Freddy Himself Shares How He’d Reboot 'Nightmare on Elm Street'

Robert Englund has hung up Freddy Krueger's ugly fedora and razor glove after four decades in the Nightmare on Elm Street films, but that doesn't mean the actor, now in his 70s, is done talking about the series.

He helped create one of the icons of '80s horror, acting in several sequels and a TV series as the terrorizing Freddy.

Speaking with Bloody Disgusting, he discussed his favorite elements of the series (including his favorite film) and where the franchise could go next. He had plenty of ideas and good advice for any horror filmmaker.

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Skip the Origin Story

Englund suggested skipping the whole origin story.

Don't remake the first film again, he said—that didn't work in 2010, and it probably wouldn't work now. Instead, he thinks the franchise should restart with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.

In that film, Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) is sent to a psychiatric ward after a nightmare encounter with Freddy Krueger (Englund). There, she meets a group of teens plagued by the same monster. Dr. Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) knows Freddy well after fighting him herself in the first movie. She helps guide the group to escape him.

According to Englund, the film recaps what came before while launching into fresh territory. Many fans praise it as their favorite of the series.

Englund understands reboots work best when they respect what worked originally while giving audiences something new. He floated the idea of exploring Freddy's backstory as a prequel, similar to what Tobe Hooper did in the Freddy's Nightmares series.

"Really do a backstory before, so you have the story of Nancy and Tina and Glen and everything going on, but you start even before that. That’s what I would do,” he said.

Who Could Play the Next Freddy?

When it comes to casting the next Freddy, Englund was practical. He mentioned Kevin Bacon as someone who nearly took the role years back (a choice that made sense given Bacon's physicality and character actor chops).

But Englund thinks the smarter play now is finding an unknown who can create their own version of the character without the baggage of following his legendary performance.

His suggestion is someone like but not necessarily Doug Jones, known for disappearing into creature roles in films like The Shape of Water and Pan's Labyrinth.

Englund even pitched reimagining Freddy's physical presence entirely, like "a lumbering tall man, perhaps, or someone wiry and shorter than me, and maybe more cat-like or reptilian."

As any good casting director knows, finding the right actor can mean looking past the most obvious choices.

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His Favorite Nightmare Movie Might Surprise You

Englund told Bloody Disgusting that Wes Craven's New Nightmare was his favorite film to make.

However, surprisingly, Freddy vs. Jason is his favorite entry to watch.

It's the crossover some people love to hate. In the film, Krueger is powerless. He recruits the previously dead Jason Voorhees to inflict horror on the teens of Elm Street, sowing the fear that will allow him to return. But of course, they just end up as rivals instead.

In 2023, Englund told Entertainment Weekly, "They went through a lot of scripts. They couldn't quite get it right. It took the genius of Ronnie Yu. I'm really proud of that film. It's really fun to see on a nice big flat screen with the sound turned up and some cold pizza."

Do you agree with Englund? Let us know.