1. Nightmare on Elm Street. I liked the first one, third one, and Freddy's Dead. Freddy's Dead is a black comedy, and I usually remove it from my assessment of the franchise because of the disparity in tone and aesthetic. However, I loved the reboot: Jackie Earle Haley made the character terrifying - a product that had been absent since the first film-and I enjoyed how the narrative challenged the viewer's assumptions about the character.
2. Friday the 13th. Considering the first film was a blatant ripoff of Halloween, it took the series a few films to find its own identity. While Alice is my favorite protagonist of the series, Part II is probably my favorite film of the pre-reboot series, even though I rank 3, 4, and 6 equally (they're great movies to watch on a Friday night with friends.) One component that has been missing since part II (or to an extent, III) is the Crazy Ralph character. I had hoped that the reboot would have included him, but, Nispel & Co. opted not to. Speaking of the reboot, I loved every frame of it. It is time with 2 as my favorite Friday the 13th film. The cast was great (esp. Paladecki,) all of the icons/staples of the series were there, Mears was great as Jason, and there were some terrific ideas in the film (such as the network of tunnels underneath the camp site.)
I remember leaving the theater energized and excited about a sequel, but, learned that with the news of the rights transfer, it will probably not happen. Knowing Paramount, they will probably reboot, which will be fine, but a disappointment to fan of the reboot such as myself.
t:. 00's were all about style over substance and too much bad cgi effects. At least 80's and 90's effects were practical and more believable.
