diff --git a/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php b/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php
index c210b09..17efebf 100644
--- a/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php
+++ b/core/modules/hal/src/Normalizer/FileEntityNormalizer.php
@@ -7,9 +7,7 @@
 
 namespace Drupal\hal\Normalizer;
 
-use Drupal\Component\Utility\SafeMarkup;
 use Symfony\Component\Serializer\Exception\RuntimeException;
-use Symfony\Component\Serializer\Exception\UnexpectedValueException;
 
 /**
  * Converts the Drupal entity object structure to a HAL array structure.
@@ -45,13 +43,13 @@ public function denormalize($data, $class, $format = NULL, array $context = arra
     // Decode and save to file if it's a new file.
     if (!isset($context['request_method']) || $context['request_method'] != 'patch') {
       $file_contents = base64_decode($file_data);
-      $dirname = drupal_dirname($entity->getFileUri());
+      $dirname = \Drupal::service('file_system')->dirname($entity->getFileUri());
       file_prepare_directory($dirname, FILE_CREATE_DIRECTORY);
       if ($uri = file_unmanaged_save_data($file_contents, $entity->getFileUri())) {
         $entity->setFileUri($uri);
       }
       else {
-        throw new RuntimeException(SafeMarkup::format('Failed to write @filename.', array('@filename' => $entity->getFilename())));
+        throw new RuntimeException('failed to write ' . $entity->getFilename());
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/core/modules/hal/src/Tests/EntityTest.php b/core/modules/hal/src/Tests/EntityTest.php
index 5bc136fd..b227eae 100644
--- a/core/modules/hal/src/Tests/EntityTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/hal/src/Tests/EntityTest.php
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 namespace Drupal\hal\Tests;
 
 use Drupal\comment\Tests\CommentTestTrait;
+use Drupal\file\Entity\File;
+use Drupal\user\Entity\User;
 
 /**
  * Tests that nodes and terms are correctly normalized and denormalized.
@@ -227,7 +229,9 @@ public function testComment() {
    * Tests the normalization of files.
    */
   public function testFile() {
-    $user = entity_create('user', array('name' => $this->randomMachineName()));
+    $user = User::create([
+      'name' => $this->randomMachineName(),
+    ]);
     $user->save();
 
     $file_uri = 'public://' . $this->randomMachineName();
@@ -236,11 +240,11 @@ public function testFile() {
     $data = file_get_contents($file_uri);
     $data = base64_encode($data);
     file_put_contents($file_uri, 'hello world');
-    $file = entity_create('file', array(
+    $file = File::create([
       'uid' => $user->id(),
       'uri' => $file_uri,
       'status' => FILE_STATUS_PERMANENT,
-    ));
+    ]);
     $file->save();
 
     $original_values = $file->toArray();
@@ -250,7 +254,7 @@ public function testFile() {
     // Adding data to the entity.
     $normalized['data'][0]['value'] = $data;
     // Use PATCH to avoid trying to create new file on denormalize.
-    $denormalized_file = $this->serializer->denormalize($normalized, 'Drupal\file\Entity\File', $this->format, array('request_method' => 'patch'));
+    $denormalized_file = $this->serializer->denormalize($normalized, File::class, $this->format, ['request_method' => 'patch']);
     // Verify that the ID was skipped by the normalizer.
     $this->assertEqual(NULL, $denormalized_file->id());
 
diff --git a/core/modules/hal/src/Tests/FileFieldNormalizeTest.php b/core/modules/hal/src/Tests/FileFieldNormalizeTest.php
index 7975d7d..b0cfa22 100644
--- a/core/modules/hal/src/Tests/FileFieldNormalizeTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/hal/src/Tests/FileFieldNormalizeTest.php
@@ -19,14 +19,14 @@ class FileFieldNormalizeTest extends NormalizerTestBase {
   /**
    * {@inheritdoc}
    */
-  public static $modules = array(
+  public static $modules = [
     'entity_test',
     'field',
     'image',
     'hal',
     'system',
     'file',
-  );
+  ];
 
