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Friday, April 30, 2010
Something that would surprise some (but not all) people about me is that I am obsessed with horror movies. I know, I know - I am a total girly-girl. As I type, I have pink flowers on my blog, high heels on my feet, and a super-cute Hype handbag on my desk. So you might not expect to see my DVD cabinet as full of slasher flicks as it is Reese Witherspoon movies. But believe me, there are few things that thrill me as much as two hours of knife-wielding, scream-filled, running-upstairs-when-obviously-you-should-be-running-out-the-front-door cinematic entertainment. My first horror movie ever was 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street. My mother was also a horror-movie fanatic, and despite my young age (six at the time!), she watched it with me, explaining how they make fake blood, remarking about how many times that scream was probably rehearsed, and contemplating how the camera got that angle. This technical approach not only taught me how to not be scared during the movie, but also what a fascinating combination of behind-the-scenes things had to happen in order to make it.

In the 26 years since, I have probably seen the movie 50 (75? 100?) times. I still count it among my all-time favorites. I have every cheesy sequel on DVD. And a few months ago, when I saw the trailer for the remake of the original that opened in theaters at 12AM today, I almost fell out of my chair. I. Am. So. EXCITED! My husband and I have plans tonight, but he has (reluctantly) agreed to take me to see it tomorrow afternoon. He definitely does not share in my enthusiasm for the N.O.E.S. films. He thinks Freddy is cheesy, and (I'll give him this one) all of the Elm Street movies have the exact same plot. However, being the supportive guy he is, he is indulging me. I have very neutral expectations. As anyone who has seen an array or horror films knows, they can go either way - awesomely frightening or just plain silly. And remakes are even riskier. You're trying to capture all of the essence of something that was amazing the first time around, yet update it enough to create a new audience. Nonetheless, pass or fail, I am (almost deliriously) excited to see what they've done with this movie. From what I see in the trailer, they've tried to keep a few key scenes from the original intact. This is good for movie dorks like myself, who will whisper urgently in their spouse's ear things like "Do you hear that song playing on the car radio?? That song was in the original movie!" All of the characters' names are different, however ("Rod" is now "Quentin"...from the 80's to the 00's people!). So we'll see. Even if it's awful, I can guarantee this: Freddy will always have a special place in my odd little heart.


Posted by April at 5:25 AM |

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At April 30, 2010 at 7:27 AM, Blogger Erin said........
You are ridiculous! Ha ha. Well I hope you have a great time and the movie lives up to your expectations!
 


At May 3, 2010 at 6:59 AM, Blogger April said........
Follow up: the movie was just terrible! :-P I'm still glad I saw it, though - sort of like an act of solidarity.