During the 2000s, genre fans experienced an especially turbulent moment where studios were desperate to reboot aging slasher franchises with more modern sensibilities. While genre purists often insist on discarding this era of Blockbuster remakes entirely, I’d argue that this cinematic movement had interesting results which are still worth talking about today.

That’s why I’ve decided to come up with a list ranking all ten of the major slasher remakes released between 2000 and 2010!

As usual, this ranking is obviously based on personal opinion, but keep in mind that I’ll be defining “slasher” as a horror movie where characters are systematically stalked and murdered by a masked/deformed killer in a style reminiscent of John Carpenter’s Halloween. Naturally, this definition leaves out a couple of classic horror remakes like The Hills Have Eyes and The Hitcher. I also won’t be including sequels on the list in order to keep things simple.

That being said, don’t forget to comment below with your own opinion on millennial remakes if you have a different take on the ranking.

With that out of the way, onto the list.

10. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

I don’t think anyone will be surprised to see this infamous remake in last place, but I actually don’t think it’s quite as irredeemable as some folks make it out to be. In a vacuum, the micro-naps are a neat idea, and I actually enjoy both Rooney Mara as the new Nancy and Jackie Earle Haley as a more gruesome Freddy Krueger. It’s also always fun to see Kyle Gallner show up in a scary movie.

The real problem here is that the flick’s new ideas are few and far between, with everything else having been done better in the original series. This is especially unfortunate since 2010’s A Nightmare on Elm Street is a particularly humorless experience that can’t even coast on the inherent entertainment value of Robert Englund’s over-the-top dream demon.

9. Prom Night (2008)

The original Prom Night might not be quite as popular as some of its contemporaries, but it actually happens to be one of the most influential Slashers of all time. The remake, on the other hand, is a serviceable scary movie that you’ll likely forget about the day after you watch it.

I’d be more lenient towards the flick if it at least offered up some interesting kills, but the PG-13 rating makes it all the more frustrating when you realize that the movie is wasting serious talent like Idris Elba and Ming-Na Wen.

8. Sorority Row (2009)

Stewart Hendler’s cheeky reimagining of The House on Sorority Row might not work for every horror enthusiast out there (you really have to be a fan of “mean girl” dialogue and extreme camp to dig this one), but I’m part of the small subset of moviegoers that think this charming little romp is better than the original.

Sorority Row is certainly no masterpiece, but I’m still waiting on that sequel we were teased about nearly two decades ago.

7. Black Christmas (2009)

Unlike the previous entry, 2009’s Black Christmas is by no means an improvement over the original. However, this batshit crazy flick is also so different from Bob Clark’s eerie movie that it’s hard to even compare the two.

When evaluated as a standalone slasher only tangentially related to 1974’s Black Christmas, I’d argue that Glen Morgan’s follow-up is a really fun, not to mention absurd, romp with gnarly kills and a memorable, if at times ridiculous-looking, villain.

6. The Toolbox Murders (2004)

Another remake that only borrows the basic premise of the original and reinvents everything else, Tobe Hooper’s take on The Toolbox Murders is a delightfully bizarre thriller. Feeling like a cross between classic Giallo, Rosemary’s Baby and Konami’s Silent Hill 4, there’s nothing else quite like this weird little horror experiment.

In fact, the only reason I don’t rank this one any higher is the fact that Hooper technically never had the chance to finish shooting the film, with the theatrical cut having been cobbled together from incomplete footage.

5. House of Wax (2005)

The 1953 version of House of Wax was more of a gothic thriller than anything resembling a slasher, and its 1933 predecessor even more so, but Jaume Collet-Serra fully embraced mid-2000s excess when the time came for him to direct his iconic remake.

While the result was more than a little influenced by 1979’s Tourist Trap, it also happened to become an instant cult classic. In fact, 2005’s House of Wax is still remembered fondly as one of the most entertaining B-movies of the 2000s,  and not just because of Paris Hilton’s highly advertised death scene.

4. Friday the 13th (2009)

I never understood the hate for Marcus Nispel’s Friday the 13th. Not only does this flick feature Jason Voorhees at his scariest, except maybe for the sackheaded variant we saw in Part II, but with the exception of the prologue/opening credits that recap the first couple of movies, this could easily have been just another sequel paying homage to all of the franchise’s greatest hits.

In fact, a lot of the criticism directed towards this movie is word-for-word the same kind of complaining that fans used to hear about older films in the series, which is why I think 2009’s Friday the 13th remains a must watch addition to the franchise.

3. Halloween (2007)

I have mixed feelings about Rob Zombie’s Halloween, but I can’t bring myself to call it a bad movie. While I agree that the film shouldn’t have tried to humanize the boogeyman and the parts that simply repeat Carpenter’s work are done so with less elegance, Tyler Mane’s incarnation of Michael Myers is the only version of the character to have ever truly scared me. I also appreciate the breakneck pacing of the second half of the picture.

I actually think that this is a great standalone slasher, with an even better sequel. It’s just not a very faithful recreation of the elements that made Halloween such a fascinating movie in the first place. However, I can’t fault Zombie for at least trying to do something a little different, and that’s why I still rewatch this one almost as often as the 1978 original!

2. My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)

1981’s My Bloody Valentine is one of the most underrated slashers of all time, but its three-dimensional remake is no slouch either! Directed by Patrick Lussier, this over-the-top whodunnit is one of the best in its class despite merely following the classic slasher formula to a T.

I mean, the characters are memorable, Jensen Ackles makes for a great lead, and the kills are awesome even if you watch the movie in 2D, so what else do you need? Hell, my only gripe with the movie is that they don’t reuse the charming Ballad of Harry Warden from the original, though Michael Wandmacher’s new soundtrack is pretty cool, too.

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

Tobe Hooper’s original Texas Chain Saw Massacre captured lightning in a bottle, and the filmmaker himself was aware of this when he came back for a sequel. That’s why a remake attempting to recreate the exact same look and feel of the first movie was never going to work, especially in a post-9/11 society where exaggerated violence had become something that you could watch for free on the nightly news.

With that in mind, Marcus Nispel’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the best retelling of this story that we could have hoped for, with all the blood and guts dialed up to eleven in a neo-grindhouse experience that still holds up as the best slasher remake of the 2000s – and the third-best entry in the Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchise as a whole if you ask me.

The post Ranking Every Major Slasher Remake Of The Early 2000s appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

When is Freddy Krueger entering Fortnite? October 2!

Drop into Freaky Fields or the new Nightmare Neighborhood POI, where Freddy is waiting. Defeat him to claim Freddy’s Nightmare, which let you teleport into range and slash opponents. Reveal enemies with the new Bonerattler SMG, and take aim with returning weapons like the Wood Stake Shotgun and Pumpkin Launcher.

Activate cursed cartridge Overrides that grant invisibility while sprinting, boost damage at low health, or conceal your squad as Halloween props. Take on Five Nights at Freddy’s animatronic bosses to possess one and terrorize the map.

The Horde Rush LTM is back, and on October 8 an updated Nitemare Island arrives in Reload alongside the Stranger Things and Squid Grounds maps.

Outfits from Five Nights at Freddy’s show battle damage and are live in the Shop now. Throughout October, fans will get the opportunity to snag outfits based on A Nightmare on Elm Street, Black Clover, Hollow Knight, 99 Nights in the Forest, Hazbin Hotel, The Purge, Obsession, Slender Man, Beetlejuice, Predator: Badlands, and Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights!

Here’s the content roadmap for October…

The post ‘Fortnitemares’ Kicks Off With New Gameplay Trailer Revealing The Predator, Hazbin Hotel and More appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Hollywood loves to remake, yet so do other filmmaking industries around the world. These other places aren’t just remaking domestic movies, either. As this list demonstrates, localizing imported ideas is fairly common.

The following ten movies are merely a sample of what’s out there when looking for international horror remakes you might not know about.

Seytan (1974)

Seytan, Metin Erksan‘s unofficial remake of 1973’s The Exorcist, has to be seen to be believed. This Turkish version is so brazen with its copying that it never has a chance to form its own personality. Plus, the effects are shoddy, the acting is dubious, and generally speaking, the movie is just very not good. Even so, all of that leads to a lot of incidental amusement.

