Robert Englund, the actor best known for playing Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series since the mid-1980s, has revealed there's only one way he could play the iconic horror slasher once again. And no, it isn't a traditional return to an upcoming sequel or remake.
Englund spoke to Bloody Disgusting about the upcoming anniversary release of A Nightmare On Elm Street. Directed by Wes Craven in 1984, the groundbreaking film was so successful that it helped to launch an entire movie studio, New Line Cinema. On October 15, the film will receive a 4K physical release, which will be available alongside the current digital version. During the interview, the actor expanded on the film's legacy and Freddy Krueger's place in the pantheon of iconic horror characters. Of course, he was asked the usual question of whether he would play Krueger again, to which Englund gave a very interesting answer:
"There’s no Freddy left in me. I could possibly voice a really high-end, animated version. That would be nice to be asked to do, but I know I can’t do the fight scenes more than one take now, one angle. I just can’t be snapping my head or anything like that. I’m an old dog! Give me a break."
Englund justifies his answer by saying he's too old to participate in such a physical performance. The 77-year-old legend says technology could help, but he quickly seals the fate on his on-screen return to the franchise: "There might be some gimmick thing we could do with a close-up or something, but no, I can’t play him anymore. I’m too old."
However, Englund expresses his love for the idea of returning to the franchise, just not as the titular villain who likes to slice and dice teenagers when they enter his nightmarish worlds. Even if it sounds like a blatant display of fan-servicing, it's still an interesting take proposed by Englund himself:
"I would love to be invited if they reboot Part 3, Dream Warriors, which I think is the most popular film of the franchise. It would be fun to play one of the doctors. The great Priscilla Pointer, Amy Irving’s mother, was in that film. Maybe I could play her part as a male doctor that’s very cynical. A cameo wink to the audience that I don’t buy that there’s this dream demon that everybody’s having the same dream about. It’s in the tradition of remakes, especially with horror, to give an actor that’s been in the original a little cameo, so I think that would be fun."
Could Anybody Else Play Freddy Krueger?
The idea of someone other than Englund slipping on the glove of Freddy is one that seems no closer to finding an answer. More than 14 years have passed since the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street failed to live up to expectations, when Jackie Earle Haley tried his best to breathe life into the iconic character, but many things failed to work. With heavily criticized CGI and make-up effects that just didn't live up to any of Englund's iterations, the remake was not helped by a less than stunning script.
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If A Nightmare on Elm Street gets remade again or another sequel is produced, the casting of Freddy Krueger needs to be spotless. It doesn't matter how many times we speculate or Englund recants his decision not to wear the glove and Fedora again, maybe the answer lies in something fans simply don't want to consider - that it might not be necessary to bring Freddy Krueger back to life at all.
While it is not a sure thing by any means, there have been a lot of successful animated versions of popular franchise finding new audiences and breathing life into tired movie sagas. The most recent of these was Terminator Zero, which hit Netflix last month to great acclaim. So an animated take on A Nightmare on Elm Street may not be the worst idea anyone ever had.
The original 1984 version of A Nightmare on Elm Street is available to stream on Max. The 4K restoration is available on digital today, and the physical disks will be available for purchase on October 15.
A Nightmare On Elm Street
R
Horror
Mystery
Thriller
- Release Date
- April 30, 2010
- Director
- Samuel Bayer
- Cast
- Jackie Earle Haley , Kyle Gallner , Rooney Mara , Katie Cassidy , Thomas Dekker , Kellan Lutz
- Runtime
- 102
- Main Genre
- Horror
- Writers
- Wesley Strick , Eric Heisserer , Wes Craven
- Tagline
- He knows where you sleep.
- Website
- http://nightmareonelmstreet.com/
- Franchise
- A Nightmare on Elm Street