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A Nightmare on Elm Street

Play trailer Poster for A Nightmare on Elm Street R Released Apr 30, 2010 1h 36m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
14% Tomatometer 182 Reviews 43% Popcornmeter 100,000+ Ratings
Teenagers Nancy, Quentin, Kris, Jesse and Dean are all neighborhood friends who begin having the same dream of a horribly disfigured man who wears a tattered sweater and a glove made of knives. The man, Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), terrorizes them in their dreams, and the only escape is to wake up. But when one of their number dies violently, the friends realize that what happens in the dream world is real, and the only way to stay alive is to stay awake.
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A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street

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Critics Consensus

Visually faithful but lacking the depth and subversive twists that made the original so memorable, the Nightmare on Elm Street remake lives up to its title in the worst possible way.

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Critics Reviews

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Candice Frederick Reel Talk Online It's cliched, boring, and anticlimactic. Rated: D+ Sep 11, 2017 Full Review Owen Gleiberman Entertainment Weekly I did jump a few times, and I liked Haley's dour malevolence, but overall, the new Nightmare on Elm Street is a by-the-numbers bad dream. Rated: B- Sep 7, 2011 Full Review Christine Champ Film.com Freddy's back -- and he's slicker and more sinister than ever. Rated: B May 6, 2011 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review A Nightmare on Elm Street is just as tedious as the other horror remakes by Platinum Dunes, avoiding any semblance of creative thought or innovative interpretation. Rated: 1/4 Aug 18, 2023 Full Review Nick Rogers Midwest Film Journal Re-imagining a character whose appeal is largely inextricable from his initial era is a suicide mission. Stay too pure to the original & what’s the point? Complications stray from its strengths. It's basically a question of who would fall on the grenade. Rated: .5/5 Nov 1, 2022 Full Review Cody Leach Cody Leach (YouTube) A commendable attempt by Haley to step into near-unfillable shoes is completely let down by a generic copy & paste script and an overuse of unforgivable CGI. Rooney Mara acts like she'd rather be anywhere else and most audience members will feel the same. Rated: 2/5 Aug 20, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Oscar H. This was the WORST remake of a classic 80’s horror flick! Casting director needs to QUIT his job for casting Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger. Side note:Has Jackie Haley ever seen a Freddy Krueger movie?! Highly doubt it! Whatever he was trying to accomplish he FAILED miserably! Someone hit it on the head with their review saying “Let’s forget this remake was ever made!” Moving forward, if any writers have an idea for a remake they must watch this project as an example of what NOT TO DO! Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/29/25 Full Review Dustin H Once again a case where film critics are wrong. This adaptation was great. A burn victim actually looking like a burn victim. Robert earl Haley is the perfect Freddy. And rooney mara was great as well. Overall its the same story over and over again but its a fresh look Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/27/25 Full Review tim s I don't understand the disdain for this movie. While Robert Englund's original portrayal of Freddy Krueger is timeless, Jackie Earle Haley turns in a suitably creepy performance as the fire-scarred killer. The supporting cast is fine, the kills are genuinely bloody, and everything from Haley's deep, gravelly voice to his physical appearance are quite striking. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/21/25 Full Review Kitty B Erase it.. just erase anything & everything of this & let’s pretend this monstrosity never existed Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 08/13/25 Full Review Tom G Lets do the first one again but make it depressing Rated 1 out of 5 stars 07/28/25 Full Review Audience Member only fools think this was bad shows why he is going after them refences from other movie is shown and said either way its good Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/30/25 Full Review Read all reviews
A Nightmare on Elm Street

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Movie Info

Synopsis Teenagers Nancy, Quentin, Kris, Jesse and Dean are all neighborhood friends who begin having the same dream of a horribly disfigured man who wears a tattered sweater and a glove made of knives. The man, Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley), terrorizes them in their dreams, and the only escape is to wake up. But when one of their number dies violently, the friends realize that what happens in the dream world is real, and the only way to stay alive is to stay awake.
Director
Samuel Bayer
Producer
Michael Bay, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller
Screenwriter
Wesley Strick, Eric Heisserer
Distributor
Warner Bros.
Production Co
Platinum Dunes
Rating
R (Language|Disturbing Images|Strong Bloody Horror Violence|Terror)
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 30, 2010, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$63.1M
Runtime
1h 36m
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