A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most popular horror franchises of all time. Wes Craven’s original slasher took the world by storm, spawning sequels, spin-offs, and one reboot in the 2010s. The sequels were largely hit and miss, eventually leading to Craven returning to direct a meta take (before Scream, notably) on the franchise.
While there are some undeniable lows in the franchise that absolutely dragged on a bit, it’s still one of the most iconic. Modern horror audiences have their tentpole villains, but Freddy Krueger remains a legendary icon of the genre. Few have been as terrifying.
The 2010 reboot was a failure, as it was critically panned and audiences didn’t take to it. It didn’t progress from the one movie, and it seemed that the studios had learned their lesson: leave A Nightmare on Elm Street alone. It is absolutely fine as is, and it has aged pretty well, all things considered.
Well, unfortunate news has just recently broken. Paramount either forgot or ignored that lesson, as they’re set to reboot the franchise once more. Sleeping dogs just can’t be left to lie, it seems.
A Nightmare on Elm Street is Foolishly Being Rebooted Again
The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that A Nightmare on Elm Street is being rebooted at Paramount. The studio reportedly struck a deal with the late Wes Craven’s estate. The movie will come from Paramount’s new genre production group, Paramount Primal, which is led by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules. They are some of the producers behind movies like Barbarian and Friendship.
“We look forward to bringing the world of Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street to a new and completely engaged generation of fans,” Craven’s widow, Iya Labunka, said in a statement. “We know that Wes would have been thrilled to see how horror is taking its long overdue place in the cultural canon. We can’t wait for all of us to sit together in a dark theatre – around the campfire of today – as the next chapter of the Nightmare story unfolds.”
No other details have been revealed, but it is said to be set in the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street and based on the original script from Craven. That may mean that it’s not a direct remake or reboot, but rather a new take on that original story. If that’s the case, then perhaps there’s something there. But if they’re just remaking the movie to kickstart the franchise with modern audiences, it ought to be left alone.
For one thing, no one has been able to fill Robert Englund’s shoes as Freddy Krueger. Anyone cast to play the iconic horror villain will have massive shoes to fill, as Englund is probably not going to be cast again for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is his age. Englund is 79 years old now.
The original was so clever and well-done, and it’s not at all surprising it spawned a huge franchise. But that truly ran its course, with plenty of later sequels being pretty disappointing. The reboot was obviously a huge failure, so it’s a little surprising to see Paramount turn down this road.
This, while horror is being overtaken by young creatives with fresh ideas on original stories. Curry Barker is a hot commodity for his original horror, and Kane Parsons has burst onto the scene with Backrooms. This reboot feels like the antithesis of that. However, Barker is tapped to do a new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, so if the right writer or director gets their hands on this reboot, it could turn out fine. That’s a lot that has to be right for this to work, though, so perhaps it’s better if we just leave it alone this time.