A Monstrous Corpse (1981)

Of all the zombie movies that Korean filmmaker Kang Beom-gu could’ve semi-remade at the time, he picked something unexpected. No, instead of reimagining, say, Dawn of the Dead, A Monstrous Corpse is based on Jorge Grau‘s The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (a.k.a. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie). Here, a radio transmitter’s ultrasonic wavelengths cause the dead to rise. A Monstrous Corpse is widely considered to be South Korea’s first zombie movie, but obviously it wasn’t the last. You’re in luck, by the way; this K-horror classic is available through the Korean Film Archive.

Srigala (1981)

The Indonesian Srigala is a quasi-remake of 1980’s Friday the 13th. It’s really more accurate to say Sisworo Gautama Putra‘s movie remakes certain scenes, as opposed to the whole movie. Here, some treasure hunters find more than just buried fortune upon reaching their destination; there’s a murderer hunting them down, one by one. By the end, the references to Friday the 13th become obvious.

Mahakaal (1994)

There are at least two Indian riffs on 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, but as of this writing, Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay‘s Mahakaal appears to be the only one to have gotten an official release outside of its homeland. The other, Khooni Murda (1989), has fallen through the cracks. Looking at reviews, that seems understandable. As for Mahakaal, this other Bollywood interpretation includes a character who does a hilariously bad impersonation of Michael Jackson. Par for the course, there’s a lot of singing and dancing in between the horror content.

Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell (1995)

Sam Raimi‘s The Evil Dead inspired a number of filmmakers, to say the least. A few of them, however, saw this as more than an opportunity to do something equally gonzo; they straight up used that iconic horror movie as a blueprint. In the case of Shinichi Fukazawa‘s Japanese cult flick Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell, it “apes so much from Evil Dead that it’s virtually an unauthorized remake”. Story beats and Ash’s signature “groovy” are all included here. What was once so hard to find is now easily available with just the tap of a finger. So, do you dare to discover what’s been rightfully dubbed “The Japanese Evil Dead”?

Kucch to Hai (2003)

While Anurag Basu and Anil V. Kumar‘s Kucch to Hai is said to be a remake of 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer, it also borrows from that movie’s sequel, as well as 1998’s Urban Legend. Keep in mind, no one in charge will confirm any of that. Horror fans, however, can spot an homage, official or otherwise. In this movie, it takes quite a bit of time, plus singing and dancing, before we reach the event that puts a target on the characters’ backs. Just be thankful there’s any attempt at suspense here; sometimes these Bollywood remakes don’t even bother doing that.

Yella (2007)

Prior to Christian Petzold‘s German remake of Carnival of Souls, there was a ’90s version that, in the past, has been torn to shreds by critics and audiences. Although Wes Craven is listed as a producer there, and was also nearly the director, he has little to do with the movie. As for Yella, it’s a more grounded retelling of Souls that’s hard to categorize; it’s more supernaturally tinted than straight up horror. Yet like the original, the story leaves room for interpretation.

Watching (2019)

More and more people have come around to P2, the nasty holiday horror movie that Roger Ebert called “well made” in his review. Nevertheless, P2 wasn’t a huge success, so learning there’s a Korean remake is a small surprise. The setup between Watching and its predecessor is the same; a workaholic is held captive and tortured by a parking garage attendant. Kim Sung-Gi‘s movie, though, has a plot twist that makes it all worthwhile.

Sharktopus (2023)

Remaking bad movies should be more common practice. In the case of Sharktopus, the Chinese version is actually something of an improvement. It’s only fitting that Dongsheng Hu and Shixing Xu‘s movie, one of many Chinese creature-features from the last decade, redoes a SYFY Original. These CGI-ridden spectacles are essentially the same thing, only now more absurd and brainless, if you can believe it.

Handsome Guys (2024)

One of the most random entries here has to be Nam Dong-hyup‘s Handsome Guys, the Korean Tucker & Dale vs. Evil. Indeed, that beloved horror comedy is the basis for this movie, and for at least half of the time, it’s sort of faithful to the original. The style of comedy is also a bit different, but if you’ve watched enough Korean media, you shouldn’t be too caught off guard. Additionally, there is a more pronounced supernatural element in the last act.

The post 10 International Horror Remakes You Might Not Know About appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

AMC has not only announced that Tales from the Crypt‘s The Crypt Keeper would serve as host of this year’s event, but also revealed its full schedule of programming.

The Crypt Keeper, the underground icon from the beloved ’90s cult-classic Tales From the Crypt voiced by John Kassir, will be the official host of this year’s FearFest to mark the 30th anniversary of the epic horror celebration. With presenting sponsor BACARDÍ Rum returning for a second year, the long-running annual horror and genre programming event, featuring over 650 hours of iconic horror films, franchises, new series, specials and more, kicks off Thursday, October 1 on AMC and AMC+.

Famed special effects master, AMC’s longtime creative partner and The Walking Dead director, Greg Nicotero (Creepshow, Guts & Glory) re-created the legendary puppet for a ghoulish refresh, leveraging his expertise in practical effects and creature design to update the Crypt Keeper’s signature look, movement, and personality for today’s audiences. In collaboration with AMC Global Media’s Content Room, the company’s in-house branded entertainment studio, Nicotero directed the Crypt Keeper segments for FearFest with John Kassir providing the signature cackle and wit that cemented the Crypt Keeper’s legacy.

“What a great honor and privilege to re-create this iconic character and get a chance to revisit some of his clever quips and puns with John Kassir again reprising his role,” Nicotero shared in a statement. “Having the chance to re-create Kevin Yagher’s amazing puppet at my studio KNB EFX and get the opportunity to ‘direct him’ in a series of FearFest spots was like going back in time and I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.”

“FearFest has long been one of AMC’s most beloved horror traditions, and we couldn’t be happier to resurrect the Crypt Keeper as this year’s master of ‘scary-monies’ as we celebrate 30 years of FearFest. Revived by Greg Nicotero, a master of special effects and genre storytelling, the Crypt Keeper will give fans a fresh and wickedly fun gateway into our incredible horror library,” Kim Granito, chief marketing officer for AMC Global Media, added. “We’re also proud to partner once again with Bacardi, a brand that perfectly complements FearFest and our celebration of the spirit, creativity and community of horror fandom.”

Here’s the full AMC FearFest 2025 schedule…

Thursday, October 1 – FearFest Halloween Kickoff Marathon: 

• 11am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
• 1pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 3pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 5pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Tales from the Crypt Marathon

Friday, October 2 –AMC Celebrates Insidious Marathon: 

• 8pm: Insidious (15th Anniversary)
• 10:30pm: Insidious: Chapter 2  
• 1am: Insidious: Chapter 3

Saturday, October 3 – Stephen King Marathon: 

• 6:30am: Graveyard Shift
• 8:30am: Pet Sematary
• 10:30am: Silver Bullet
• 12:30pm: Stephen King’s It Part 1
• 2:45pm: Stephen King’s It Part 2  
• 5pm: Christine   
• 7pm: It (2017)
• 10pm: Carrie (2013)
• 12:15am: Misery  

Sunday, October 4 – Slasher Sunday: 

• 12:15pm: Halloween (2007)
• 2:45pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 5pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 7pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode 103

Monday, October 5 – Final Destination Marathon: 

• 8pm: Final Destination (2000)
• 10pm: Final Destination 2
• 12am: The Final Destination (2009)

Tuesday, October 6

• 5:45pm: Thir13een Ghosts  
• 7:45pm: Ghost Ship
• 9:45pm: Jeepers Creepers  

Wednesday, October 7  – Chucky Marathon:

• 3pm: Child’s Play 3  
• 5pm: Child’s Play 2  
• 7pm: Child’s Play (1988)
• 9pm: Bride of Chucky  
• 11pm: Seed of Chucky  
• 1am: Curse of Chucky
• 3am: Cult of Chucky

Thursday, October 8 

• 4:30pm: Stephen King’s It Part 1  
• 6:45pm: Stephen King’s It Part 2
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Carrie (2013)

Friday, October 9 – Run Michael Run Marathon:

• 1pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 3pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 5pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: Halloween (2007)
• 11:30pm: Halloween II (2009)

Saturday, October 10 – Creature Feature: 

• 11am: Leprechaun
• 1pm: Gremlins
• 3:30pm: The Fly
• 5:30pm: The Thing
• 8pm: Tremors
• 10pm: Lake Placid
• 12am: Cujo

Sunday, October 11 – Stephen King Marathon: 

• 7am: Silver Bullet
• 9am: Children of the Corn
• 11:15am: Misery
• 1:45pm: Christine
• 3:45pm: Carrie
• 6pm: It (2017)
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode104

Monday, October 12 – Nightmare on Elm Street Marathon: 

