Robert Englund Talks New Freddy Krueger
Whilst the fans have been less than forgiving, Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, has expressed how he feels about being replaced in the role which made him a genre icon. Jackie Earle Haley, previously seen in the likes of Watchmen, will don the glove and hat and terrorise the kids of Elm Street, including Nancy Thompson (Rooney Mara).
“I’m a fan,” says Englund regarding his successor. “Jackie is not big, and I think that Jackie’s size is gonna really work for him as Freddy Krueger. Because I’ve always in my mindset imagined… One of the metaphors or one of the images I’ve used for Freddy is a little rabid dog that just bites your ankle and holds on. A little yelping dog. And I think Jackie brings that, with his own physicality, to the role, without ever having to work it a little bit. He doesn’t really have to work that. He brings that naturally with who he is, which I think is really part of the way I see it.”
Englund has even expressed how he feels the time has come for Elm Street to be re-invented. “I think of all the recent remakes – whether it was Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday the 13th or Halloween – of all of them, the original Nightmare on Elm Street, as wonderful and as frightening and as original as Wes Craven’s is, I do know – I was there – I do know we almost ran out of money, and it lends itself to the new technology, more so than any of these other remakes, except perhaps King Kong. So I really am looking forward to how they exploit the dreamscape with CGI and all of the new technologies that they have at their fingertips. That is something I think that is appropriate and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Source: FEARnet
I’m a pretty positive guy when it comes to slasher movies and their remakes, but it’s pretty sad that they went out and got someone that looked like Robert Englund but was a bigger or more relevant ‘name’. If they were truly interested in presenting a new vision, why not go back to the original concept of getting a big guy to play Freddy? Because then we’d complain like we did with HALLOWEEN’s Tyler Mane. So there is no textbook for pleasing everyone, I guess.
I don’t want CGI. I don’t want to be able to tell the difference between the real world and the dream world. That’s one of the scary things about the original. In the original it’s kinda hard to tell the difference between the two worlds. CGI would make it way too obvious.
I want the dream world to look like the real world not some CGI set-piece.
I agree with Jay. They pulled it off in 1984 without any CGI. A little here and there would help with the visualization of the story, but too much is overkill. I think that’s the problem with a lot of big budget horror these days. We get lost in the CGI and forget about the story.
I doubt there will be too much CGI considering they have the same budget on this that they spent on the FRIDAY redux. But hey, I couldn’t get through the script so what do I know.
If it’s easier for them to use CGI instead of practical effects they’ll do it coz filmmakers are lazy nowadays. I still love the idea of FX artists baking heads in their wive’s ovens and using basic household products as props with a little decoration. That’s true movie magic, computer graphics seem to lack that element that made me fall in love with film.
You’re right Christian. When I was growing up I’d re-watch Friday 13th over and over to work out the effects where done. That magic is gone thanks to cgi
I agree. It took me years to figure out how an arrow went through Kevin Bacon’s throat, yet he still appeared in Footlosse a few years later. That’s why no matter how much people slag off the eighties I will always have a soft spot for the decade.
i hate cgi esecialy in midnight meatrain and my bloody valentine remake it looks fake and whay would anyone wanna see a diff freddy krueger , at least robert is positive,
CGI has taken the art out of Special Effects. CGI can be done on Imacs these days. Back then, it took a true artist to create some of those effects we fell in love with.
Rob Bottin comes to mind with his amazing talents on The Thing and Piranha.
I\’m a huge Robert Englund fan and I have to say that I really hate the idea of a new Freddy. All the recent re-makes have been cool but they all lack the magic that the originals had and I think the new Nightmare will lack even more magic without Robert.
