Mentions of sexual abuse, physical abuse, torture, and murder.
The franchise of A Nightmare On Elm Street hasn’t been active since 2010, but Robert Englund has the best idea to bring Freddy Krueger back – and it’s not a legacy sequel. Wes Craven left an unforgettable and highly influential mark on the horror genre, mostly with his slasher movies, such as A Nightmare On Elm Street. In 1984, Craven introduced the world to Freddy Krueger (Englund), an undead, severely burned child killer with a bladed glove who has a very unique, terrifying, and specific modus operandi.
What Krueger does is haunt his victims in their dreams, where they are most vulnerable, and if he kills them there, they die in real life too. A Nightmare On Elm Street sees Krueger targeting Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends, as they are the children of the people who burned him alive, and he really wants revenge. A Nightmare On Elm Street made way for a franchise with eight more movies (including a remake and a crossover), a TV show, and more, and, surprisingly, it hasn’t been revived yet – but Englund has the best idea to bring Krueger back.
Robert Englund Has An Idea For A Nightmare On Elm Street Prequel
Freddy Krueger Himself Wants His Past To Be Explored
Robert Englund is a legend in the horror genre, in large part thanks to his work as Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise. Englund played Krueger in all movies except the 2010 remake, where Jackie Earle Haley took his place. Englund brought a terrifying slasher villain that has haunted generations of viewers, but also gave it the right amount of comedy when needed, such as in the sequel Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. Despite Englund’s great performances, the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise declined with each sequel.
Robert Englund also played Freddy Krueger in the TV series
Freddy’s Nightmares
.
While A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is regarded as the best sequel, the rest aren’t remembered for their high quality or scares – in fact, they’re known for being messy and even comedic at times. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare saved the franchise in 1994 and Freddy vs. Jason brought some freshness to it in 2003 with a crossover with Friday the 13th, but the 2010 remake ended the franchise. Directed by Samuel Bayer, the remake aimed for a darker retelling of Craven’s original movie but ended up being superficial, predictable, and messy.
Englund shared that he would like to see something “retro” in
A Nightmare On Elm Street
.
With the current trend of reboots and legacy sequels in the horror genre, there have been questions about whether A Nightmare On Elm Street could join the fun or not, and Englund has an idea to revive the franchise without a sequel. Speaking to ComicBook in September 2024, Englund and Langenkamp were asked how Krueger would approach his victims nowadays with social media and smartphones taking over. Englund shared that, while he loves the idea of technology as a tool in a horror narrative, he would like to see something “retro” in A Nightmare On Elm Street.
Englund explained he would like to see a prequel that explores Krueger’s arrest, time in jail, and all the courtroom drama around his case. Englund added that the lawyers could be interesting characters and could be “very sleazy” – after all, Krueger was released because of a technicality. Of course, this story would be before Krueger was burned, so it’s a different man yet the same, as the darkness inside of him is already there. Englund mentioned the prequel could also give more insight into Krueger’s family dynamic with his wife and child, and show “what a twisted soul he is.”
A Nightmare On Elm Street Prequel Would Answer Many Questions About Freddy Krueger’s Past
There Are Still Many Mysteries About Freddy Krueger’s Past
Although the A Nightmare On Elm Street movies have mentioned what happened to Krueger leading up to his death and some have even included a couple of flashbacks, there are still various questions about his past. Dream Warriors revealed that Krueger was the son of Amanda Krueger, a nun and nurse at an asylum. One day, she was accidentally locked into a room with some of the criminals from the asylum, who sexually assaulted her repeatedly.
When she was found, Amanda was barely alive and pregnant, and Freddy was adopted by Mr. Underwood (Alice Cooper), a man with substance-use disorder who abused Freddy throughout his childhood until Freddy murdered him. Throughout his teenage years, Krueger tortured animals and later targeted the children of the people who bullied him as a child. At one point, he met and married Loretta, with whom he had a daughter. However, the murders of the children, how he was caught, his arrest, the trial, release, and his family life weren’t properly explored in the sequels, but they are the perfect material for a prequel.
The 2010 remake of
A Nightmare On Elm Street
changed Krueger’s backstory, turning him into a rapist rather than a murderer.
The prequel can not only explore those parts of Freddy Krueger’s backstory but also confirm or debunk a couple of theories. The biggest theory it could cover is the one that suggests Nancy’s Dad was the one who made the mistake that set Krueger free – and, because of that, he caused his death. The theory says that’s why Krueger went after Nancy, though he already had a reason even if Don wasn’t involved in his release. A prequel would be a lot more beneficial to the franchise and add to the characters’ stories than a sequel that could end up recycling the first movie’s story.
A Nightmare On Elm Street Prequel Would Continue A Recent Horror Trend
The Horror Genre Is Currently Packed With Trends
In addition to the above-mentioned reboots and legacy sequels trends in the horror genre, there’s a prequels one that has mostly benefited some well-known franchises. Perhaps the most notable horror prequel so far is The First Omen, which introduced the biological mother of The Omen’s Damian and how she became the target to bring the Antichrist to life. Another successful prequel was Ti West’s Pearl, which explored the younger years of X’s antagonist of the same name.
Of course, this trend has also seen some not-so-successful prequels, as was the case for Pet Sematary: Bloodlines and, most recently, Apartment 7A, the prequel to Rosemary’s Baby. A prequel to A Nightmare On Elm Street would continue this trend, and if it follows Englund’s idea, it could join the group of successful prequels.
Will A New Nightmare On Elm Street Movie Happen?
The Future Of A Nightmare On Elm Street Looks Unclear
A revival of the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise has been in development since 2015, when it was reported that Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema were working on a second remake. In 2016, the project was said to be in development hell, and two years later, it was said to still be in development while New Line Cinema focused on the franchise of The Conjuring (via Bloody Disgusting).
The latest news on the future of the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise was that the rights had reverted to Wes Craven’s estate in 2019, and there were plans for either a movie or a TV series. At the time of writing, there aren’t any updates on the future of the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise, but that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.
Source: ComicBook, Bloody Disgusting.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The Nightmare on Elm Street is a horror franchise that began with the 1984 film directed by Wes Craven. The series centers on Freddy Krueger, a former child killer who, after being burned alive by the parents of his victims, returns as a vengeful spirit who kills teenagers in their dreams. The franchise became a cornerstone of the horror genre, spawning nine films, a television series, novels, comics, video games, and more. Freddy Krueger, portrayed by Robert Englund in most of the films, is one of the most iconic characters in horror history. The series is known for its imaginative and terrifying dream sequences, blending slasher elements with supernatural horror.
- Character(s)
- Freddy Krueger , Nancy Thompson , Kristen Parker , Jesse Walsh , Alice Johnson , Tina Gray , Dr. Neil Gordon , Kincaid , Joey Crusel , Amanda Krueger
Summary
The Nightmare on Elm Street is a horror franchise that began with the 1984 film directed by Wes Craven. The series centers on Freddy Krueger, a former child killer who, after being burned alive by the parents of his victims, returns as a vengeful spirit who kills teenagers in their dreams. The franchise became a cornerstone of the horror genre, spawning nine films, a television series, novels, comics, video games, and more. Freddy Krueger, portrayed by Robert Englund in most of the films, is one of the most iconic characters in horror history. The series is known for its imaginative and terrifying dream sequences, blending slasher elements with supernatural horror.