• 11am: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
• 1pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
• 3:15pm: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
• 5:45pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• 8pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 10:15pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
• 12:15am: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
• 2:15am: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

Tuesday, October 13

• 5:30pm: House of Wax
• 8pm: Thir13en Ghosts
• 10pm: Ghost Ship

Wednesday, October 14

• 6pm: Halloween (1978)
• 8pm: Christine
• 10pm: It (2017)

Thursday, October 15 

• 4pm: Halloween II (2009)
• 6:30pm: Halloween (2007)
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Ghost Ship 

Friday, October 16 – Friday the 13th Marathon: 

• 10am: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
• 12pm: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
• 2pm: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
• 4pm: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
• 6pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 8pm: Friday the 13th Part 2
• 10pm: Friday the 13th Part III 

Saturday, October 17  – Final Destination Double Feature 

• 7pm: Final Destination (2000)
• 9pm: Final Destination 2

Sunday, October 18 – Freddy vs Jason Marathon 

• 6:15am: Friday the 13th Part III
• 8:15am: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 10:15am: Friday the 13th Part 2
• 12:15pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• 2:30pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
• 4:30pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 6:45pm: Freddy vs Jason
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil in Silver Episode105

Monday, October 19

• 5pm: From Dusk Till Dawn
• 7pm: Tremors
• 9pm: Jeepers Creepers

Tuesday, October 20

• 6pm: Friday the 13th (2009)
• 8pm: Halloween (2007)
• 10:30pm: Halloween II (2009)

Wednesday, October 21 – Insidious Marathon 

• 7pm: Insidious 
• 9:30pm: Insidious: Chapter 2
• 12am: Insidious: Chapter 3 

Thursday, October 22 

• 5pm: Tremors
• 7pm: Lake Placid
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Final Destination (2000)

Friday, October 23

• 5:45pm: Carrie
• 8pm: It (2017)
• 11pm: Silver Bullet 

Saturday, October 24 – Fear the ’80s

• 7:30am: The Return of the Living Dead
• 9:30am: Cujo
• 11:30am: The Fly
• 1:30pm: Fright Night
• 4pm: The Lost Boys
• 6pm: Christine
• 8pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 10:15pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 12:15am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch

Sunday, October 25 – Halloween Marathon

• 10:30am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers  
• 12:30pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 2:30pm: Halloween (2007)
• 5pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: The Terror: Devil In Silver Episode 106

Monday, October 26 – Friday the 13th Marathon: 

• 9am: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
• 11am: Friday the 13th : A New Beginning
• 1pm: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
• 3pm: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
• 5pm: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
• 7pm: Friday the 13th (2009)
• 9pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
• 11pm: Friday the 13th Part 2
• 1am: Freddy vs. Jason
• 3:15am: Friday the 13th Part III

Tuesday, October 27 – Nightmare on Elm Street Marathon: 

• 4:45pm: Freddy vs. Jason
• 7pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 9:15pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
• 11:15pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• 1:30am: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Wednesday, October 28 – Final Destination Marathon: 

• 6pm: Final Destination (2000)
• 8pm: Final Destination 2
• 10pm: The Final Destination (2009)

Thursday, October 29 

• 6pm: It (2017)
• 9pm: TNA iMPACT!
• 11pm: Thir13en Ghosts

Friday, October 30 – Halloween on Halloween Marathon: 

• 4:30am: Halloween (1978)
• 6:30am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 8:30am: Halloween II (2009)
• 11am: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
• 1pm: Halloween (1978)
• 3pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 5pm: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 7pm: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 9pm: Halloween (1978)
• 11pm: Halloween (2007)
• 1:30am: Halloween II (2009)
• 4am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Saturday, October 31 – Halloween on Halloween Marathon: 

• 6am: Halloween II (1981)
• 8am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 10am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers
• 12pm: Halloween II (2009)
• 2:30pm: Halloween III: Season of the Witch
• 4:30pm: Halloween (2007)
• 7pm: Halloween (1978)
• 9pm: Halloween II (1981)
• 11pm: Halloween (1978)
• 1am: Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers
• 2am: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

Sunday, November 1 – Halloween Hangover 

• 6am: Christine
• 8am: Halloween (1978)
• 10am: The Terminator
• 12:30pm: Predator
• 3pm: Men in Black
• 5pm: Men in Black II
• 7pm: Jurassic World: Dominion

Are you looking forward to this year’s event? Let us know down in the comments!

The post AMC Releases Full Schedule of Horror Movies for FearFest 2026 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

First due to the success of The Ring, a major wave of A-horror remakes began to roll in, and then the success of the reboot The Texas Chainsaw Massacre resulted in some of the most beloved horror movies of all time all getting updates. From Halloween to Friday the 13th to The Fog to Prom Night, no title was off limits, including A Nightmare on Elm Street. Even though the 2010 reboot was a relative financial success, it was a critical disaster, sitting at only 14% positive reviews on aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Undeniably one of the biggest challenges the production faced was replacing Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, who had been the only actor to play the villain up to that point.

During an appearance on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast, actor Jackie Earle Haley opened up about the process of taking on that role. Looking back on the project, the actor reflected:

Characters like Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees evolved over time, and while Freddy Krueger was much more terrifying in the first movie, he had evolved into a wise-cracking and pun-slinging villain over multiple sequels, which was a far cry from Haley’s take on the figure, based on the tone of the project.

“Talking with Sam, it was just, it really seemed that they wanted to go back to the roots of a scary Freddy, of a dark Freddy,” the actor recalled. “So I just really tried to own the sense of, ‘All right, let’s take this guy…,’ and I think that’s how Freddy started out in that first one. They darkened him up a little bit more. I think it would have been cool had they not quite done that.”

One of the more notable tweaks the reboot made was that it at least planted the seed that, despite having a legacy of torturing and killing children, maybe Krueger was wrongfully accused. The reboot ultimately walked back that idea to cement his guilt.

“There is a version where this guy could have been innocent, but they made him guilty,” Haley confirmed. “But that also was, I think, Wes Craven’s initial version of this, that’s who that character was. And he had to lighten that up when he made him. So these guys felt like, ‘Well, we can put that … let’s put that in there.'”

Going along with the movie tonally being much darker, the burn makeup was also much more severe. Jackie Earle Haley noted that, at least from his experience, he’s witnessed audiences starting to turn around on the project.

“I thought they did a great job [with the makeup],” Haley expressed. “I think the movie’s caught on a little bit more with the younger people who aren’t so attached to the first one. But you’ve got people that just hate it, but there’s a lot of people that love it just because it looks more realistic. It looks like this guy got burned.”

He added, “I think that was the whole idea, is to try to give a lot of what the first movie was, but put a modern adaptation to it.”

As it currently stands, there is no official new A Nightmare on Elm Street with a release date at this time, though reports claim both a new movie is in development at Paramount and that Warner Bros. is independently pursuing another installment with Lee Cronin.

What did you think of the A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot? Let us know down in the comments!

The post ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Star Jackie Earle Haley Reflects on the Divisive Reboot appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

And guess what? Bloody Disgusting is hosting a night!

On Saturday, October 17th, we’re presenting a double feature of 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street followed shortly with 1994’s Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. So, dress your Freddy best and celebrate the dream demon with your go-to horror pub. There will be swag to take home, giveaways to win, Elm Street hits for dancing, and photo ops for posing. Who knows, maybe a few other surprises.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Best of all, that’s just one night. This year’s lineup celebrates horror across generations, from contemporary thrillers to genre-defining classics: Obsession and Companion on October 16th; Sinners and Blade on October 23rd; and Jennifer’s Body and Bodies, Bodies, Bodies on October 24th. Consult the full schedule at Street Food Cinema’s website.

Here are all the tricks and treats that await you…

 ADULT TRICK-OR TREATING:  Unlock your inner child and embark on a unique trick-or-treating experience designed exclusively for grown-ups.

 DELICIOUS BITES:  Indulge your taste buds with sinfully delectable food from some of LA’s best food trucks

*Food Trucks are subjected to change*

 BOOZY BARS:  Quench your thirst with eerie elixirs and signature cocktails at three fully stocked bars. From spine-tingling concoctions to classic favorites, the Boozy mixologists will ensure your spirits stay high throughout the night.

 VICTORIAN HOME TOURS:  Explore the mysteries of ethereally captivating Victorian mansions. Guided tours will take you through dimly lit corridors, creaking staircases, and fascinating history.