Whats the big deal with them using dude from WATCHMEN? hes a good actor. and he has what I think was the most phycological and frightnig thing about the nightmare movies, specialy the First film…Hes creepy, small built. looks like he can play a sick child molester/murderer and his face is amazing. imagin the beginning of the film we get to see him as a Mr roggers sorta looking guy..with something not quite trusting about him. a with the CGI thing?? if its not abused it can be Grate! I haveto say this..Freddy Vs Jason was pathetic..it was! I went and saw it but by No strech of the imagination was it frightning at anny point.Matter of fact Me and my friends (WHO ARE NIGHTMARE FANS!! were laughing. we were just intertained and brought (na-sal-ja)loning for the old days. but with this it can go to a dark place..darker than the 80’s. Freddy was a FILTHY CHILD MURDER..borderline rapist! the creepier the better. Think about it. even in Freddy Vs jason I admit ! there were times i felt were realy good set ups!! rember the drunk girl at the party who strayed off then went in the barn then it turned into the Boiler room!? that was true Nightmare On Elm street material to me. and if thay do even those small things..like lighting,,not even so much CGI the movie will be grate! and the strang things freddy dose like that worm in a sequel he turned into a went trough the floor? certen things like that could be CGI. it has so much potental to be so memeriable in THE BEST WAY. OH AND i do like Freddys side cracks…BUT a little gos a long way..you know?
i agree with the no cgi stuff. it makes the movie fake looking….for instance the newest king kong…it was so terrible!! i have been trying to keep up with the new pics, videos and info on the remake. let me tell you i was sooo dissapointed to hear thAT robert englund would not be playing freddy in the new nightmare remake. i grew up watching the nightmare movies. robert played my fave guy ever!! FREDDY.. all i know is robert is freddy the one and olny…theres not much that will change that. but we will see how they do with the movie it will either be a really bad flop or a really big success….depends on the crowd there projecting to the old rock hard fans….or the newbies…makes me wonder…
I also grew up watching robert englund play freddy there my favourite horror movie and i love freddy kruger as a character i had the claw lol but my little brother was shit scared of the first one any of the others he would watch but put the original nightmare on elm on and boom he would cry especially on the part in the ali way with the long arms and the this is god part wich is pretty creepy i just hope tht they go mollow with the cgi and make freddy more dark and scary plus no one could do freddys evil laugh as good as robert
CGI is so late 90’s. Special F/X artists need to make a comeback and come up with a new form of effects. CGI will never look good no matter how “real” they get it, and it often times ruins a film for me. The reason we watch these horror films is for the death scenes…not the wonderful character development. Give me fake blood and rubber, not some pixeled CGI mess. I REALLY hope they don’t go that route with NOES. As for the new Freddy, I don’t see a need for a new actor unless they REALLY plan on dragging out a new franchise. Englund was Freddy just a few years ago in FvJ and he still had it. Robert Englund IS Freddy. Anyone else will look like a cheap imitation. It’s one thing if he wore a mask and didn’t speak, but Freddy’s got a personality. It will be hard to watch someone on screen TRYING to talk/act like “Freddy” that isn’t Robert.
-RHR
i hope it reeks just as much as the new jason
i think its crazy. what i cant under stand why mess with a go thing. i can only hope to see him in freddy vs jason 2 if there is one.ps i would of liked to see robert star in stepfahter
I just watched the new trailer for A Nightmare on Elm Str. I have all the nightmare movies. I’m upset Robert Englund isn’t playing Freddy, I heard the way that other guy talked and maybe they should have brought Robert in to do a voice-over. I’m not saying this new guy isn’t a good actor, but I hate movie’s that don’t stick with originality, from the beginning, even if Robert’s older. And I’d like to leave a comment about CGI. In some movie’s it works. In horror, not so much. The one thing I bring up about this stuff is in fact, one of the old zombie movies, by George Romaro, the zombies biting off arms, and the slimy bloody goop flying everywhere. I’m big on looks. For horror, the slimier, sticky, thick, good color blood. CGI makes everything in that aspect look horrible. You would think things would get better the farther we go along, but it gets worse. If you like gore, they do to much too fast ya know. You need instances that don’t happen often, but the scenes could be amazing if they played it right. I love all the older movies. Newer movies really don’t appeal to me, only to watch it just to watch it.