   /**
    * {@inheritdoc}
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ class FileFieldNormalizeTest extends NormalizerTestBase {
   public function setUp() {
     parent::setUp();
     $this->installEntitySchema('file');
-    $this->installSchema('file', array('file_usage'));
+    $this->installSchema('file', ['file_usage']);
   }
 
   /**
@@ -44,35 +44,35 @@ public function testFileFieldNormalize() {
     // Create a file.
     $file_name = $this->randomMachineName() . '.txt';
     file_put_contents("public://$file_name", $this->randomString());
-    $file = entity_create('file', array(
+    $file = File::create([
       'uri' => "public://$file_name",
     ));
     $file->save();
 
     // Attach a file field to the bundle.
-    FieldStorageConfig::create(array(
+    FieldStorageConfig::create([
       'type' => 'file',
       'entity_type' => 'entity_test',
       'field_name' => 'field_file',
-    ))->save();
-    FieldConfig::create(array(
+    ])->save();
+    FieldConfig::create([
       'field_name' => 'field_file',
       'entity_type' => 'entity_test',
       'bundle' => 'entity_test',
-    ))->save();
+    ])->save();
 
     // Create an entity referencing the file.
-    $entity = entity_create('entity_test', array(
-      'field_file' => array(
+    $entity = EntityTest::create([
+      'field_file' => [
         'target_id' => $file->id(),
         'display' => 0,
         'description' => 'An attached file',
-      ),
-    ));
+      ],
+    ]);
 
     $serialized = $this->container->get('serializer')->serialize($entity, $this->format);
-    $deserialized = $this->container->get('serializer')->deserialize($serialized, 'Drupal\entity_test\Entity\EntityTest', $this->format);
-    $this->assertEqual($entity->toArray()['field_file'], $deserialized->toArray()['field_file'], "File field is preserved.");
+    $deserialized = $this->container->get('serializer')->deserialize($serialized, EntityTest::class, $this->format);
+    $this->assertEqual($entity->toArray()['field_file'], $deserialized->toArray()['field_file'], 'File field is preserved.');
   }
 
   /**
@@ -82,36 +82,36 @@ public function testImageFieldNormalize() {
     // Create a file.
     $file_name = $this->randomMachineName() . '.png';
     file_put_contents("public://$file_name", $this->randomString());
-    $file = entity_create('file', array(
+    $file = File::create([
       'uri' => "public://$file_name",
-    ));
+    ]);
     $file->save();
 
     // Attach an image field to the bundle.
-    FieldStorageConfig::create(array(
+    FieldStorageConfig::create([
       'type' => 'image',
       'entity_type' => 'entity_test',
       'field_name' => 'field_image',
-    ))->save();
-    FieldConfig::create(array(
+    ])->save();
+    FieldConfig::create([
       'field_name' => 'field_image',
       'entity_type' => 'entity_test',
       'bundle' => 'entity_test',
-    ))->save();
+    ])->save();
 
     // Create an entity referencing the file.
-    $entity = entity_create('entity_test', array(
-      'field_image' => array(
+    $entity = EntityTest::create([
+      'field_image' => [
         'target_id' => $file->id(),
         'title' => $this->randomString(),
         'alt' => $this->randomString(),
         'width' => 400,
         'height' => 300,
-      ),
-    ));
+      ],
+    ]);
 
     $serialized = $this->container->get('serializer')->serialize($entity, $this->format);
-    $deserialized = $this->container->get('serializer')->deserialize($serialized, 'Drupal\entity_test\Entity\EntityTest', $this->format);
-    $this->assertEqual($entity->toArray()['field_image'], $deserialized->toArray()['field_image'], "Image field is preserved.");
+    $deserialized = $this->container->get('serializer')->deserialize($serialized, EntityTest::class, $this->format);
+    $this->assertEqual($entity->toArray()['field_image'], $deserialized->toArray()['field_image'], 'Image field is preserved.');
   }
 }