 SCARY MOVIE:  Two screening areas available with chairs provided for guests.

 LOCATION: Heritage Square Museum – There is NO entrance at the Homer Street address (the address on Google maps). Please enter the event at 3545 Pasadena Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90031.

 PARKING: Parking is limited. GA parking is located at the Metro Gold Line Heritage Square stop, Street Parking is also available. Ride Sharing encouraged.

*VIP Parking check in is at the event entrance across the street from GA parking*

 COSTUMES:  Dress to distress for your chance to win prizes!

Bloody Disgusting is Cineverse’s horror division serving fans through premium editorial, audio, video and social content, and branded merchandise. As the No. 1 entertainment destination for horror, Bloody Disgusting is home to the genre’s leading website at bloody-disgusting.com; Bloody FM, the chart-topping horror division of Cineverse Podcast Network; Bloody Press, Cineverse’s publishing arm focused on creating and bringing audiobooks, e-books and print editions to market; and Bloody Disgusting merchandise. Bloody Disgusting also powers the fastest-growing streaming video service, Screambox, available as SVOD and FAST channels for casual and die-hard horror fans alike.

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It’s called the ‘80s Horror 5-Film SteelBook Library Case Set, and it’s exclusively available for pre-order now through Amazon. The set will be releasing on October 6, 2026.

With VHS style packaging, the set includes the following 1980s horror classics…

• A Nightmare on Elm Street
• Poltergeist
• The Lost Boys
• The Shining
• Little Shop of Horrors 

Amazon previews, “Iconic ’80s Horror films all in an Exclusive, Limited Edition SteelBook Library Case. This collection includes all films on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, & Digital.”

Nightmare on Elm Street: Can your nightmares be fatal? In this classic of the horror film genre that launched a movie franchise, a hideously scarred man who was murdered by a lynch mob returns years later in the terrifying nightmares of his killers’ teenaged children … And the dreaming teenagers are starting to die in their sleep.

Poltergeist: A typical family in a quiet suburb of a normal California faces a frightening ordeal when its home is invaded by a Poltergeist. Late one night, 10-year-old Carol Anne Freeling (Heather O’Rourke) hears a voice coming from inside the television set … At first, the spirits that invade the Freelings’ home seem like playful children. But then they turn angry. And when Carol Anne is pulled from this world into another, Steve and Diane Freeling (Craig T. Nelson and JoBeth Williams) turn to an exorcist (Zelda Rubinstein) in this horror classic from director Tobe Hooper (Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and producer and screenwriter Steven Spielberg.

The Lost Boys: When a single mother and her two sons move to the sleepy seaside California town of Santa Carla, they discover much more than they anticipated in this visually stunning blend of hip humor, horror and rock ‘n’ roll about the most compelling group of contemporary vampires ever to put fang to vein.

The Shining: Academy Award winner Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall star in director Stanley Kubrick’s disturbing adaptation of Stephen King’s blockbuster horror novel. When writer Jack Torrance (Nicholson)–who has a history of alcoholism and child abuse–takes a job as winter caretaker for a hotel high in the Rocky Mountains, he, his wife (Duvall) and their psychic young son will be isolated until spring. But once the first blizzard closes the road out, the accumulated power of evil deeds committed at the hotel begins to drive Jack mad. Now there may be no escape for his wife and son in this haunting madness, memory and family violence.

Little Shop of Horrors: A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed.

Pre-order your set for $144.99 from Amazon today!

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“When Wes passed away, he left an awful lot of rights to his estate,” Englund explained. “He has many many rights that he worked out between character titles and names and plot and things like that. New Line Cinema obviously has a big hand in it. And much of that was surrendered to Ted Turner, then went to Warner Bros. So Warner Bros. has a huge piece of it.”

We bring this up because Englund was spot on. And things have only gotten more interesting since he made those comments last year. We had recently learned that Paramount has joined forces with the Craven Estate to make a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie based on Wes Craven’s original screenplay for the original movie, but here’s where things get real interesting.

While the Craven Estate has the domestic rights to Craven’s original Elm Street screenplay, Warner Bros./New Line actually retains the international rights to A Nightmare on Elm Street. And Puck News reports this week that Warner Bros. is actively developing their own Nightmare on Elm Street movie to compete with the announced Paramount project!

Of course, what’s particularly interesting about this whole mess is that Paramount is actively attempting to buy Warner Bros., a sale which has been delayed until at least next year.

Puck reports, “Sources with knowledge of the matter think Paramount figured that by the time their movie got underway, the WarnerMount deal would have closed and Warners would be compelled to release the Paramount version overseas. But Warners’ Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy didn’t care for that plan. Now they’re looking to make their own movie, which they can only distribute overseas, and are in talks with Lee Cronin to produce, write, and direct.”

So what we have is a situation where Paramount is attempting to make one Nightmare on Elm Street movie for the domestic market while Warner Bros. is attempting to make an entirely different Elm Street film project for the international market. The obvious solution here is for both entities to work with one another and bring all the rights together to make one proper Elm Street movie that can play in both markets, which could very well end up being the case if the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger does end up taking place late next year.

In the meantime, it seems that WB and Paramount are in a race to beat one another to the punch. While the Paramount project has been officially announced, we must note that the Warner Bros./Lee Cronin project has not. We only have the Puck News report to go on, but for what it’s worth, that report lines up with what Bloody Disgusting has been hearing lately.

Unfortunately, Nightmare on Elm Street isn’t the only franchise that is mired in complicated rights issues. All of this sounds eerily similar to the situation with Friday the 13th, which has its rights split up between several different entities. The only thing coming soon on that front is “Crystal Lake,” a prequel television series from A24 and Peacock that managed to bring all the rights holders together. Even still, don’t expect a series about Jason Voorhees rampaging through the woods. The series centers instead on Jason’s mother, Pamela Voorhees.

Making a proper new Friday the 13th movie, well, that’s proving to be as difficult as it is to make a proper new Nightmare on Elm Street movie. At a time it was said that nothing could kill either Jason or Freddy, but complicated legal issues are damn sure trying their best.

Stay tuned for more on all things Nightmare on Elm Street as this all develops.

The post Warner Bros. Reportedly Developing International ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie With Lee Cronin?! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

This week, Michael Roffman and McKenzie Gerber hit up Elm Street, Haddonfield, and Crystal Lake before braving the high seas to discuss the horrors within Christopher Nolan‘s The Odyssey. They also review this year’s Exit 8 and Forbidden Fruits before dusting off old classics for the first time in 2020’s Caveat and 1985’s The Mean Season.

Stream the episode below. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, and RSS. New to the Halloweenies? Catch up with the gang by revisiting their essential episodes on past franchises such as Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Scream, The Evil Dead, Chucky, Alien, and the Universal Monsters.This year? Hellraiser!

You can also become a member of their Patreon, The Rewind, for hilariously irreverent commentaries (e.g. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Re-Animator, Darkman), one-off deep dives on your favorite rentals (e.g. Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Manhunter, ), and even spinoffs like their recent run Fortune & Glory: An Indiana Jones Podcast.

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The post Freddy’s Back, So Is Jason, ‘Hellraiser’ Goes to Horror Nights, and ‘The Odyssey’ [Halloweenies Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

According to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter this afternoon, “Paramount Pictures has closed a deal for the U.S. rights to the original screenplay of A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Paramount’s genre label Paramount Primal is behind the upcoming franchise reboot.

THR explains in further detail, “The U.S. rights are being licensed from the Craven estate, which includes Craven’s widow Iya Labunka and Craven’s son Jonathan Craven. The duo will produce the new iteration with Marc Toberoff, the attorney-turned-producer who specializes in copyright law. J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules will executive produce for Paramount Primal.”

“We look forward to bringing the world of Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street to a new and completely engaged generation of fans,” Iya Labunka said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “We know that Wes would have been thrilled to see how horror is taking its long overdue place in the cultural canon. We can’t wait for all of us to sit together in a dark theatre – around the campfire of today – as the next chapter of the Nightmare story unfolds.”

“We can’t remember a time before we were fans of Wes Craven,” said Lifshitz and Margules. “The fact that Iya and Jonathan have entrusted us with this opportunity to help usher a new story into this world is an honor beyond words. We look forward to working alongside them to bring a terrifying new nightmare to audiences everywhere, and to welcome Freddy home.”