The movie will be great to see (and scary i’m sure), but without Robert Englund (and HIS voice!) I think i will not ever be as happy with it as i have been with the “non-CGI”-classic horror that i’ve loved for YEARS!! Your fans love you ROBERT!!!
i love freddy i use 2 have posters of him n evry thing
i would go see it only coz ima fan and b/cit was scary back den da way technology is now of days freddy came out da 80’s thru da 90’s n i was scared back den but still OMG!!!!!! im just mad coz i love da original look n his voive n evry thing my friends think im sick coz im in love wif freddy krueger da way he looks n da way he kills…. but now his voice changed and now hight omg it is not da same just think when u ger use 2 a cartoon character n u like da way they are n den his voice is not da same u dont like it or u just weirdout about it.. idk when dat happen 2 raphael from the ninja turtle back in da day i was mad but i got use to it… still he is not tall robert englund was tall da new guy is short it is like freddy shrunk grrrrrrr! but w.e ima see it im not happy wif it but all i kno he betta play da role right coz freddy is not only a killer he is funny to n dat is wa i loved about him he plays wif his in a crazy sick n lmfao way b4 he kills den so ima fan big time fan dont let me down dont let da FANS!!!!! down
i love freddy i use 2 have posters of him n evry thing
i would go see it only coz ima fan and b/cit was scary back den da way technology is now of days freddy came out da 80’s thru da 90’s n i was scared back den but still OMG!!!!!! im just mad coz i love da original look n his voive n evry thing my friends think im sick coz im in love wif freddy krueger da way he looks n da way he kills…. but now his voice changed and now hight omg it is not da same just think when u ger use 2 a cartoon character n u like da way they are n den his voice is not da same u dont like it or u just weirdout about it.. idk when dat happen 2 raphael from the ninja turtle back in da day i was mad but i got use to it… still he is not tall robert englund was tall da new guy is short it is like freddy shrunk grrrrrrr! but w.e ima see it im not happy wif it but all i kno he betta play da role right coz freddy is not only a killer he is funny to n dat is wa i loved about him he plays wif his in a crazy sick n lmfao way b4 he kills den so ima fan big time fan dont let me down dont let da FANS!!!!! down
Jerzey….What language are you typing??? Saw the trailer and i think it looks quite good. It can’t be any worse than most of the others entries.
Englund is a class guy, no doubt about it. VERY cool of him to give props to Haley, and “pass the torch” so to speak. Make no mistake, Englund created Krueger as much as Wes Craven did, but I liken this to the days when Christopher Lee took up the mantle of Dracula. While Legosi created that role on film, Lee did an awesome job, that turned out to be just as iconic.
That’s an interesting point.
very interesting point
im starting to get excited to see this new movie.
Regardless of how they make the new Freddy look or feel so to speak Robert Englund will always and forever be the man “Freddy Krueger…Long live the legend
I am a hardcore Freddy Krueger fan…repeat, Freddy Krueger a.k.a Robert Englund! I can’t even believe they would think of doing it with someone else. I’m not saying the new guy may not be good but for the people who actually watched the original movies in the 80s, like me, it just won’t be the same. His voice is part of what made the movies so scary. I agree with remaking the movie with less puns since the latter films were more funny than scary, but I don’t think switching the icon is a good idea. When I heard the voice in the trailer I was very disappointed
I agree with the fact that the old way to do horror films was the best…I still haven’t seen a truly scary movie done after the 80s…computers help for some things but definitely ruin others (like creativity in using everyday materials to scare us!)
The Elm Street series stopped being effective after the third and just became a joke. I’m not interested at all in watching the remake, but if roles like Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman can be played by multiple actors then why not Freddy Krueger? Hell, even Jason and Michael have gone to different actors/stuntmen over the years. This remake will suck, but it won’t be because of which actor is playing the role, it will be because of the lame script and the filmmakers involved.
And you seriously haven’t seen a truly scary movie done after the 80s? Wow, look outside of Hollywood, there’s loads of them!
Im a massive fan. I am 11 and have seen the very first original nightmare film. the idea of replacing robert is terrible. i cant beilive how much cgi they are using in thr remake. it took me forever to work out how the special effects wee done when i watched the film this summer. and im pretty bright for an 11 year old. i think its terrible that there replacing the original
kez
xxx
he’s back again i so sad robert’s not play freddy i grew up watching my play that role which scared me to death every night i used to fight over who was better jason or freddy my choice was freddy i remember 1985 the first time i saw freddy i was like he gonna get me when i sleep robert gave freddy life the new guys cool and i will see it but its not going to same they could have given him that role one last nightmare all nightmare movie to me are awesome a fan of all f vs j 2 is coming he will play it for one last time i know it to be true one two hes coming for you
long live robert aka the true freddy Krueger theres only one with the voice of freddy and thats robert