An Original Slasher Movie With All The Right Elements But..

Rating: 6/10 (25 November 2013)

I know a lot of people probably read my title then saw my rating of 6 out of 10 and asked themselves why would he do that? Its true this movie is a fresh take on the slasher genre and Freddy is a wonderfully designed character. The kills are great which is usually all I need to enjoy this type of movie. However a few things bother me when it comes to not only this one but the whole series.(Relax I am only reviewing what I think of this one and not the series).
First off the comparisons between this and Friday the 13th is ridiculous. FT13 simplifies the slasher genre and makes it fun and gory and is one of the FEW slashers where you actually root for the bad guy. Here we have a child killer(admit he was a pervert to) who comes to you in your dreams. While most people say he is scarier than other slashers because you can not get away from your dreams, you can't get away from Jason either since he can not die. Also when Freddy does come to the real world he always gets his @$$ kicked. Onto the film.
I won't talk of the story because in slashers its always basic. Instead I will talk of the concept. I love Wes Craven's works and think Scream was a great slasher series. The ideas presented in this movie are great concepts. I mean a serial killer all burnt up with a glove on his right hand with knives on each finger is a great design. He invades your dreams and kills you off in sick ways. While it is interesting I just do not find this movie to be all that great. While the later ones get more humor put in, I feel this one has just as much black humor and I think it works against it. Freddy has great one liners but a character needs more than that in slashers. The kills are good like I said earlier but they still don't entertain me as much as FT13's or Halloween's.
I will admit the remake that came out in 2010 had a lot of problems with it. The pacing was pretty bad and while I enjoyed the kills, I wish they wouldn't have copied some of the kills from the original. However the one shining character in the remake is Jackie Earl's portrayal of Freddy. Robert England did a good job but Jackie actually makes Freddy menacing. I believe with a more original story put behind it he could become a great Freddy. Also for all you fans saying FT13 turned slashers into cliché's. I agree to a point but NOES does the same. This has original ideas but the series would go on to do what all successful slasher series do and get made for the cash. Maybe I will do a report on these two franchises and show what each did do and didn't compared to the other. IN till then this movie stays at a 6 outta 10. It is a good movie with original ideas but I don't find Freddy all that creepy or interesting. If you haven't seen it don't let my review stop you from seeing it. With this movie you will either love it or just like it which is something you can't say for a lot of slashers.