SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Fewer one-liners, more flat-liners.

That's what fans should expect when the rebooted Freddy Krueger -- in the form of Watchmen's Jackie Earle Haley -- shreds his way onto screens in April.

"I don't think it's a funny movie. If a character is wisecracking and killing you at the same time, it's not very funny," says Samuel Bayer, director of the new A Nightmare on Elm Street. "I'm taking this very seriously."

The first imagery -- revealing Freddy's signature silhouette -- debuted at this past weekend's Comic-Con.

"It's (going to be) darker, more serious, more intense and hopefully scarier," says Haley, who inherits the role from genre icon Robert Englund.

But just because he's more vicious doesn't mean he's any more fashionable -- sporting the same shears, hat and sweater.

"Standing there for the first time wearing that get-up was trippy," Haley says. "Then to have the makeup on top of the wardrobe, it's surreal."

And, he acknowledges, intimidating.

"It's definitely a scary process, trying to step into the shoes of Robert Englund, who has owned this character for decades. He's done a brilliant job with it. His embodiment -- his performance -- is what makes Freddy who he is."

The two have yet to meet, but Haley hopes they soon will, admittedly for selfish reasons.

"I have an original Nightmare on Elm Street poster, so I want to try to hunt him down so he can sign it and I can hang it in my office. That'd be really cool."

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