Is this remake necessary?

This weekend sees the release of a remake of "A Nightmare on Elm Street", which was originally made in 1984. 26 years ago. Which means that most of us have already seen the original and all of its sequels.

The first "Nightmare" introduced the last of the modern-day horror icons in Freddy Kreuger (Robert Englund), a child molester who'd been burned alive by a lynch mob of angry parents. You know the rest of the story, including the fact that Kreuger became a pop culture sensation, moreso than fellow slashers Michael Myers ("Halloween") & Jason Voorhees ("Friday the 13th"), largely because Freddy was a talkative sort. There was money to be made with this dude, and so, Freddy was given his own TV series, and was immortalized musically in not one, but two rap hits, the most famous of which would have to be "Nightmare on My Street", by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, though Kreuger actually did appear, I think, in "Are You Ready For Freddy", by the Fat Boys.

But it's been a few years since Freddy & Jason had at it. Jason's already had his story retold, but the latest word is that plans to re-do "Friday the 13th, Part 2" have been scuttled, due to the remake's less-than-stellar box office performance. Michael was brought back, too, but Rob Zombie had already decided to stop after 2 films.

That brings us to the 2010 model of Freddy. Jackie Earle Haley ("Watchmen", "Shutter Island") takes over for Robert Englund. The rationale is this. Haley, enjoying a career resurrection of his own, is a hot commodity right now. New Line Cinema, which now holds the rights to not just Freddy, but Jason and Leatherface ("Texas Chainsaw Massacre") as well, figured that it was only fair that if Jason & Michael were having their stories redone, so should Freddy. The truth is, unlike the classic trinity of Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolf Man, & Dracula, Freddy, Jason, & Michael are part of our generation. A generation that has produced a new group of Hollywood screenwriters & filmmakers who want to put their own stamp on their favorite characters.

However, the reimagined "Friday the 13th" wasn't that big a hit. "The Wolfman", reincarnated in February, underperformed as well. Hollywood needs to understand that audiences want something that isn't the same old, same old. No matter how you spin it, a key element missing from these "reimaginings" is freshness. There is almost no originality in Hollywood now. Shoot, I've read that they're remaking another 80's film, "The Monster Squad", which will never be confused with the 1976 Saturday morning TV series of the same name.

If there's going to be a horror movie that needs to be remade, it isn't "Nightmare on Elm Street". It's something from the 50's, like "Creature From the Black Lagoon". Oh, sure, the Gill Man was used in "Monster Squad", but aside from that, he's been treated like a red-headed stepchild while the other "Universal Monsters" were brought out of limbo over the last 20 years. Where's the love?

I think it goes without saying I won't be seeing the new "Nightmare on Elm Street". I'm just not interested, thank you very much. I wasn't that big on the original. I get that they want to take advantage of the bigger budget after 26 years and almost a dozen films, and if it succeeds, it's gravy. By Sunday, we'll know if it was a gamble worth taking.