EssenceStory
Well Deserved Praise
StunnaKrypto
Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.
CrawlerChunky
In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.
Ogosmith
Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
jeremy-david-kuehnau
A interesting concept and frankly, I could see Hollywood doing a much better adaption of it. With that being said, you can tell it's a labor of love. The cinematography isn't very good and the dialog is downright awful.Further, the portrayal of Freddy Krueger feels really off base. The short film makes assumptions that Krueger already had plans to become a demon and that the song preceded his death, which I don't really personally believe. I can understand the appeal for some people, but unfortunately I just don't feel it's very good.
DDPhilly
The 2011 film that started it all for the Krueger: Tales from Elm Street series! After opening with Krueger (Roberto Lombardi) taunting a victim, the scene changes to Freddy handcuffed in an interrogation room. Lt. Thompson (Shawn Parr) arrives and tries to coax Freddy into confessing. Something Freddy would NEVER do! Eventually, Freddy gets the upper hand and Thompson loses his cool and is dragged out of the room as Freddy continues to taunt him! The film looks a bit grainy (I assume by design), but the acting is amazing and fits neatly into the canon of the original series. Amazingly, I don't see Englund and Saxon when I watch this. I see two actors giving such a believable performance that all I see is Krueger and Thompson.Apparently, the Krueger series is so influential now that there are fan films of this fan series! That "Confessions" movie borrows heavily from these films and even has their Freddy say "pretty please" right before a detective is dragged out of the room! They also copy shots of Krueger in a park, a kid on a swing, Freddy slinking along a wall and more.Not to mention there's an "author" who posted excerpts from his "original" Elm Street prequel book (Razor's Edge?) on Facebook recently that lifts dialogue not only from the original series, but from Blinky Productions Krueger series! I guess Chris and Roberto should be flattered as they were the first...
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Krueger: A Tale from Elm Street" is a 10-minute short movie by director Chris Notarile from almost 5 years ago when he was still under 30. Apparently, he really enjoys these movie and the character of Freddy Krueger as a couple more film should follow. Almost the entire film takes place in an interrogation chamber between the notorious killer and police lieutenant asking questions. The dialogs are fine, nothing truly extraordinary, but well worth the watch in terms of writing. The great strength of this film is however the acting by the lead duo, especially Lombardi who is just a great choice for the character. If you enjoyed this one, check out the other collaborations between Notarile and Lombardi. A very fruitful combination and I recommend this little movie.
Robert Nimmo
This short film, even though it's mainly just about Krueger's Police Interogation after a quick teaser opening, is LEAPS and BOUNDS better than that horrible steaming pile of crap remake that Platinum Dunes/New Line/Warner Bros. had the poor taste to release last year. I've watched this over 2 dozen times already. The framing, lighting, coloring & angles add a unique degree of tension to what would normally be a boring tit-for-tat questioning session. But it's the performances that make this so enjoyable and re-watchable. Shawn Parr delivers an unbelievably believable Donald Thompson that I personally believe would do John Saxon proud. And Roberto Lombardi SHINES as "The Springwood Slasher", Fred Krueger! If a remade Elm Street franchise SHOULD be built around a single actor taking over the Freddy reigns from Robert Englund, it NEEDS to be done with Roberto Lombardi! I had absolutely NO problem envisioning him as Freddy from the first time he's in frame! He's got "IT", simply put. The guys who made this should be given the keys to the franchise from Warner Bros. and BEGGED to make a prequel/reboot/remake/WHATEVER that's actually WORTH watching!