The Elm Street franchise had of course previously had a home at New Line Cinema/Warner Bros., but the Craven Estate was able to regain the rights to the original screenplay. THR notes, “New Line retains the international rights to Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Freddy Krueger’s upcoming return is said to be “set in the world of A Nightmare on Elm Street, based on the original screenplay.” No further details are available at this time.

Will Robert Englund be returning one more time? Stay tuned for updates.

The post Freddy’s Back: New ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie in the Works at Paramount appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Dude Designs has unleashed his Paperback Nightmares series this week, featuring slasher classics reimagined in the style of classic horror paperback artwork from the 1980s!

“Here’s a series of designs I’ve had floating around in the back of my mind for over a year, and I finally found the time to sit down and bring them to life,” The Dude Designs explains.

He continues, “I’ve always loved the look and feel of classic 70s and 80s horror paperbacks, so I thought it would be fun to create some completely alternate art for Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th Part III, mainly because Part III gave us the iconic hockey mask, all done in the style of vintage pulp horror novel covers.”

“These films all originally received paperback novelizations through different publishers,” The Dude Designs notes, “so this became my own reimagining of what those books could have looked like in some parallel world of 1980s horror publishing. It was a lot of fun approaching these classics through a completely different lens, especially creating the vintage-inspired typography and layout treatments to make them feel authentic to the era. I wanted them to look like something you’d discover battered and dog-eared on a spinner rack in 1984.”

The best part? He’s selling the artwork as a set of three 18×24” screen prints.

He explains, “If you’re interested, drop me a PM or head over to ‘Motherfucking Genre Screenprint Commissions’ on Facebook for details.” Click this link to head over to that page.

Also make sure to follow The Dude Designs on Instagram if you dig the art!

The post Artist ‘The Dude Designs’ Reimagines Slasher Classics as Retro Paperback Nightmares appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

In a recent discussion for Interview, horror icons Samara Weaving and Sarah Michelle Gellar debated this well-loved character trope while promoting the release of their upcoming film Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. After decades of starring in genre films and TV, Gellar explains her frustration with the moniker, wondering, “I almost feel like it needs to be rebranded because Final Girl makes other women seem unsuccessful.” Weaving replies, “At least [call us] final woman, we’re not young [Laughs],” before musing, “It is quite dismissive, isn’t it?”

As a lifelong fan of Final Girls, I will admit to being somewhat taken aback by this frank exchange. It’s not an exaggeration to say that my life was changed when I first met Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in Wes Craven’s meta-slasher masterpiece Scream. I’ve been obsessed with Final Girls ever since, finding strength in their onscreen empowerment and resilience as I’ve matured alongside the evolving archetype.

But could these two titans of feminist horror be correct? Considering their combined experience, Gellar and Weaving undoubtedly have a unique perspective on the topic. After decades of watching our favorite Final Girls survive a wide array of slasher killers, is it time to finally let her die?

Who Is the Final Girl?

The term Final Girl was codified in Carol J. Clover’s 1987 essay “Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film” (later published in her seminal book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film). She introduces us to the paradigm by describing the character as “the one who does not die.” Clover follows this oversimplified definition with a detailed analysis of slasher theory while situating the Final Girl in the well-loved subgenre. “She is the one who encounters the mutilated bodies of her friends and perceives the full extent of her preceding horror and of her own peril; who is chased, cornered, wounded; whom we see scream, stagger, fall, rise, and scream again. She is abject terror personified.”

For the next thirty pages, Clover continues to expand on this theory, placing the Final Girl in direct opposition to the Slasher Killer. We’re usually introduced to this formidable antagonist through first-person point of view sequences as he watches our heroine from afar. Young and usually naive, she will slowly find strength by taking it from her predator.

Clover bases much of her theory on Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), the teen protagonist of John Carpenter’s genre-defining Halloween (originally titled The Babysitter Murders). In addition to prototypical examples like Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre) and Marion Crane (Janet Leigh, Psycho) — ironically played by Curtis’ mother — Clover includes a multitude of heroines from the ’80s heyday of slasher film. Though she notes the trope’s absence of sexual transgression, Clover reminds us of the Final Girl’s defining attribute: she survives as a relatable heroine, becoming a proxy for the audience’s emotional journey. 

The Weapons of Empowerment

As the story barrels toward a final showdown, the Final Girl grows increasingly paranoid, aware that someone is watching her. After discovering the bodies of her slaughtered friends, she must find a way to survive on her own, coming face to face with the slasher villain, a monstrous symbol of masculinity. Clover explains, “the killer is with few exceptions recognizably human and distinctly male; his fury is unmistakably sexual in both roots and expression; his victims are mostly women.”

While many female characters fall to his invariably phallic weapon — a knife, machete, drill, or chainsaw — he is bested by the Final Girl, whose empowerment defangs his patriarchal authority. For example, Michael Myers (Nick Castle) is credited in Carpenter’s original Halloween as simply the Shape, a blank-faced spectre of a violent man. 

Each element of the slasher formula serves this inspiring characterization, from a growing paranoia to the killer’s masculine appearance. By the time we reach the blood-soaked finale, we have fully switched our point of view and now align with the vulnerable young woman we’ve been symbolically stalking through the killer’s eyes. Clover describes the Final Girl’s unique empowerment as she picks up his phallic weapon (or an approximation thereof) to finally wield it for herself. Vanita ‘Stretch’ Brock (Caroline Williams) concludes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 by waving a chainsaw over the decimated Sawyer family while Laurie stabs Michael with her own makeshift blades: knitting needles and a straightened coat hanger. 

Dropping the Knife

Moments after this triumph, the Final Girl often relinquishes the adopted weapon, reverting to her feminized self. This transition is known in horror academia as “dropping the knife,” a symbolic return to societal order. Many critics take issue with this startling move, balking at what could be read as an intentional abdication of power or a conflation of weakness and femininity. But I’ve always found strength in the Final Girl’s stark display of vulnerability as she buckles under the weight of unthinkable trauma. I tend to agree with Clover that dropping the knife does not imply a loss of strength, but shows that “gender is less a wall than a permeable membrane.”

In fact, the Final Girl rises alongside her killer, proving that even a vulnerable teenage girl can withstand an overwhelming patriarchal force. Heather Langenkamp, who stars as iconic Final Girl Nancy Thompson in Craven’s 1984 classic A Nightmare on Elm Street, has repeatedly discussed interactions with fans in which they thank her for modeling empowerment.

They invariably note the moment when she turns to face the monstrous Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) to bravely say, “I take back every bit of energy I gave you” before defiantly sending him back to the dream world. In an interview with Bloody Disgusting to celebrate the film’s 40th anniversary 4K release, Langenkamp describes Nancy’s legacy: “She’s really become a touchstone for so many people — not only women, but men too, for her strength and her intense character.” 

The Final Girl Evolves

In the decades since Laurie and Nancy first graced our screens, the Final Girl continues to change with the evolving slashers she occupies. Scream (1996) serves as a deconstruction of the formula Craven himself helped establish as Sidney takes charge of her own narrative. In addition to reclaiming the Final Girl’s sexual liberation, she not only defeats two maniacal killers, but shuts down Ghostface’s attempt at a supernatural rise with her definitive, “not in my movie.” Sidney also does not survive alone but alongside franchise stalwart Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox), a flawed yet intensely relatable character who shatters Clover’s archetypal description.

We’ve seen our share of Final Boys, most notably Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton) in Jack Sholder’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge and Alex Browning (Devon Sawa) in James Wong’s Final Destination. Of course, there’ve been countless subversions of the formula itself from Urban Legend to The Descent, which both remix standard slasher mechanics while spiraling into exciting new fields.  

Director Scott Glosserman would further explore the parameters of the archetype in his 2006 cult classic Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. This meta-slasher and faux documentary takes us behind the scenes with Leslie (Nathan Baesel), a self-styled murderer planning his upcoming killing spree. In-world director Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) and her crew follow the would-be villain through meticulous preparation, capturing detailed explanations of slasher tropes, from the importance of crafting an iconic mask to his painstaking search for a “survivor girl.”

But this scrupulous honesty hides a shocking bait and switch revealed when his ostensibly virginal victim is caught enjoying raucous sex. We realize that Taylor has been Leslie’s target all along, the character with whom we’ve grown to identify. Recent news of a long-awaited sequel brings the promise of further genre exploration, perhaps featuring the trope’s most recent iteration.

