE WORE IN EVERY FUCKING MOVIE! Even if the heads over at Platinum Dunes are all to young to remember the original film, I’m sure they were all pimply faced teenagers when “Freddy Vs. Jason” came out, oh… 6 years or so ago, so I’m pretty sure the detailed description might not be ultimately necessary.
Now the somewhat good part that I was enjoying in the script up until around page 17 is that whenever Freddy was mentioned, it was that “in the shadows” type Freddy that was so kick-ass in the original flick, so I figured - OK, sounds like they are at least going to stay somewhat true to the “scary as all bollocks” Krueger that we all loved, but then of course as another unfortunate teen almost meets their demise in a classroom (complete with a stick figure chalk drawing with red lines down the front of it on the blackboard which Mr. Krueger must have quickly nutted out with all the talent of a four year old), Freddy utters his second line of the film:
FREDDY Time for a new lesson
Oh joy, how wonderful that they’ve decided to move straight to “Dream Master” Freddy, he of the wonderful one liners and oh so subtle double entendres - but at least they’re still keeping up with the not quite in focus monster angle….., but believe me when I say that the one liners just keep on coming…
Look, ultimately, Heisserer’s script reads like common stock Fan Fiction - if this was coming out under any other title, it would instantly be dismissed as a “D Grade” knock off of “Nightmare” - I can pretty confidently say that this is not going to make for a memorable film, apart from now every time you reach for the original, you’re going to instinctively also remember that they made a crappy version of it 25 years later - the story & characters are incredibly weak - there’s no need for the investigation and drunken confessions of how Freddy became who he is from the original film necessary here, because in this version, Freddy insists on telling each and every teen he tries to slaughter exactly who he was, and why he’s doing it - and the change they’ve made in his back-story is just…. well, it’s boring - in fact, over the course of the 109 page draft, the only scene that truly stands out reads as an almost shot for shot retread of Tina’s death in the original film - hell, even our “Heroine” Nancy doesn’t really have anything to do until halfway through the film from the look of things.
So, short & sweet - this will absolutely fall in line with the other Platinum Dunes films like “TCM”, “Amityville Horror” & “Friday The 13th” - it’s going to cash in on the name, stock it with every CW star under the sun and piss off every person who loved the original - the only saving grace I can say is currently in place here is that Jackie Earle Haley will no doubt fit the Freddy character very well as he recently did with Rorschach in “Watchmen” - but good grief it would be a nice thing for them to cut out all the zingers.
Source: Moviehole Script Review
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Post by FireStar on May 7, 2009 19:16:14 GMT -5
That's depressing if it that bad, hopefully that wasn't a finished draft he was reading.
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Post by Zombified Jeremy on May 7, 2009 21:12:30 GMT -5
Most of you know that I am not a big PD fan, and while I liked the F13 reboot and thought that they understood the source material, they could very well mess up the NOES series even more then it is already.
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Post by Chainsaw on May 20, 2009 8:55:39 GMT -5
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Post by FireStar on May 20, 2009 20:36:41 GMT -5
Finally some good news. I can't wait to see how they've updated the makeup. If they can make him look like a real burn victim that would be great to see.
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Post by FireStar on May 21, 2009 19:12:54 GMT -5
So basically its going to do the same as any other remake ever done, its not going to contribute anything besides lining the pockets of film makers who are too lazy to come up with their own material. Disgusting, I'm on the verge of loosing all faith in horror. Why doesn't Nightmare have a retrospective DVD like Halloween or Friday the 13th. Pretty much looks that way, this one especially seems to be sticking closer to the original film than the Friday one did. I just want to see what they do with Freddy's make-up in this one. I only have two words as to why there's no retrospective DVD on the series and they are-- New Line.
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Post by Chainsaw on May 22, 2009 5:30:24 GMT -5
Disgusting, I'm on the verge of loosing all faith in horror. Bite your tongue.
I suggest you watch [REC], The Ruins, Cloverfield, Martyrs, Frontiers, The Mist, , Inside, and yes the remakes of Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine and Last House on the Left.
There's more than that, those are just the ones that came to mind. C'mon man, don't lose faith.
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Post by FireStar on May 22, 2009 21:18:59 GMT -5
I saw the trailer of Last House and it just didn't look like it had anywhere near the same feel as the original does, so I don't have any plans to see it either. As for Bloody it is a remake but it does vary from the original quite a bit as well. There's still some good horror out there being released, my problem is that there's plenty of good horror sure but I want great horror if you know what I mean. I guess I'm just spoiled in that regard.
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Post by f13ticket on May 24, 2009 18:47:03 GMT -5
I have no love for this idea. I've always subscribed to the adage that if it aint broke don't fix it. Robert still has a lot of kick in him. Robert made the character and the character made him. Elm Street also has a coherent storyline that does span the franchise. Actually, he is the best constructed character in horror. From his hat, to his glove, to his sweater, to his face, to his personality, to his motives, to his religious overtones, to his modus operandi, his perversions, EVERYTHING! Craven, Shay, and all the people who worked on this character created the perfect blend of the egomaniacle sadist and a dark gothic villian. He is man and monster, archtyple, yet relatible. He's as evil as Satan (His sin is the same, rebellion) and yet as relatable as the guy down the street who seems nice but, well, who knows when it comes down to it.
Also, Freddy is an old character. Robert can only improve as he ages into the character. If we want to bring Freddy back to roots, such as the first film, his powers are mostly subtle and of an auditory nature. There are only a few times "He" is ever, visually, in the film. Even fewer that he's visually in the film and well lit. He is the deep inside of man, and as such, works best as a subtle and manipulating villain who rides the edge of the dreaming and waking worlds. This is how most possesions and hauntings really work. If you've ever researched such things, as I have, Elm Street 1 and 2 are very realistic; though dramatized obviously. Demons work to make people doubt their own sanity. Until this world and the next can't be told apart.
