PlatinumDunes

A Walk Through the New 'Elm Street'

Feb 22nd 2010 7:03PM by: Horror Squad Staff

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By William Goss

Several journalists were invited to the Chicago-based set of Platinum Dunes' remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street last June, and at this point, we're all standing in the trailer where an uncomfortable Jackie Earle Haley has been sitting for the better part of what will take more than three hours.

"We've gotten [the process] down to three hours and twenty [minutes]," said make-up artist Andrew Clement. "Every day, we shave a couple minutes off of it. It had started at six hours; we were working it all out, didn't have the coloring and all of our choices done, so it was just seeing what it was all about."

When asked if he ever wanted to just run around the neighborhood with the make-up on, the future Freddy Krueger said no. "There is a strong temptation to just rip it off my face, though."

Filed under: News/Reactions, Interviews

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Sing a Song About Freddy

Dec 23rd 2009 4:25PM by: Alison Nastasi

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Brad Fuller wrote about the Nightmare on Elm Street reshoot on the Bloody-Disgusting Platinum Dunes blog the other day, but left fans in the dark about what exactly is being reshot. "I don't want to get specific about what we are shooting, but suffice to say we heard you. After you've seen the film we can discuss what was reshot," said Fuller. Reshoots aren't always a big deal, but overall I'm nervous about the hype on this remake. Fuller is in full defense mode, early reviews were menza mez and The Friday the 13th remake wasn't horrible, but I'm not a fan of the other stuff PD has been putting out.

So, for today I'm just going to forget all about this NOES news and remember the man behind it all--Freddy Krueger. Leave your remake worries and woes behind and let's all enjoy some songs about Fred. After the jump are a few videos by friends of Freddy who think he's the cat's pajamas and wanted to spread the love.

Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.) is a N.Y.C. based hardcore/thrash band who has enjoyed a career of questionable lyrics intended to piss people off. The song Freddy Krueger is from their Speak English or Die album, part of which was MTV's Headbanger's Ball theme for a while. Reuben is a UK, mustache happy alt rock group whose 2004 song Freddy Kreuger (intentional spelling) reached #53 on UK charts. I've also included a little ditty a fan boy wrote for his lady friend to scare her. Aw--love. Lyrics on YouTube if interested. Last but not least, I didn't forget about Dokken, the metal band who recorded a song for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, called (you guessed it!) Dream Warriors. Respect the hair.

Filed under: Fan Made, Trailers/Clips, Discussion Posts

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Platinum Dunes' 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' Getting Additional Scenes

Dec 9th 2009 12:05PM by: Alison Nastasi

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Reviews were mixed for the Platinum Dunes remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street after a round of test-screenings. Additional scenes will be shot for the film and require additional cast members according to CHUD.

The full details are posted on the Spoiler TV website, but you can check them out after the jump. So far, the new scene we know about is set at a diner where Nancy works. There's no telling if this additional and seemingly minor scene will clear up any confusion in terms of plot but apparently the studio feels its necessary.

A Nightmare on Elm Street, directed by Samuel Bayer, stars Jackie Earle Haley (Freddy), Kyle Gallner, Thomas Dekker, Rooney Mara, Kellan Lutz, Katie Cassidy, Connie Britton and my boyfriend Clancy Brown. Freddy Krueger is a serial child molester who is murdered and then returns as a crispy critter to terrorize teens in their dreams. The film opens in theaters April 30, 2010.

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Another 'Amityville Horror' Remake?

Nov 30th 2009 10:05AM by: Alison Nastasi

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Even though Platinum Dunes remade the 1979 film The Amityville Horror back in 2005, the Weinstein Company and Dimension Films on planning on remaking it, again. Bloody-Disgusting broke the news that execs are already discussing the project with a director, which leads me to think that the film could launch into production early in the new year.

