Editorials: Can A Nightmare on Elm Street really be remade?

 One of the popular franchises that came out in the 80s was A Nightmare on Elm Street.

The 80s gave rise to the slasher movies with Friday the 13th movies coming out, My Bloody Valentine, Hellraiser and the sequels to the Halloween franchise.

While most movies were remade and spawned several more sequels, A Nightmare on Elm Street has yet to receive a proper remake. Or requel as explained in detail in the new Scream movie.

A Nightmare on Elm Street was made on a budget of $1.1 million and grossed $57 million worldwide. It received primarily positive reviews and is still considered as one of the scariest movies.

In fact, A Nightmare on Elm Street was one of the first films produced by New Line Cinema who became immensely successful following the movie release. In fact this movie saved the studio from bankruptcy and they nicknamed themselves as the "House that Freddy built."

Till today, A Nightmare on Elm Street is considered the best one in the series although the highest grossing movie was Freddy vs.Jason.

Yes, in 2003 came the crossover movie with Jason Voorhess from Friday the 13th series.

The movie was an instant success and the most profitable one for both franchises. One would think that studios would want to invest in reboots or sequels of both franchises. However that didn't happen.

A Nightmare on Elm Street was remade in 2010. The movie did well at the box office but was criticised heavily for lackluster characters and dull proceedings.

The movie was obviously compared to the original and of course, unfairly.

Following that no other attempt to remake the movie was made.

The original script for the movie released in 1984 had Freddy Krueger being a pedophile but it was quickly changed to his character being a child murderer instead. It seemed less disturbing to do so.

But the 2010 movie decided to go with Freddy being exactly what he was supposed to be in the original script. That factor however, doesn't seem the one that made studios lose interest in reviving the franchise.

In the 80s the slasher movies were popular. The audience was different, they liked one slasher movie and suddenly wanted more. Perhaps they weren't as exposed to the world as much as people are today, too.

The story and its characters were relevant to the times making it easier for the audience to sympathise with them.

But the writing for the 2010 movie was still not upgraded. The Nightmares were not as terrifying as the first. The characters were not well etched out. The story was praised as being faithful to the original but lacking depth.

Freddy, in this movie, was simply not an effective and terrifying villain as he was supposed to be. Or perhaps, the audience has been exposed to so many horror movies and villains, that a formidable villain from the 80s was no longer intimidating.

While the protagonist in the 1984 movie gulped down coffee to stop herself from sleeping and therefore encountering Freddy who killed people in their dreams, the protagonist in the 2010 movie took stolen adrenaline to stay up.

Both movies ended with Freddy pulling  Nancy's mother with him. While the original spawned sequels, the remake never saw a part two. Most of the blame was thrust upon the actor playing Freddy Krueger. He was compared harshly to Robert Englund who played Freddy Krueger in the 80s. Apparently he simply did not have the same daunting presence Robert Englund had and so he was written off completely.

Robert Englund, the actor who made Freddy Krueger what he was, has expressed no desire to reprise his role.  The 74 year old actor has since moved on from his Nightmare killer days and he has been irreplaceable.

Until the studios cast someone as remarkably terrifying Freddy Krueger who will induce fear into the audience, there is little chance of A Nightmare on Elm Street being remade.

The audience is different now. Freddy Krueger has to be relevant, truly horrifying in his actions to leave a mark on the audience. The actor playing Freddy has to exude a certain amount of depravity, a presence that will captivate the audience. And definitely characters that have better backstories and relatable.

Only then can we hope to see A Nightmare on Elm Street film on the screen that will give way to new nightmares.