The Legacy Final Girl

This unique concept arguably originated with Steve Miner’s Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, which catches up with Laurie Strode (Curtis) on the 20th anniversary of the Shape’s first attack. However, the trend would reach ubiquity two decades later in David Gordon Green’s alternative sequel Halloween (2018) and its subsequent chapters, Halloween Kills (2021) and Halloween Ends (2022). Eschewing all but Carpenter’s original 1978 film, Green’s trilogy reunites us with Laurie (also Curtis) as a hardened and solitary grandmother living on a survivalist compound. Now practiced in the art of mortal combat, she’s spent the last four decades obsessed with the monster who derailed her life and patiently waiting for his return. 

In the wake of Green’s success, other reboot/sequels have seen similar reimaginings of classic Final Girls like Sally Hardesty (Olwen Fouéré) in Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) and Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) in I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025). While the results vary in quality and success, each legacy sequel or slasher explores the long-term effects of trauma on our beloved characters who still wrestle with memories of their original attacks.

Now forced to confront her darkest fear, the Legacy Final Girl must once again defend herself while imparting wisdom to a younger version who will carry the torch for the next generation. In fact, Green’s Halloween concludes with Laurie’s granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak) gripping a knife as she’s rushed to the hospital, intentionally upending decades of “drop the knife” fare. 

More Than Mere Survivors

Perhaps because of this new iteration, interest in the Final Girl has skyrocketed, with many new fans confusing the term. I bristle at a seemingly endless series of social media posts arbitrarily naming fan favorite characters Final Girls regardless of their movie’s plot. From Wendy Torrance (Shelley Duvall, The Shining) and Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster, The Silence of the Lambs) to Adelaide Wilson/Red (Lupita Nyong’o, Us) and Dani Ardor (Florence Pugh, Midsommar), all manner of female horror characters are now being classified as Final Girls, seemingly because they survive their films.

While each of the aforementioned characters is important in their own right, they are respectfully not Final Girls and serve their stories in different ways. To misuse the term Final Girl not only erases her unique contributions to the landscape of horror but also reduces a complex array of female characters to the simple dichotomy of survivor and victim. 

Several years ago, another genre icon, Barbara Crampton, took issue with a similar trope in her revelatory op-ed “Don’t Call Me a Scream Queen.” Explaining her dislike for the titular term, Crampton writes, “Being a Scream Queen implies that you’re good at two things: howling at the top of your lungs and being a woman.” To extend this concept, our pop-culture understanding of the Final Girl seems to have devolved to simply: a female character who does not die.

While this does harken back to Clover’s initial definition, it negates the thirty pages of analysis that follow. These characters do more than survive while female, from their gender-coded climaxes to the trauma of a stylized killing spree. Calling all female protagonists final girls dramatically reduces the role of women in a genre that has always served as a feminist haven.

Is There a Future for Final Girls?

Misuse of the term seems to weave through Gellar’s conversation with Weaving and their frustration at being called a Final Girl. It must be said that neither actress is known for roles as the sole survivor of a slasher film. Gellar is perhaps best remembered for starring as a tough-as-nails warrior in the long-running series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in addition to a pair of spectacular deaths in I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2, and a starring role in the American J-Horror remake The Grudge.

Weaving has made a name for herself in a wide array of genre roles. To date, she’s played a seductive satanist (The Babysitter, The Babysitter: Killer Queen), a horror academic and early victim (Scream VI), an escaped cult sacrifice (Azrael), a nailgun-toting avenger (Mayhem), and a tortured bride (Ready or Not, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come). While some of these films may be slasher-adjacent, none of these characters are Final Girls.

Perhaps therein lies the rub. After embodying some of the genre’s most important roles, pop culture idols who inform our collective understanding of female strength, it’s understandably frustrating to have this nuance reduced to a single archetype. 

But is there a future for the Final Girl?

The blockbuster success of Scream 7 — which itself introduces a younger version of the trope in Sidney’s teen daughter Tatum (Isabel May) — proves that younger audiences are hungry for new reimaginings of the slasher formula updated to reflect our changing world. And Sally, Laurie, Sidney, and Nancy continue to welcome in new waves of burgeoning horror fans who find strength in the Final Girl’s empowerment. 

Perhaps the problem lies not with Final Girls themselves, but in the fallacy of lumping them together with every other surviving female character. Maybe instead of constantly trotting out this singular term, we can find more accurate ways to describe a breathtaking landscape of female characters. From mother, witch, seductress, monster, bride, warrior, crone, or queen, there’s power in acknowledging the differences in the many female characters who populate our favorite horror films.

Maybe it’s not the Final Girl who needs a rebrand, but the way we describe women in general. After all, we are more than our womanhood and the fact that we live to fight another day. 

The post Is It Time to Kill the Final Girl? appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“I would find it very hard not to have a swing at ol’ Freddy Krueger, because he haunted my nightmares throughout my entire childhood and still pops up about four times a year,” Cronin tells Variety.

The filmmaker also cites The Lord of the Rings as a dream project. “That’s a world that I absolutely adore. I’d drop everything for an opportunity to play around in Middle-earth.”

He adds, “I actually think it’s unlikely that my next movie will be franchise adjacent — and that’s something that feels important to me right now.”

Cronin’s next feature is likely to be Box of Bones, a supernatural horror movie about a love triangle between two people and a ghost. He’s also developing the Irish folk horror series “Spiral” with Blumhouse and Atomic Monster.

As of this month, it’s been 16 years since Freddy Krueger last graced the big screen, in large part due to rights issues. Do you think Cronin would be a good choice to resurrect the slasher icon?

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If the log line sounds a little familiar, that’s because it is (though as I say in my review, that’s not necessarily a problem!) There are, however, plenty of other titles that can help you to replicate the experience, so whether you’ve seen the Owen Egerton-scripted film or you’re just in the mood to watch people try to outwit/outrun/outsmart Death, here are some like-minded films to check out.

Mild spoilers for Whistle follow…

Whistle Inspirations

Let’s begin with the titles that influenced Hardy and Egerton as they were developing Whistle. Per an interview with IMDb, the three main inspirations were:

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Egerton clearly used the concept of “death comes for us all” as a springboard for Whistle’s general premise. More than that, though, Whistle borrows heavily from Tina’s murder for two of its most memorable death sequences (which are one of the main reasons to check the new film out).

The Lost Boys may seem like a peculiar choice, but Hardy credits the Joel Schumacher film as an inspiration because of its soundtrack and levity. This tracks, particularly the way Whistle manages to thread the tonal needle between danger, coming of age, and a fair amount of laughs (Exhibit A: the text exchange between Chrys and Ellie).

Donnie Darko also checks out, not simply because of Whistle’s focus on teenage characters, but also their social position. Focusing on characters on the bottom of the popularity hierarchy is well-trodden ground for horror films with teen protagonists, but, like Donnie Darko, this makes sense given Chrys and Rel’s role as “unusual outsiders” at Pellington High (she has a damaged reputation; he’s a “loser” with a fixation on a The Crow-like comic).

Cursed Objects

Curses and cursed objects that result in characters’ deaths are a dime a dozen in contemporary horror films. That’s because there’s a lot of storytelling potential when individuals curse themselves – be it accidentally, out of curiosity, or sheer hubris. Curses make for a compelling horror premise!

There are countless J-horror comparisons that immediately come to mind; the most obvious title is The Ring (2002) or the original Japanese film, Ringu. Whistle doesn’t feature the same mythology (there’s no phone call/seven-day equivalent), but there is a certain amount of lore and investigating required into the origins of the cursed object. The inevitability of death, too, bears a resemblance to another J-horror title: the cursed home from Ju-On or The Grudge (2004).

Of course, there are plenty of other “oh, I shouldn’t have touched that” films in recent memory. A few notable entries include 2024’s Tarot, wherein characters are killed by the titular card they pull from a haunted deck. Then there are less popular titles like Countdown, the 2019 film, where characters literally engage with an app that tells them when they’ll die. It’s not great, but it has a certain silly charm, unlike Tarot, which hides its great monster make-up with terrible lighting.

Apps and cards are less tactile than the whistle, though, so perhaps a better option is Wish Upon, the 2017 Joey King/Ryan Philippe title about a cursed Chinese music box. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve checked this one out, but something tells me it doesn’t handle the object’s cultural angle in a nuanced way.

Wish Upon isn’t good (the characters’ decision-making is dubious at best and frustrating at worst), and most of its humour is undoubtedly intentional. If you’re hungry for a comedic-leaning option, there’s no better choice than Oz Perkins’ The Monkey (2025). At the very least, Perkins doesn’t skimp on the over-the-top gore, confirming that no one can do comedic gross-outs quite like him.

