a nightmare on elm street

Growing up Freddy wasn't cheap, but the allure of his sinister voice and pizza face kept us coming back for more. Throughout the years there were some cuckoo products and marketing strategies to promote the five-fingered fiend, some of which you can check out after the jump. Until we can determine if Samuel Bayer's Nightmare on Elm Street remake is a complete disaster or not, enjoy this little stroll down Elm Street.

Put on a pot of coffee and stock up on No-Doze because everyone's favorite bastard son of a hundred maniacs is about to make his big screen comeback. Platinum Dunes has unveiled the second trailer for Samuel Bayer's re-imagining of Wes Craven's classic A Nightmare on Elm Street--and my early reaction is that it looks decent.

The new clip comes courtesy of Trailer Addict and it showcases lots of footage we hadn't seen in the earlier spot during its two-and-a-half minute running time. The most interesting thing, to me anyway, is how many scenes they've recreated from the original film. We knew the bathtub scene was making a comeback, but the new trailer reveals that the "Freddy stretching through the wall like it was made of spandex" scene is coming back as well--with some dodgy looking CGI--and it appears Tina's gravity-defying death scene might be featured too.

For those of you who are wondering, yes, the clip does feature Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy. There was a great deal of concern about the actor's voice after the last trailer debuted--and while it sounds like they've changed it to a certain degree for this trailer, I'm still not feeling it's what it should be. Perhaps it will grow on me in the context of the full performance.

I'm not getting too excited for the film based on these previews--Platinum Dunes has suckered me into a bad remake with a good trailer before--but it's hard to deny that the project shows definite signs of promise.

Jump past the break to check out the new clip. Freddy is set to start stalking your dreams on April 30th.

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."

It's tough to be both a horror fan and a Blu-ray junkie. Sure, any new theatrical release is bound to hit in high definition when it inevitably releases, but studios tend to require some kind of marketing tie-in to justify releasing a catalog horror film on BD. Case in point, Platinum Dunes' upcoming remake of Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. With that bullseye on the horizon, Warner Home Video and New Line finally are out of excuses to hold on to releasing the 1984 original here in the States.

Now I say here in the States because ANOES actually had a Canadian Blu-ray issued early on in the format wars, a disc that is now currently out of print and highly sought after as it boasted a reportedly stunning transfer (new copies of the fabled disc sell on Amazon for $127, used for $66). Hopefully this Stateside WB disc finds the same praise. You can find out when it hits retailers on April 6th. In the meantime, Shock has shared with us the special features you can expect.

- Ready Freddy Focus Points: See alternate takes and learn filmmaking secrets behind the nightmare by jumping to video highlights while watching the movie
- 2 Commentaries: 1.) Director Wes Craven, Co-Stars Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon and Cinematographer Jacques Haitkin, 2.) Wes Craven, Co-Stars Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp and Ronee Blakley, Producer Robert Shaye and Co-Producer Sara Risher Robert Shaye
- Alternate Endings
- 3 Featurettes: The House That Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror; Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street; Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven's Nightmares

[Note: No high res cover art is available yet, so the picture above is from McFarlane Toys' awesome 3D ANOES poster.]

If you love Fred then you will want to visit The Elm Street Legacy official website to browse a dreamscape of behind-the-scene Nightmare on Elm Street goodies. Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, directed by Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch, will be delving deep into the world Wes Craven created in 1984. The film spawned an entire franchise about everyone's favorite bastard son of a hundred maniacs, who we'll be able to see again on April 30 in the Platiun Dunes remake.

From the website:

In this thrilling retrospective, fans will enter the world of Freddy Krueger and A Nightmare On Elm Street like never before: exploring what spurred mastermind Wes Craven to craft the first groundbreaking film; delving deep behind the scenes of the original and all of its sequels; learning how the cast and crew brought their worst nightmares to life; and finally, understanding the impact the series and its mythos have had on modern pop culture and the horror genre.

Narrated by and starring Heather Langenkamp, featuring interviews with the cast and crew spanning every film, and loaded with clips, photographs, storyboards, conceptual art, publicity materials, archival documents and behind-the-scenes footage, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy is the definitive account of what many have called the best, most frightening and imaginative horror franchise in motion picture history.

You'll probably notice some familiar names behind this project including some of the gang at Dread Central. Heather Langenkamp is also serving as executive-producer for the doc which is expected to be released the same month as the remake. You can visit the Legacy website or follow them on Twitter to keep up with everything. While you're there, follow the Horror Squad as well. We're easy and can be lured into the house at 1428 Elm Street with candy.

Platinum Dunes' track record with horror film remakes is generously described as mediocre, which makes the idea of them doing an updated version of Wes Craven's classic A Nightmare on Elm Street scarier than anything one Fred Krueger ever cooked up in a bad dream. I'm hoping for the best, but I'm remaining guarded until I have a chance to sit down and watch the finished product.

The production has been shrouded in secrecy since it was announced--particularly when it comes to Jackie Earle Haley's portrayal of the iconic Freddy. Comic Con attendees got to see some exclusive footage last summer and then the rest of the world got a glimpse of everyone's favorite bastard son of a hundred maniacs in a teaser trailer, but aside from that, Freddy's been treated like he's in the witness protection program.

That doesn't change in this new behind-the-scenes clip, which is featured on the DVD and Blu-ray for The Final Destination. We get little flashes of Haley in the Freddy make-up, but still no full-on view. What we do get is Brad Fuller and Jackie Earle Haley talking about the project and what is reportedly some of the footage from the Comic Con presentation. The film certainly looks good visually--let's all hope the story measures up as well. Oh, and if you were wondering, there's no Freddy dialogue in the clip--so we still don't know if they've changed his voice after the complaints generated with the teaser trailer's debut.

A Nightmare on Elm Street will invade dreams and theaters on April 30th. Click past the jump below to see the new clip. The sound quality isn't great, but it works.

Santa Claws didn't come for someone this year. The UK Border Agency seized a package containing a Freddy Krueger claw-like weapon at Coventry's international postal hub this morning. The claws look like a bad ass combination of brass knuckles and knife blades. In other news, movie geeks everywhere debate that the claws are more Wolverine than Freddy Krueger.

I think knives are nifty too but I'm not so sure about this. "Just gonna use these to slice someone to shreds. No big deal."

Although the border staff is used to discovering weapons, drugs (most recently a boat load of fake Viagra) and other restricted items on a regular basis, I'm sure these razor sharp claws won't be forgotten any time soon. The agency was created in 2008 and is responsible for the safety of UK borders and controlling migration.

I would have put this post under the 'Lunatic Made' category, but, oh, we didn't have one.

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.

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.

The good folk over at Dreadcentral announced that Mezco Toyz has released a cuddly, wuddly serial killer just in time for Christmas. The geektastic movie and television show-related toy company has rolled out the newest edition to their Living Dead Doll line: Senor Frederick Krueger from A Nightmare on Elm Street. They are also set to release an homage to the nightmare man in their Mez-itz line. The Mez-its line is actually a more stylized, vinyl casting of the figure while the Living Dead Doll looks more like something your sister would sleep with at night...if you had the coolest/most bugnuts sister this side of Baby Jane. For full details and more great picks, check out the full story here.