Wes Craven’s legendary slasher A Nightmare on Elm Street is officially getting rebooted again, because Hollywood still hasn’t run out of classic horror films to remake. New Line Cinema This latest version is being developed at Paramount, despite the franchise spending decades at New Line Cinema. If you’ve somehow avoided the films, the original follows Freddy Krueger, the ghost of a murdered school janitor who was killed by the parents of the children he terrorised. Years later, he returns to haunt those same children, now teenagers, by stalking and killing them in their dreams. The announcement came with a statement from Labunka, who said the new film is intended to introduce Freddy to a whole new generation of horror fans. “We know that Wes would have been thrilled to see how horror is taking its long overdue place in the cultural canon,” the statement said. “We can’t wait for all of us to sit together in a dark theatre – around the campfire of today – as the next chapter of the Nightmare story unfolds.” New Line Cinema It’s not even the first attempt at modernising the franchise. A remake landed back in 2010 with Jackie Earle Haley stepping into Freddy’s striped jumper and glove. But, as most horror fans would tell you, the film never came close to matching the original’s legacy. Unsurprisingly, plenty of horror fans aren’t exactly celebrating the news. One person summed up the mood by writing: “People I am begging you to have some conviction and not watch this. These studios need to go damn near bankrupt from losing money on these remakes and be forced to get creative again.” Another said: “They tried this, it’s not the character it’s the actor. Robert Englund was the role. You can’t fix perfect!” Someone else questioned “what’s the point?”, arguing it’s the “same script” and calling it “an unnecessary remake.” New Line Cinema It feels like every few weeks another beloved horror classic is being dusted off for a reboot instead of studios taking a chance on something original. New versions of Carrie, The Mist and The Exorcist are all on the way, Mike Flanagan is once again digging through Stephen King’s back catalogue, and filmmaker Curry Barker is developing yet another Texas Chainsaw Massacre story. The timing is particularly odd because horror is one of the few genres where fresh ideas are actually smashing it. Recent original releases like Obsession and The Backrooms have shown audiences are more than willing to turn up for brand-new concepts if they’re good. Horror doesn’t exactly have a creativity problem right now. If anything, it’s having a bit of a renaissance. For all the latest film and TV updates and hot takes, like our Facebook page. Featured image credit: New Line Cinema Post navigation Next story
