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Parents' Guide to

A Nightmare on Elm Street

By Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Teens sliced and slayed in grisly slasher remake.

Movie R 2010 95 minutes
A Nightmare on Elm Street Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 15+

Based on 28 parent reviews

ETHAN G.
ETHAN G. Adult
March 31, 2018
age 15+

Not to Bad , Good Movie ...

I'm not really a massive fan of Freddy I haven't seen the original a nightmare on elm street I haven't seen Jason vs freddy so was just bored a night on Netflix and on Netflix I found a nightmare on elm street in horror ( this is a remake of a old movie ) and I watched it and tbh I acctualy enjoyed it its pretty creepy a bit scary it did creep me out a bit the violence is quite strong but I think when your 15 your allowed to see the violence is mean some game of thrones eps are 15ins and there really bad so I think if ur 15 and you've seen some 15 game of thrones eps you can watch this there's no sex in this there's a bit of language it's mostly how scary it is and the violence
Annaknight
Annaknight Adult
December 3, 2020
age 14+

Child, 12 years old

I watched this when I was home alone, and it’s honestly not that bad. I’ve never watched the 1984 one, so I can’t compare but I really enjoyed this
See all 28 parent reviews

What's the Story?

On Elm Street, a teen tries to stay awake, apparently afraid of a scary man with knives for fingers who threatens to kill him in his dreams. He eventually succumbs and dies, leading the rest of his friends to fear for their lives. After more grisly deaths, Nancy (Rooney Mara) and Quentin (Kyle Gallner), try to stay awake long enough to find out who Freddie (Jackie Earle Haley) is and what he wants. Their search leads to a terrifying truth, and a mysterious past incident involving all their parents. But even armed with this knowledge, can they still defeat Freddie before their exhaustion catches up with them?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (28 ):
Kids say (116 ):

The idea behind this horror series is still extremely effective. It brings terror to the one place where we should be safe: sleep. This new reboot follows the same structure and uses some of the same scary imagery from Wes Craven's 1984 classic original. It's competently made, and the characters and dialogue feel authentic enough. The digital special effects are more modern, in a way that will appeal to today's teen viewers.

The new movie differs mainly in the character of Freddie. As portrayed by Oscar-nominated Haley, he's less funny and more twisted and tormented, especially in his flashback "origin" sequences. But the suggestion of child molestation brings the movie right out of the "fun" realm; it's far more disturbing than entertaining. Though one saving grace is that the teens in this movie are generally good kids -- not the sex-obsessed or mean teens that often find their way into horror films.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the film's extreme gore and violence. Was it scary? How else did it affect you? What makes horror movies so popular (and profitable)?

  • What is the impact of seeing so many gruesome images in horror movies like these? Teens: Do you think you'd feel less empathy for someone getting hurt if you saw too many movies like this one?

  • Why is Freddie scary? What makes him different from other "slashers" like Jason or Michael Myers? Do you think movies like these condone real violence?

Movie Details

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