Andrew Douglas' 2005 remake of the supernatural horror grossed over $100 million worldwide and I'm sure that Weinstein is hoping third time's a charm for them. Perhaps Weinstein was also motivated by the success of Paranormal Activity. Whatever the reason, this move reeks of desperation. The company has recently admitted to facing a serious financial crisis and recently tried to claw their way out of a hole by way of another horror remake--Rob Zombie's Halloween I & II. I expect that they plan on starting a whole new franchise with Amityville since the original spawned 8 other films.

I enjoyed the original Amityville but didn't like the rest of the series. The 2005 remake was pretty terrible; I mean, it had Van Wilder in it, c'mon. It seems pointless to remake something so soon but perhaps it will justify itself unlike the last one. MGM holds different rights to the film and were planning on developing The Amityville Tapes, so we may be seeing yet another version pop up soon.

The 1979 film, The Amityville Horror, is based off the bestselling novel of the same name by Jay Anson. it chronicles the reported real-life paranormal experiences of the Lutz family who move into a new home that was the site of a mass murder.

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'Grudge' Screenwriter Takes Over for Platinum Dunes' 'The Butcher Chronicles'

Nov 11th 2009 2:05PM by: Alison Nastasi

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The production company everyone loves to hate, Platinum Dunes, is going to be working with writer Stephen Susco (Grudge, Grudge 2) in a rewrite on Paramount Pictures' The Butcherhouse Chronicles. Bloody-Disgusting reports that Frank Borin is no longer attached to direct, with no word yet on who is taking his spot.

Butcherhouse is a darkly comic horror stage show about a group of high school students who set out to discover the truth behind a haunted property known as the Butcherhouse. It's rumored that Emma Stone (Zombieland) will be starring as one of the leads.

For those of you who haven't fainted yet at the idea of Platinum Dunes not rehashing one of your favorite childhood horror flicks, you might be interested in where Butcherhouse comes from. Michael Hidalgo originally penned the story and has offered a little info about the origins of the project on his blog:

"The Butcherhouse Chronicles was and *is* a deeply personal stage play that I started writing in April of 2003. My life was very different back then. I was getting ready to be married, locked into a dead-end job, trying to keep the dreams alive. I finished writing the first draft of the play about six months later, around October of 2003. Though I'd written a series of short pieces and one-acts, this was my first full-length stage play. CUT TO a few years later, 2006. I'm getting a divorce, the play is staged at the Summer Play Festival and gets optioned by Paramount about a month after that festival production."

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Commence Backlash: Early Review of 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' Redux Hits the Net

Nov 3rd 2009 11:03AM by: Brad McHargue

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The Nightmare on Elm Street reboot is cause for much consternation on account of the fact that A) It's a remake, B) It's a remake by Platinum Dunes, C) It's a remake of a beloved classic, and D) It's a remake by Platinum Dunes. That last one deserved two spots.

Although the film doesn't open in theaters until April 30th, the interwebs are all a-twitter over how the film might turn out. Well, Ain't It Cool News gave us a heads up on a review submitted by "Skin Peeler" of a test-screening of the film in El Segundo last week, and suffice it to say, the review leans more on the side of negative than it does positive.

On the positive side, the film is touted as being darker than its predecessor, something that could go either way among viewers: "Bay and the director obviously wanted to Dark Knight/Saw it up by adding a layer of grit and reality to A Nightmare on Elm Street. The art and makeup departments did an excellent job. Freddy looks like a freakish burn victim, many of the dream and flashback scenes are dark and have that Silent Hill feel."

This sounds like a good thing to me. While I enjoyed the snarkiness of classic Freddy, I do like the notion of updating the character to be darker and more real. Plus, anything compared to Silent Hill (a horrible film but epically creepy in its execution) in terms of inherent creepiness is A-OK by me.

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31 Fates Worse Than Death! (#3: Friday the 13th '09)

Oct 29th 2009 9:33PM by: Peter Hall

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I have been a supporter of Platinum Dunes since they, against expectations, didn't ruin their remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sure, they're the biggest bullseye in the "blame Hollywood's lack of creativity for all these pointless horror remakes" game, and their non-remakes are awful, but I make no apologies when I say I not only enjoyed the Platinum Dunes remake of Friday the 13th, but it's one of my favorite horror films of the year.

