A Nightmare on Elm Street developed into a classic horror franchise, with Freddy Krueger becoming maybe the most iconic horror villain of all time. Beginning with Wes Craven’s original in 1984, Krueger quickly became so popular that they ended up making seven movies with Robert Englund starring as the legendary nightmare fuel. They attempted, foolishly, to reboot the franchise with a new Freddy Krueger, and it failed miserably. But if someone does want to try again, Englund himself has a few ideas.
Robert Englund Shares Where to Start with Freddy Krueger Return
The first A Nightmare on Elm Street movie is such an iconic outing from the late, great Wes Craven that it’s no surprise at all that the 2010 reboot was a failure. It’s hard to live up to something like that. So if the studio wanted to try again, Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund suggests they skip past the original and try one of the many sequels. He believes it’d be wise to start with the third, Dream Warriors. Having watched it last month myself, it is nearly the best movie in the entire franchise, so Englund is spot on.
“They should probably start with three, because they’ve already tried one twice now. “They should start with three, because you get backstory in it, and you could even add a little if you wanted, but it’s a great structure. It explains everything,” Englund said in an interview with Letterboxd. “Then move on to four, then move on to five, which is rather surreal, and also has some more backstory in it. You can’t redo Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. I would either do the standalone part two, and with today’s sensitivity and understanding and outlook, it would be really fun to play with the subtext of part two.”
The subtext he’s speaking about is what led the sequel, Freddy’s Revenge, to become something of a cult classic in the LGBTQ community. “Jack [Sholder] doesn’t say that he set out to make a gay horror movie, yet it’s certainly there in the subtext, and it was there on the page. Anybody who’s in denial is just being defensive. You don’t choose to stage those scenes like that. I mean, again, the bar sequence, and the shower sequence … What in the wide world of sports do you think is going on there?”
Regardless, there are options for anyone who wants to reboot the franchise and remake one of the movies. They just can’t start with the original, because it’s bordering on immortal status and with one failed attempt already, it’s best to try anything else. That includes a new movie entirely, which Englund also has a plan for.
Robert Englund Has Idea for Freddy Krueger Origin Film
If nothing else, someone could take up the A Nightmare on Elm Street mantle and continue the franchise, although going backward is the only real option at this point. There’s ample opportunity, as Robert Englund pointed out, for a prequel, though.
“I would go back to Freddy’s childhood, and go all the way up to his first crimes, Krueger’s first kills. I would have a couple of bumbling cops catch him, finally, but make mistakes. He would go to trial, and then you’d have two great characters—the ambulance-chasing lawyers—and they would get him off,” he said.
“Those would be terrific roles, and you could bring in wonderful character actors to play those parts. You’d have the courtroom scenes, Freddy could then walk down the court stairs after he’s acquitted because of mistakes the bumbling cops made, and you could have him gloat and go back to his boiler room, and of course, the vigilante parents trap him there and burn him alive, and that would be the end,” Englund finished.
Conclusion
It’s unclear just how realistic any of this is. Robert Englund might not play Freddy Krueger again, which would make anything a hard sell. Could another actor bring the horror villain to life in a meaningful, interesting way? It’s hard to say, but comparisons would be unfair, unflattering, and inevitable. But if they’re going to do something, which is what happens with most popular IPs these days, then Englund has a few good ideas he’d like to see take shape.
