A Nightmare on Elm Street Comparison

After watching the teaser trailer for the original 1984 version of A Nightmare on Elm Street and the up and coming 2010 version I came up with some questions that I figured would help to compare the two and see how the new trailer has become more modernised.

What generic concepts were used in the original trailer?

Generic concepts used in this trailer are the slow, unnerving editing techniques and the creepy music used throughout the trailer. These concepts suggest to the audience that the film is a horror. There are regular shots of a creepy claw hand which becomes iconic and the regular showings of this hand is likely to creep the audience out and keep them on the edges of their seats.

What generic concepts were used in the new trailer?

High paced intense music is used in the new trailer with fast, quick editing which puts the audience on edge, suggesting the film is a horror. There is also screaming in the background a lot which is usually a convention used to scare the audience in a horror film. Most of the concepts used are similar to the original so people know what they are watching but it is modernised and make even scarier with the new available technology of today.

How were the trailers similar and different?

The trailers are similar in the way the new trailer includes iconic scenes from the original trailer. these include the claw hand, the red and black coat and the swing scene with a child singing in the background. They are different in the sense that the new trailer is more dramatised and fast paced, whereas the original is more laid back, unnerving and disturbing. this shows each trailer is using different techniques but still creating successful horror to scare the audience.

What did the new trailer try to achieve?

The trailer tried to indicate what the film was to the audience that have seen and heard of this film before and also tried to appeal to a new audience and show enough of the narrative to get a new audience in from a younger generation and still be as effective as it was 26 years ago.