Dave and Thomas Daily Timekillers

Dave and Thomas have noticed a trend in Hollywood over the past few years. As the economy has tanked the studios have resorted to producing a lineup of remakes and sequels, capitalizing on the popularity of well established titles to draw in audiences who are learning to be more frugal with their disposable income. This acts as kinda a safe bet for them. Why produce a completely new and original idea, when you can reproduce an existing story with a built in fan base? They know that with a remake, at least the fans will show up and pay to watch their childhood heroes twisted and destroyed.

Or it could be that Hollywood has just run out of original ideas.

Whichever it is, nowhere has the remake surge been more noticeable than within the horror genre. With keystone titles, such as “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, “Friday the 13th”, “Halloween 1&2″ and “My Bloody Valentine”, having already been reworked and rejuvenated for a younger audience, it came as no surprise to hear that the gloved one himself, Freddy Krueger, was getting an overhaul. Well, the teaser trailer is now out for the new and improved “Nightmare on Elm Street” and it looks like, as with the original, the focus is going to be more on the horror aspect of the Elm Street franchise, than with the campy schlock the series quickly developed into.

This time out, Robert Englund is replaced as Freddy Krueger by Jackie Earle Haley, whom most will recognize as Rorschach from the Watchmen, and some of the older ones may remember as Kelly from “The Bad News Bears”. It will be weird to hear Krueger speaking with a new raspier voice as opposed to Englunds sarcastic tones, but maybe that’s just what the series needs to tone back the camp and dial up the horror.

And don’t be surprised when you start seeing favored horror titles like “Child’s Play”, “Poltergeist”, “Creature from the Black Lagoon”, “Predator”, “Hellraiser” and “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes”; all of which are slated for remakes and that’s just the tip of that iceberg.