10 Horror Movie Performances That Fell Totally Flat

8. Rooney Mara - A Nightmare On Elm Street (2010)

Scream 2022 Sam
Warner Bros.

Rooney Mara, who is great in basically everything, gave a total flatline of a performance as protagonist Nancy Holbrook in 2010's thankless remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Mara may as well have had "paycheck role" written on her forehead, because her checked-out, even somnambulant work here makes no attempt to mask her disinterest.

Tellingly, shortly after the film's release Mara freely admitted that she attempted to self-sabotage her audition for the part because she didn't actually want to star in it, but accidentally won the role anyway.

And so, it's easy to appreciate why Mara basically mailed in her performance from another continent, but her lack of commitment also made an already uninspired remake even less interesting.

When you add to this the unavoidable comparisons between Mara and Heather Langenkamp's vastly superior, iconic turn as the original Nancy, it's just a total miss of a performance. 

Thankfully for Mara, the Elm Street remake quickly faded into obscurity like a half-forgotten dream, and few likely remember she was even in it.

 
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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.