Final Destination Films

Naturally, the other obvious recommendation for a post-Whistle screening is any entry in the six-film franchise Final Destination. The Devon Sawa-fronted first film debuted the concept of an omniscient Death that seeks out tragedy survivors, a premise that Whistle is clearly indebted to. Unlike the original 2000 film, though, Whistle doesn’t adhere to a specific order as it kills off characters (although it appears that the individual who blows the whistle is the first to go).

Whistle borrows heavily from plot points in two other Final Destination films. In Final Destination 2, Kimberly (AJ Cook) learns that Death will “skip” individuals if they temporarily die (see also: Fear Street Part One: 1994), which is what Chrys and Ellie attempt to do in the climax of the film when Chrys willingly submerges herself in freezing cold water.

Then there’s the info that Mason’s grandmother, Ivy (Michelle Fairley), offers the girlfriends on the second visit: swap someone else’s life for your own. This resembles the “new life” clause that drives most of FD2, but most closely mirrors Final Destination 5’s storyline, wherein a character can kill someone as an offering to Death. In that fifth Final Destination film, it’s Peter Friedkin (Tom Cruise lookalike Miles Fischer) who tries, unsuccessfully, to use this ploy to save himself. By comparison, Whistle‘s death swap winds up saving the day, though the death in question is far less deliberate.

That’s a preliminary list of other titles, but there are plenty of others. What are your recommendations for other texts like Whistle (good, bad, or guilty pleasure)?

The post 12 Horror Movies to Watch After Corin Hardy’s Supernatural Slasher ‘Whistle’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Classic Monsters, Modern Art by Anthony Taylor

Classic Monsters, Modern Art: 20th Century Horror in 21st Century Illustration will be published on February 10 via Insight Editions.

The 160-page coffee table book pairs exclusive artwork from more than 65 contemporary artists with a richly detailed chronicle from genre expert Anthony Taylor.

It features a preface by actor David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil) and a foreword by author Jonathan Maberry (Rot & Ruin).

Hellraiser Trading Cards from Fright-Rags

Fright-Rags has released Hellraiser trading cards in single packs, factory boxes, and ultimate hobby boxes.

Single packs contain nine cards and one sticker packaged in a wax wrapper. Priced at $6, they may include a randomly-inserted autograph card, sketch card, or Pinhead rookie card.

Each factory box includes the full 80-card base set, two parallel cards, two stickers, and a checklist. They cost $38.

Ultimate hobby boxes have two full base sets, two full sticker sets, two full parallel sets, two checklists, one rare card (autograph, sketch, or Pinehad rookie), and a box topper foil character chase card. Limited to 500, they’re $135.

Available autographs include Clive Barker (writer-director), Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Ashley Laurence (Kirsty), Andrew Robinson (Larry), Oliver Smith (Monster Frank), Sean Chapman (Frank), Simon Bamford (Butterball), and Nicholas Vince (Chatterer).

Anaconda Steelbook from Sony

Anaconda will be released on Steelbook 4K Ultra HD on March 17 via Sony.

Jack Black and Paul Rudd star in the meta comedy reboot of the 1997 creature feature, presented in 4K with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos audio.

Special features:

• Reinventing the Legend: Anaconda
• A Ride Into Chaos with Jack & Paul
• Friends in the Wild: The Cast
• The Snake Charmer: Tom Gormican
• Deleted & Extended Scenes
• Hiss-terical Outtakes & Bloopers

Best friends Doug and Griff have always dreamed of remaking their all-time favorite movie: Anaconda. When a midlife crisis pushes them to finally go for it, they head deep into the Amazon to start filming.

But things get real when an actual giant anaconda appears, turning their comically chaotic movie set into a deadly situation. The movie they’re dying to make? It might just get them killed…

Tom Gormican (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent) directs from a script he co-wrote with Kevin Etten (Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F).

Steve Zahn, Thandiwe Newton, Daniela Melchior, and Selton Mello round out the cast, along with cameos from some of the original film’s stars.

​Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “Anaconda anchors its fun structural experimentations with an affecting tale of four grown-ups manifesting another chance at happiness, and that sugary sweet core ultimately holds the bold approach together.”

Weapons Print by Vile Consumption

Vile Consumption parodies the Uncle Buck poster with Weapons‘ Aunt Gladys.

13×19 prints are available for $15.

Godzilla Tiki Bowl from Mondo

Mondo’s first shareable tiki drink bowl (also known as a scorpion bowl) features a Godzilla centerpiece and sculpted mural based on Destroy All Monsters.

Two variants are available — “Heat Ray” blue and “Kilaak Outpost” green (limited to 500) — for $90 each.

Designed by Hector Arce and Damon Brown and sculpted by Tufan Sezer, the stoneware ceramic has a 24 fluid ounce capacity and measures 8″ tall.

Sinners Apparel from Rucking Fotten

Rucking Fotten has launched a capsule collection of Sinners apparel.

The line includes T-shirts ($34.99-35.99), all-over print tees ($62.99), long sleeves ($44.99), crewneck sweatshirts ($62.99), and 60×50 tapestry blankets ($62.99).

They’re only available through Sunday, February 1, and will ship in 6-8 weeks. Select pieces are limited in quantity and may sell out before the weekend is over.

Freddy Krueger One:12 Collective Figure from Mezco

Freddy Krueger — based on Robert Englund’s appearance in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street — joins Mezco Toyz‘s One:12 Collective line this summer.

Priced at $120, the figure stands approximately 6.3″ tall, has over 30 points of articulation, and features hand-painted authentic detailing.

Freddy is outfitted in his infamous striped sweater (with plain sleeves, just like the first film, his signature claw glove, and a removable fedora.

It comes with four head portraits, including one with a removable faceplate that reveals a skull sculpt, and six interchangeable hands (gloved right hand, pointing gloved right hand, posing left hand, grappling left hand, left fist, and left hand with severed finger).

A trash can lid and a display base with adjustable post are included, all packaged in a collector friendly box.

Stranger Things Prints by Butcher Billy

As he has done for past seasons, Butcher Billy created artwork for each episode of Stranger Things Season 5.

Netflix has made each piece available on 18×24 posters ($29.95) as well as T-shirts ($26.95), sweatshirts ($36.95), and blankets ($49.95).

Tag: The Assassination Game Blu-ray from Synapse Films

Tag: The Assassination Game will be released on Blu-ray on February 24 via Synapse Films. Limited to 2,000, it costs $29.95.

Written and directed by Nick Castle (best known as Halloween‘s original Michael Myers), the 1982 action comedy thriller has been newly restored in 2K from the original 35mm archival vault materials.

Special features:

• Audio Commentary with writer-director Nick Castle and star Robert Carradine, moderated by Horror’s Hallowed Grounds’ Sean Clark
• Theatrical Trailer
• Liner notes by Dustin Morrow
• Tag Facts film poster reproduction card
• Slipcover with artwork from Justin Coffee

The rules of TAG are simple. Players try to “murder” each other using rubber-tipped toy dart guns. If you are shot, you are “killed” and taken out of the game permanently until only one player remains. Unfortunately for this year’s TAG players, one sore loser is determined to win at any cost, even if it means murdering his competition for real!

Robert Carradine and Linda Hamilton star with Kristine DeBell, Perry Lang, John Mengatti, Michael Winslow, Frazer Smith, Xander Berkeley, Bruce Abbott, and Forest Whitaker in his film debut.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives.

The post 9 New Must-Have Horror Collectibles, Including ‘Classic Monsters, Modern Art’ Book & ‘Hellraiser’ Trading Cards appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Standing approximately 6.3″ tall, the figure features over 30 points of articulation and hand-painted authentic detailing.

Freddy is outfitted in his infamous striped sweater — with plain sleeves, just like the first film — and his signature claw glove.

It comes with four head portraits, including one with a removable faceplate that reveals a skull sculpt, and six interchangeable hands (gloved right hand, pointing gloved right hand, posing left hand, grappling left hand, left fist, and left hand with severed finger).

A trash can lid and a display base with logo and adjustable post are included, all packaged in a collector friendly box.

Due out this summer, pre-orders are live for $120.

In Wes Craven‘s 1984 slasher classic, teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger, a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on them in their dreams — which, in turn, kills them in reality.

The post Freddy Krueger Joins Mezco Toyz’s One:12 Collective Line appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

On Friday, Ted Raimi and Screambox ‘s Director of Programming Tony Wash will preview their new original series in a panel hosted by Scare You to Sleep mastermind Shelby Novak and Bloody Disgusting Executive Director of Business Development Michael Roffman.

