Freddy Krueger is one of the greatest villains to ever appear in popular culture, not just horror, but everywhere – and this is due mostly in part by Robert Englund’s performance. He painted the character with such a style that was both terrifying and at times even hilarious. Freddy was given an attitude unseen in slashers before or after him, and this brought him to the peak of the 1980s.
Freddy was not just brought back in various sequels, but he influenced an intense amount of merchandise all with the likeness of Robert Englund plastered somewhere about. There were costumes, dolls, music albums, video games, and countless other things you wouldn’t believe. Eventually Freddy even got his own television series which lasted two seasons (and was unfortunately never released on home video in its complete form).
When the pace of the franchise started to slow down following the release of 2003’s Freddy vs Jason, the ultimate crossover featuring A Nightmare on Elm Street’s Freddy Krueger and Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees, all sorts of plans were rumored to be happening. These included ideas for a Freddy vs Jason sequel including Ash Williams from the Evil Dead saga, and even a prequel to the franchise was in the works. Unfortunately neither of these happened.
Rather, something which put a stake further into the franchise’s heart occurred. It all started with the popularity of remaking old school horror icons – first The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was remade in 2003 (around the time of Freddy vs Jason) to great box office success, and Michael Myers followed suit in 2007 to a rather awkward and badly-done remake of Halloween. Friday the 13th was next with its 2009 remake which seemed to mix together parts of the first four franchise films, and everyone wondered how A Nightmare on Elm Street would work out – whether it would be successful, or awful like the majority of remakes were turning out.
Then we got it – a movie that was ultimately untrue to the legend that had been built up for decades. Freddy Krueger’s original actor, who had played him in all the films and television series, was finally replaced by a man named Jackie Earle Haley, and this man just did not live up to expectations. He held none of the charisma that Robert Englund was known for. When Haley spoke, he had more of a monotonous growl to his voice, but when Englund spoke, his voice shifted up and down with both power and a hint of playfulness. You could see that this was a sadistic man having the time of his life (or lack thereof) – being able to live forever in the world of dreams and nightmares.
Fans resented this attempt at remaking the franchise. Besides Freddy being reduced to a lifeless character whose only purpose was to jump out at the camera whenever there was a loud noise, the rest of the cast seemed just as careless and lacking of character. And it seems that Robert Englund agrees, as he stated at the Film & Comic Con in Belfast, Ireland:
“You don’t ever see any of the people happy go-lucky, they’re never untainted, you need to see before and after so you can invest emotionally with the children. They’re practically zombies from the get-go because they’re haunted by Freddy and I think that was a miscalculation.”
The legendary actor also revealed something that brought a lot of hope to Nightmare fans:
“I would certainly like to be invited to do a cameo, to maybe play the cantankerous old professor or the group therapy guy that doesn’t believe they’re having nightmares. I think it would be fun for the audience.”
Although Robert may not play Freddy ever again, it would at least be a wonderful treat to see him return to the franchise in any capacity. His acting style has a lot of range, and he would be enjoyable to watch even as a professor or therapist because he adds so much whenever he’s on screen. And, hopefully wherever New Line Cinema is, they’ll consider this very carefully because it’d be the best way to merge A Nightmare on Elm Street’s past with its future.
Source: Square Eyed TV