“I think the difference is that, back in the day, horror films were less respected,” said “Nightmare” star Thomas Dekker. “And so, if someone did a good performance in a supposedly not-gonna-be-very-good movie, and especially if the movie turned out to be good, suddenly they would be given double the respect.” A 22-year-old horror junkie, Dekker’s biggest role to date was a part on the now-canceled TV series “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.”

“Now, horror films are highly regarded and highly respected, especially one of this size,” Dekker said. “They expect automatically good actors to be in it. Friday’s “Nightmare” is the latest remake from producer Bay’s Platinum Dunes, the company behind remakes of “The Amityville Horror,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and “Friday the 13th.