NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET Remake Details
By Norm Schrager at February 1, 2009 | 11:20 am | Print
First, we get a remake of Sean Cunningham’s Friday the 13th (coming 2/13/09). Then, a remake of Cunningham and Wes Craven’s 1972 low-budget revengefest The Last House on the Left (coming 3/13/09). Now in the works, another remake of a Craven classic: The 1984 horror myth A Nightmare on Elm Street.
This is one horror franchise that could probably use a solid reset. As with many scare series, Nightmare started fairly strong — the original is ambitious, appealingly cheap and often creative – but the six sequels are of varying quality, usually poor.
Shooting is scheduled to begin in Chicago within the next few months for a 2010 release, according to production company Platinum Dunes (they remade The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in ’03, The Amityville Horror in ’05 and The Hitcher in ’07). Some online information points to screenwriter Wesley Strick as the director, but a SciFi Wire interview reveals a director hasn’t been chosen yet.
How about Robert Englund, the long-time Freddy Krueger actor, the Bruce Campbell of the slasher world? Forget it. He won’t return, but Platinum Dunes’ Brad Fuller claims to have interest from some “high-level actors.”
While out promoting Friday the 13th, Fuller admitted the remake would be the same story as the original, but the film would “end up going into our own kind of weird world,” as Fuller believes their movies often do.
You want weird? How about an original script, based on an original idea? I understand there’s profit in familiarity, but there’s beauty in taking something familiar and starting from scratch too…
:: BASIC NIGHTMARE FACTS
:: Wes Craven was against A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (and the idea of a franchise) and did not contribute to the film.
:: Frank Darabont, director of The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist, was a co-writer on A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
:: Director Stephen Hopkins followed the fifth film, A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child with another sequel, Predator 2.
:: The only sequel written and directed by Wes Craven is his personal poke at the endless franchise, New Nightmare.
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James Gilks, 1 year ago
This is James Gilks (owner of SerialKillerCalendar.com). Let me start by saying that I love Robert Englund. He is a talented actor and a treasure to the horror industry. That said, I really hope that he is not cast as Freddy in the new Nightmare on Elm St remake. I understand that this is practically blasphemy in the horror fan community. It is tantamount to saying that Hellraiser 1 was slow and poorly made (which it is but thats another story). The truth is that Freddy Kruger has the potential to be one of the most terrifying and truly lasting characters in horror movie history. He is a serial killer pedophile with knifes for fingers that can get to you at your most vulnerable (when your sleeping). This is pure nightmare fuel (no pun intended) and put in the right hands, this franchise could be reborn as something extremely horrific that will stand the test of time. Now, Robert Englund brings a great humor to the role and helps to dull the edge of the atrocities on the screen. I love this and the original Nightmare on Elm St series is one of my favorites. But is that really what we want? Do we truly need the horror and sheer disturbingness of this character desensitized by one liners and cheep visual gags. I honestly don’t think we do. I am hoping for a gritty, in your face realism that paints Freddy as the monster he really is. I think we would be far more impacted if the film makers drew their inspiration from real life pedophile serial killers such as Albert Fish, Peter Kurten or Carl Panzram. What we need now, in these cold and uncaring times, is a Freddy Kruger that doesn’t pull any punches. We need truly dark and devious creature who can transform our once terrifying bogyman in to something that will really give us nightmares. And, unfortunately, I just don’t think Robert Englund (who I mean no offense to) can bring us this.
Well, that’s just the opinion of someone who runs a company devoted to selling serial killer merchandise so you can take it or leave it. I hope you can all stop by SerialKillerCalendar.com to pick up some morbid merch (including the new Serial Killer Magazine, Serial Killer Trading Cards and Serial Killer Action Figures. I know, its a shameless display of self promotion but really, I have to justify reading up on Batman Movies while I am supposed to be working somehow.
James Gilks
Owner of SerialKillerCalendar.com and Editor of Serial Killer Magazine.