Midnight brings another ‘Nightmare’

Movie: "A Nightmare on Elm Street"

When: Opening midnight tonight at local theaters

Cast: Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Kellan Lutz, Clancy Brown, Connie Britton

Director: Samuel Bayer

The story: Armed with a razor-blade-fingered glove, serial killer Freddy Kruger invades his victims' dreams and kills them -- resulting in their deaths in reality.

The buzz: After six big-screen nightmares featuring original Freddy, Robert Englund (seven if you count "Freddy vs. Jason"), Oscar-nominee Jackie Earle Haley takes over the iconic role. But he has had plenty of experience playing intimidating characters, from his 1976 turn as Kelly Leak, the baddest of the "Bad News Bears," to his Oscar-nominated supporting role in "Little Children" (as a registered sex offender) and his recent "Shutter Island" portrayal of a criminally insane inmate. But it remains to be seen whether this "Nightmare's" newcomers -- including David Cassidy's daughter Katie and Lutz (alias "Twilight's" Emmett Cullen) will find as much success as one of the youngsters in director Wes Craven's 1984 original: Johnny Depp.