If you’re a fan of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, the future’s looking a lot brighter for you than it did earlier in the year. Last month, it surfaced that there may well be more of Wes Craven’s creation featuring Freddy Krueger still to come, news which has seemed to please fans around the world.
Why Now?
For years, Robert Englund (Freddy himself) has been denying the possibility of ever returning to the role. After nine movies in the franchise since 1984, this is pretty understandable – playing a serial killer has surely got to eventually take its toll! After all, one of the main reasons that Englund stated only last year that he didn’t have it in him was purely related to age – he’s 71 now, after all. Not that we think that means much these days – there’s plenty of actors in their heyday well into their seventies and beyond, and Englund’s own career has hardly taken a slump, with a myriad of acting credentials in recent years under his belt.
It seems that Englund might be warming to the idea, after appearing on Access Live last month and clarifying his position in a way he never has before. It seems like someone’s been able to entice him further. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Freddy’s recent appearance on the Halloween episode of The Goldbergs went down a treat?
Englund is quoted as saying: “I think they want to reboot the franchise, but they’re gonna need a new actor”. We know, it doesn’t sound good. But he continued: “They’re gonna need a new actor to play Freddy because they’re gonna have to do eight of them.” Okay, still not great for fans of Englund, but we’re listening! “I might have one left in me.” And there’s the kicker. One movie? That’s not a denial. That’s something we can get on board with.
So, there you have it. Now may be the time to bring back not just one movie, but potentially an entire franchise. It just may not be as we know it – but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. As much as we love Englund, we’re excited by the Elm Street franchise as a whole, and one last movie before a takeover could be the perfect transition.
There’s Always Been Hype!
Not only was there enough hype to create nine movies off the back of this franchise already, the movies have historically been a financial success at the box office, despite somewhat mixed reviews from the critics at the time. This shows that audiences can’t get enough of it! Another indicator of the hype is that there was even a crossover movie made, the iconic Freddy vs Jason. This performed amazingly, featuring the protagonist of the Friday 13th franchise.
However, A Nightmare on Elm Street has always had fans willing to go that extra mile, so we’re sure they’ll show dedication in their droves. When it comes to the franchise, merchandise has always been popular, for example with gamers. Even in the early days of video gaming, players could tap into the stories courtesy of Nintendo. And today, that passion continues. Many of the free spins, no deposit casinos listed on Oddschecker actually have a game based around the franchise. The spooky slot, which is filled with suspense and is filled with themed special features – such as a Never Sleep Again bonus.
Finally, there’s even an award-winning 2010 documentary about the franchise. Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy explores – in depth – exactly why these movies are among the most frightening and imaginative horror movies – and they still are to this day.
It’s Not Alone
In the last few years, horror movies have come back into fashion, big time. We’re not saying they ever went “out” per se, but there’s been a huge resurgence of slasher movies in particular, and so in terms of a reboot, this would be a perfect time. Just look at how well the Halloween movie went down this year, drawing parallels with Nightmare on Elm Street because of how well it featured Jamie Lee Curtis all these years later, still making the film her own.
This isn’t the first time that there’s been talk of another A Nightmare on Elm Street movie – and in fact, back in 2015, a lot of rumours surfaced surrounding yet another remake of the 1984 original (following on from the 2010 release). New Line Cinema were said to be keen to make things bigger and better, but it still hasn’t happened yet.
Why We Love the Idea
With this recent news, however, it looks like at least one more movie in the franchise is more than possible, and potentially actually on the cards. We think it would be received incredibly well received by the audiences and if there’s a good a time as any, it’s now.
While Englund may not be able to do more than one movie personally, we are open to the possibility of a new actor filling his shoes, with Englund paving the way in reprising the role one final time. A new take on it could be pretty refreshing. As for who’d play Freddy? Who knows. Let’s take this one step at a time.
A Nightmare on Elm Street and many of the subsequent movies in the franchise are now recognised as bonafide classics, and if there’s anything the cinematic world needs, it’s more of those.
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Mark
Keep on working, great job!