We don't need to restart the series to make it work again. If we return Freddy to a sadist villain, rather than a rockstar icon, then we can bring Robert back because he'll only be on screen like five minutes anyway. (Or close to it. Watch the first film carefully and you'll see most of the times "Freddy's There" it's his voice and not him," I had some ideas for a script I have posted here, and elsewhere under many names.
We have a character in Jacob. We can set it so Alice would be about Nancy's Mom's age and Jacob about Nancy's age. My ideas include the psyhosexual aspects that made Elm 2 great and the subtle aspects that made Elm 1 great. I want the film to be about Fathers and the relationship between man and religion. I think my idea gives Freddy a lot more justice than simply starting over. To me, that just seems lazy and trying to "fix" something that isn't even broken.
We have a rich a detailed backstory with Jacob, Alice, Freddy, and Amanda. They were left high and dry with Part 5. Why not pick up from there? Newline owes Freddy their success, and I think it's kind of a last ditch move to go for a remake because it's like saying, "we give up, we can't think of anything new anymore" and that's an insult because there is still so much that can be done with the characters and backstories we already have. It's a disgrace.
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Post by Zombified Jeremy on May 24, 2009 18:57:54 GMT -5
You refer to New Line as if it still exists with Shaye in charge, but that hasn't been the case for some time since it was taken over by Warner Bros. and Shaye left.
Platinum Dunes is making this remake and it is the best option to ensure a good profit.
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Post by f13ticket on May 24, 2009 19:16:33 GMT -5
I know. I just always respected Elm Street for at least having good storytelling. Not every entry brought in the big bucks, but people always tried and there was always a sense of (at least it makes some sort of sense.) Recasting Robert is a mistake IMHO and so is rebooting. Most franchises can barely survive one mistake, let alone a double whammy.
To me this is "lets cash in on it one more time because remakes are the "in thing" to do regardless of storytelling tradition or loyalty to the actors." Or, as Freddy once put it, "You forgot where you came from..."
But yes, you're right, Shay doesn't really run things anymore and it's not really Newline anymore. Still, it just reeks of sell out! Friday the 13Th did well, IMO, but not every movie franchise is suited for a remake. And one could argue, as I have, for it being a loose sequel anyway and what would it matter because there was little carryover from one Friday film to another. But Elm Street had a lot of carry over. If not direct characters returning, which was usually the case, they would at least revisit places like Westin every now and then and bring back stuff like Hypnocil. There was at least a level of trying to tie the big thing together.
There seems to be this fear that if there is too much story tied together people might actually find it beneficial to, you know, go rent or buy the other fantastic films! Goodness forbid we encourage people watch the other films first like reading one chapter after another in a great book. No, let's restart against every 90 min. They're missing so many storytelling opportunities that way.
I want to see Alice, and Jacob, and Doc, and Maggie come back. I want to see Amanda again! I want to see all the great characters who's stories arn't finished come back and make something cool. It's like the last chapter in a book, its supposed to all weave together into a something awesome. It's not supposed to just end without a real end and start over again. That's just.... crappy.
Why not play pass the torch? Have one final film with Robert as Freddy and bring back some of the cool characters for a big finale? Then pass the glove, which Freddy himself sites as his power "This is God," and pass that onto a new character on Elm Street. That way Freddy as a character, and Robert as an actor, have a chance to get a good ending and get to wave goodbye one last time to the fans in a way that brings the saga together to a end that makes the best sense possible.
Rather than just cutting Robert out, leaving all these characters and stories unfinished, and starting over from scratch just to make a quick and shameful buck. Again, profit is driving this and not art, as you have made clear and I agree; unfortunately. But it doesn't have to be this way, and to be frank, many fans would rather have no more movies at all than to see such a great franchise go out this way. Again, disgraceful
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Post by Zombified Jeremy on May 24, 2009 19:45:26 GMT -5
The answer to all of your questions is money.
I used to get mad about the remake madness, but it is going to happen regardless of how I feel.
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Post by Chainsaw on Jun 10, 2009 10:19:43 GMT -5
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Post by FireStar on Jun 10, 2009 21:03:26 GMT -5
That's not a good sign as to whats going on with the film, if he's that upset by it.
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Post by FireStar on Jul 4, 2009 22:04:58 GMT -5
www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/16621Well Platinum Dunes isn't thinking small with this remake at all they've already signed Haley for not just one but three Freddy films. Oh, and the release date is now April 16, 2010 Here's some side shots of our new Freddy. Its a flashback and you can't see his face but so far I don't like what I'm seeing.
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Post by Xч on Jul 5, 2009 23:44:42 GMT -5
I don't like the way this movie is looking at all.I'm not excited about it. Hopefully things change when and if i see it.
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Post by JasonKrueger13 on Jul 18, 2009 8:37:05 GMT -5
The director said that something special was in store at Comic Con. I have faith in Haley since I know he can play Freddy better than most. But Robert still will be Freddy.
I heard that the makeup will have some of his jaw and skull exposed. That just sounds gruesome.
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Post by Xч on Jul 18, 2009 20:03:46 GMT -5
Well,if the make up is done properly,i guess the film could actually be good.I really hope they wait to show how Jack looks in the makeup.I want to experience this film without no spoilers what so ever.I saw Horroricon's video review,but i honestly think a lot of changes will be made for the final product.However, i did see a leaked picture of the church location and i really liked it.Only time will tell and it absolutely sucks that we have to wait until April of next year to see this.This film should be released for Halloween this year.Come on PD,show it and get it over with why don't ya..
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Post by d3M0n on Jul 22, 2009 21:28:41 GMT -5
Can't make out his face but the body style looks accurate.
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