Any Nightmare on Elm Street reboot must recognize that imaginative kills aren’t just popular window dressing; they’re thematically critical to the franchise. Freddy functions as an avatar of fear, preying on the fears of the Elm Street parents by targeting their children and using the literal nightmares of those children to torture them. Repetitive, generic kills turn Freddy into an ordinary serial killer and remove his power as a metaphor for the dark terror lingering in our subconscious minds.
No matter what tonal direction a Nightmare on Elm Street reboot takes, it needs to find unique ways to scare audiences. In a more serious take on the series, this can be used to explore the psychology and fears of the specific victim. In a more campy, comedic version, the dream logic kills can be used to set up jokes or revel in campy fun.