HOLLYWOOD—Last week, we tackled horror icon Jason Voorhees and why he is a staple in the genre. This week, we tackle another icon from the 80s, who made falling asleep a frightening thing. That’s right, we’re talking about everyone’s favorite dream stalker: Freddy Krueger. The idea of Freddy Krueger was imagined from horror legend Wes Craven. This concept is beyond original; it’s fantastic. Create a villain who kills his victims in their dreams. If you die in your sleep, you die in real life. Epic.
The concept made “A Nightmare onElm Street” (1984) a classic. It was indeed unsettling, and Freddy Krueger was a menace to say the least. As with Jason Voorhees, there is no point in us mentioning the second installment, as it was a complete mess. However, the third chapter in the series, “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” may have succeeded in proving a sequel can indeed be better than the original. It was clever, mesmerizing and had a plot that connected to the viewer. It also saw the return of Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) and introduced audiences to a wittier villain. It also set the staple ground for audiences to discover that even a main character can bite the dust, as did Nancy.
“A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” was another feat in storytelling, which saw the remaining children of Elm Street be picked off one-by-one by Freddy, after he was resurrected from beyond the grave. There were some loopholes in the plotline of this picture, but its tact to introduce new characters and a heroine that would give Krueger a run for his money was a treat. The fifth chapter in the franchise was another fiasco that really didn’t work in my opinion. It had a very clever idea, but “The Dream Child” just couldn’t find its footing. The same could be said for the rumored “Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare.” This installment saw the dream stalker meet his match once and for all, in thrilling 3D. This disappoints me, as the 3D really was non-existent.
Original creator Wes Craven, returned to the franchise with a darker tale with “Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.” I loved this movie for its take on bringing Freddy into the ‘real’ world with characters that starred in the original movie. Krueger had a fresh look and was more insidious than in previous installments. I must say it was a difficult picture to understand on first viewing, which is why so many people may have been deterred. As with “Friday the 13th,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” also saw a remake in 2010, with Jackie Earle Haley stepping into the shoes of Robert Englund.
The remake was quite laughable to say the least because nothing really made the picture unique; similar to the Jason Voorhees saga it was a copy and paste. If any of the icons of the 80s, deserves a new tale it’s Freddy Krueger. Why? In dreams, there is no limitation to what can be done. All I will say is that I have an idea for the franchise that will be jaw-dropping to audiences if it was revealed. Unfortunately, that is one secret that I will never tell!
So why is Freddy Krueger an icon? Simply, put he made it fearful to fall asleep. Dreams are something that are apart of everyone’s lives. Young, old, black, white, smart, dumb, dreams do not discriminate and the idea of something or someone haunting those dreams heightens the fear of falling asleep. Freddy Krueger was the quintessential boogeyman that we all feared as kids and to see that manifest on the screen was a daunting task to say the least, but accomplished so thrilling by director Wes Craven.
Why no one else thought of this idea is beyond me, but trust, Freddy Krueger is one horror icon that still has plenty of frights to deliver, all it takes is the right story. The villain does indeed have to knock-off the wise crack jokes, which have made him more of a comedian than a threat. Make Krueger a menace as he once was and make it clear his intentions are treacherous. If a villain is presented as a threatening presence the audience is likely to perceive that notion. With the right ingredients, Freddy Krueger can make it where we’ll never be able to sleep again.
By LaDale Anderson
