Movies
‘A Nightmare’ in Elk Grove, Illinois
Thumbs up to my parents for actually reading the morning paper (sarcasm). Apparently, my local newspaper The Daily Herald has written an entire article about the filming of A Nightmare on Elm Street, which will take place in the suburbs of Chicago. Inside you can check out the article and maybe you’ll find yourself sneaking to a couple of these locations and snapping some spy footage of your own.
Pictured: Actual school from original Elm Street, read about it here:
From The Daily Herald: “Students at two Northwest suburban high schools will have the chance be in the remake of a classic horror movie, with filming to be done on both campuses, an official said Sunday.
New Line Cinema wants to use Elk Grove High School and Hersey High School in Arlington Heights for an upcoming remake of the classic horror movie “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Elk Grove High Principal Nancy Holman confirmed Sunday. The plans were announced to students during an assembly Friday.
According to the Internet Movie Database, filming begins in Chicago on May 5, with Jackie Earle Haley as the razor-fingered Freddy Krueger. It is scheduled to be released on April 16.
Holman warned, however, that if you look for both high schools to be identified in the movie, you will be wasting your time. The producers only intend the use the locations, not the names.
She said both schools will appear in a couple of scenes.
“They contacted, I think, schools all over the nation,” she said, adding that New Line was looking for a site that had a pool.
In addition to the pool, the film will show the exterior of the building, she said.
Filming will include students swimming in the pool, with students auditioning for the chance.
Holman said this would not be the first time a Northwest Suburban High School District 214 facility has been used for this purpose. She said a teenage movie was filmed at the old Arlington High School.
Elk Grove High student Brian Reddington, 16, of Des Plaines, is interested in auditioning to be in the movie.
At the assembly on Friday, he said, students were told that 200 would be needed for an outdoor scene, but no number was given for the pool scene, although only boys can try out for the pool scene.
One piece of information didn’t go over so well: students would have to be 16 to be eligible for casting. “Of course, the freshman and the younger sophomores weren’t really happy about that.”
Reddington said he has never appeared in a film, but is eager to be used in this one. “The chances of someone filming a movie out here are a little bit scarce.”“
The last time we wrote up a box office story about Curry Barker’s Obsession was at the start of June, when the film passed $200 million at the box office to become the highest grossing horror movie of 2026 (so far). One month later, that worldwide total has DOUBLED.
Worldwide, Curry Barker’s box office phenomenon Obsession has scared up $403 million to date, with the film’s domestic total alone hitting a staggering $245.3 million. We must remind you that the production budget for the independently-made Obsession was a reported $750,000, with distributor Focus Features later acquiring the film for a reported $15 million.
It probably seemed like a big spend for Focus at the time, but it didn’t take very long for the company to start raking in incredible profits from Barker’s little movie that could. Obsession is not only the highest grossing horror movie of 2026 (so far), but at this point it’s become one of the most downright profitable movies in the history of the box office – no matter the genre.
As of last week, Obsession is now also likely making a ton of money at home. The film was released on Digital last Tuesday, and while studios don’t typically report their digital earnings, it’s pretty safe to say that Obsession is making a killing on home video. The physical media release for the film is still incoming as well, with Obsession hitting 4K/Blu-ray next week.
Obsession has now been playing in theaters for just under two months, and it’s still in the Top 10 at the domestic box office here in the early days of July. And the film’s box office run isn’t over yet. Despite the aforementioned at-home release ahead of the holiday, Curry Barker’s Obsession took in another $5.3 million in theaters across the 3-day Fourth of July Weekend!
A24 and director Kane Parsons are nipping at the heels of Focus and Barker with their own horror hit Backrooms, which itself has now hit $349.7 million at the global box office.
The real winner of this particular box office battle? The horror fans, of course. Up next is new franchise installment Evil Dead Burn, which will arrive in theaters this coming weekend.
Stay tuned for more on the Horror Box Office.
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