Whether you agree with that or not (probably not), it's tough to argue that the Michael Bay produced, Marcus Nispel directed reboot of Jason Voorhees doesn't at least feature one hell of a kill in its opening sequence; a kill that widens my eyes every time I see it, a kill that I know is going to make me a little apprehensive the next time I snuggled up to a campfire in my sleeping bag.

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Don't Fall Asleep! Here's 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' Teaser!

Sep 28th 2009 6:03AM by: Elisabeth Rappe

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Fittingly, Platinum Dunes' remake of A Nightmare On Elm Street popped online via MySpace Trailer Park during the witching hour, and just in time for Halloween. While it's only a teaser, it manages to pack Freddy Krueger's origin story into a few horrifying frames. You actually feel bad for the (alleged?) child molester, something that's due entirely to Jackie Earle Haley. I'm beginning to think he can make you feel sympathetic for just about anyone.

This teaser also offers us the first look at Freddy's new make-up. This has been a rather well-kept secret in these spoiler-happy days, and even at ComicCon they were being quite tight-lipped about what he was going to look like, except that it would be "more extreme" than before. You don't get a very good look at Freddy in this teaser, but I've screen-capped the close-up and ran it through Photoshop. If you don't like it, don't criticize the filmmakers too much, as I've de-shadowed and sharpened quite a bit. (I've included an unedited photo in the gallery below for those more curious.) That said, I'm not sure I'm a fan of it because it looks a little too CGI. (I'm not sure if it is. I'm speaking entirely from ignorance. Our William Goss will soon tell us, he was there!) But it's one look and it's still early in post-production, so I'm not going to judge too harshly. Otherwise, the film looks like a fairly standard and bigger budgeted remake, and more promising than most purely because of Mr. Haley. I think he's going to knock this one out of the park, and scare the sleep out of us.

The trailer is below the jump, and the new Nightmare hits theaters on the very unscary date of April 30, 2010.

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This Week's Discs: 'Grace', 'Fear Itself', and a Ton of Classic Blu-rays

Sep 15th 2009 1:35PM by: Peter Hall

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I've gotten behind on my usually-faithful upkeep of a monthly DVD guide, so when Weinberg sent a long a list of all the titles hitting shelves today, I was a little overwhelmed. My wallet has been taking a pounding lately, and this new crop of catalog films newly minted for Blu-ray is certainly not going to let up on the beat down.

Best of the New Releases: Grace, "Fear Itself"
Paul Solet's pregnancy horror film Grace has already been covered here and there on HorrorSquad, but I'll re-cap: I don't like it, Weinberg loves it, and Goss likes it, but doesn't love it. The Blu-ray has been available for the past few weeks exclusively at Best Buy, but today marks the expansion of the both the Grace Blu and DVD flavors to all fine retailers.

The other noteworthy title of the week is the release of NBC's "Masters of Horror" spin-off, "Fear Itself". I haven't seen all of the episodes in the set, mainly because NBC didn't air them all, but it's like all other horror anthology shows. Some episodes work, most don't. I've got a soft-spot for anthologies, though, so this is a rental queue jumper for me.

Filed under: DVD News, Event Calendar

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A Few Early Words from the New 'Elm Street'

Jul 22nd 2009 10:03AM by: William Goss

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A couple of us onliners got an up-close look at the fresh flesh of Jackie Earle Haley's Freddy Krueger last month on the Chicago set of the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and from the sound of things, he'll be making his first public appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con later this week. Though the bulk of our set visit coverage will have to wait until closer to the film's release next April, we can share a bit on what Haley's bringing to the legendary character and what the producers are bringing to the franchise...

Haley: "Robert Englund's done an amazing job over the years playing Freddy. Everybody's that's a fan of Nightmareloves Robert and, you know, that's a challenge when you've got to step in a big man's shoes like that, so it's scary but also exciting. You can't please everybody. All I can do is really just try to work from the heart and do the best job at playing Freddy that I can and hope for the best."

Filed under: News/Reactions, Interviews

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