Saturday will see The Boo Crew dig deep with David Dastmalchian & Leah Kilpatrick then talk shop with Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas before Jose Mangin rounds out the sessions with horror trivia. That’s not all: Emily Kinney will wake the walking dead with a rockin’ aftershow featuring a special appearance by Robert Englund.

Don’t sleep in! Shake off the Sunday Scaries with The Ladies of Elm Street – Amanda Wyss, Lisa Wilcox, Tuesday Knight, Brooke Theiss, Brooke Bundy, Joann Willette, Toy Newkirk – hosted by Diandra Lazor and Michael Roffman. The Boo Crew will keep it Craven with a Scream session feat. Skeet Ulrich, Lee Waddell, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Dermot Mulroney.

Closing out the weekend is the one and only Cassandra Peterson! For the final hour, hosts Shelby Novak and Michael Roffman will revisit the icon’s inimitable career as she laid it out in her excellent 2021 biography: Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark.

Consult the full schedule below.

The weekend will also host a can’t-miss Lost Boys reunion (Kiefer Sutherland, Jason Patric, Alex Winter, Billy Wirth, and Chance Michael Corbitt); Evil Dead stars Jane Levy, Dana DeLorenzo, Ray Santiago; Back to the Future buds Christopher Lloyd and Thomas F. Wilson; Henry Winkler, Linda Blair, and much more.

It all goes down in less than two weeks — from Friday, January 30th to Sunday, February 1st — at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California. Tickets are selling out fast — in fact, all VIP passes are sold and off the table — so secure your passes ASAP before it’s too late. After all, you don’t want to miss the first real horror event of the year!

Get your tickets now!

The post Creep I.E. Con Returns: Bloody Disgusting Hosting Panels with Cassandra Peterson, Ted Raimi, and ‘Elm Street’/’Scream’ Stars appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It was Rachel Talalay who directed Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, and Talalay has taken to her YouTube channel this week to drop a bombshell. As it turns out, there’s an alternate ending to Freddy’s Dead that has never been seen and is believed to be lost, and the most interesting bit of information here is that the alternate ending was actually filmed!

“Hey, kid…”

Talalay details, “I don’t know how well known it is that there’s an additional ending, a coda, to Freddy’s Dead. Something we filmed, and it seems like no one has the footage at all. I know we shot it, and I even had an edit, but it’s gone MIA.” And Talalay has screen-grabs to prove it!

In the never-before-seen lost ending to Freddy’s Dead, the demons that turned Freddy Krueger into a supernatural monster find a new host in the wake of Freddy’s death. Talalay explains, “What I did find in my archives was proof that we did film the ending per the script. This coda basically had the demons from Freddy going into another boy’s body. The cycle perpetuates.”

“…You want a job?”

“We cut the sequence out of the film almost immediately, so we never even tested it,” Talalay continues. “It was pretty much agreed universally that you can’t call the film Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare and have a coda like that. I have screenshots. I must’ve screenshotted it before I lost the footage. Pretty much everyone agreed it was false advertising.”

The final ending to Freddy’s Dead sees Freddy’s daughter pull him into the real world and blow him to pieces, with no suggestion of the dream demons finding a new host. Talalay’s alternate ending would’ve left the door open for the rise of a brand new supernatural nightmare, and the concept interestingly echoes the approach to Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge.

Check out the script page and images from the lost Freddy’s Dead ending below!

The post Director Shares Images from Never-Seen Lost Ending of ‘Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Together, they top a jaw-dropping lineup that includes Henry Winkler, Linda Blair, David Dastmalchian, Skeet Ulrich, Spencer Charnas, and Jasmin Savoy Brown.

Englund and Sutherland will also be in good company with fellow franchise friends from A Nightmare on Elm Street (Amanda Wyss, Lisa Wilcox, Tuesday Knight, Brooke Theiss, Brooke Bundy, Joann Willette, Toy Newkirk) and  The Evil Dead (Ted Raimi, Jane Levy, Dana DeLorenzo, and Ray Santiago), respectively.

Once again, Bloody Disgusting will be on site all weekend with blockbuster Q&A panels hosted by our BloodyFM talent. We’ll also be manning our new expansive booth, where we’ll pass out exclusive swag, sell one-of-a-kind merchandise, raffle off can’t-miss giveaways, and more.

But wait! There’s more!Wander through a giant vendor floor packed with horror merch and goods, brave the Fear Farm Haunt, explore the Creep I.E. Comics Room, and so much more terrifying fun!

It all goes down next month — from Friday, January 30th to Sunday, February 1st — at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario, California. Tickets are selling out fast — in fact, all VIP passes are sold and off the table — so secure your passes ASAP before it’s too late. After all, you don’t want to miss the first premiere horror event of the year!

Get your tickets now!

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As Bloody Disgusting reported way back in 2019, the U.S. rights to A Nightmare on Elm Street have reverted back to Wes Craven’s estate, while Warner Bros./New Line Cinema continues to own the international rights to the franchise and its iconic killer, Freddy Krueger.

But that still doesn’t quite answer the question of why nothing has been done with the franchise all these years. While Robert Englund may be retired from playing Freddy Krueger, at least in the world of live action, there’s still endless potential to revive Freddy for a new generation. What does Englund himself think about the 15 years of silence from the saga?

Englund tells Indiewire in a new chat, “There are so many people involved who have a piece of the action. When Wes passed away, he left an awful lot of rights to his estate. He has many many rights that he worked out between character titles and names and plot and things like that. New Line Cinema obviously has a big hand in it. And much of that was surrendered to Ted Turner, then went to Warner Bros. So Warner Bros. has a huge piece of it. I know Michael Bay had been involved with some interest and also Blumhouse.”

“I think the [2010] remake was premature,” Englund muses. “I love a lot of the actors in the movie, so I’m not going to say anything bad about it, I just think the timing was off.”

What would Englund choose to do with the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise for the next installment? “I know, eventually, they are going to reboot the franchise,” he tells Indiewire. “And I think they can do part 2 as a standalone and really get into the subtext of Freddy manipulating Jesse and playing with his subconscious.”

He adds, “My theory would be, you don’t go near Nightmare 1 again. You either do a prequel or start with Dream Warriors, which is the biggest success in the franchise and a fan favorite. So I would do 3, 4, and 5. I’d reboot them. And then, to end the franchise, I would do the prequel.”

[Related] Watch Robert Englund’s Full Halloween Day Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony!

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The exhibition will be on view from September 20, 2026, to July 25, 2027.

“The Horror Show” explores representations of identity, sexuality, and ability in horror films including: Alien (1979), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Black Swan (2010), Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), Get Out (2017), Halloween (1978), Ju-on (1998), Midsommar (2019), Misery (1990), Poltergeist (1982), Ringu (1998), The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Exorcist (1973), The Shining (1980), The Silence of the Lambs (1991), and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)—while also offering a behind-the-scenes look at the storytelling and production processes of these films. 

It will be accompanied by a catalog and public programming, including film screenings, gallery talks, and educational tours to be announced at a later date. While the exhibition is designed for horror fans of all ages, parental guidance is suggested for younger visitors, of course.

“The Horror Show recognizes horror as one of the most emotionally resonant and innovative types of filmmaking, and celebrates its radical creativity and artists,” said Amy Homma, Academy Museum Director and President. “I am excited for visitors to explore and experience filmmaking that has influenced generations.”

“The Horror Show“ is organized by Senior Exhibitions Curator Jessica Niebel with Assistant Curator Nicholas Barlow and Curatorial Assistant Alexandra James Salichs. 

“Throughout film history, horror has thrilled and moved audiences, acting as a powerful outlet for expression and a tool for social commentary,“ said Niebel. “Through these stories, people have found catharsis and community among fellow horror fans around the world. I can’t wait for everyone—from horror enthusiasts to the horror-curious—to see The Horror Show.“

“Through these stories, people have found catharsis and community among fellow horror fans around the world. I can’t wait for everyone—from horror enthusiasts to the horror-curious—to see The Horror Show.”

The post The Academy Museum Unveils ‘The Horror Show’ Immersive Exhibition for 2026 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Instead of looking at the characters we all know and love, it seems appropriate to celebrate the franchise’s most underrated characters. Those that stole our hearts, even with limited screentime, make for an interesting lineup of characters that deserve far more than they got.

Without further ado, check out the Top 10 picks below!

Greta – A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

Regardless of how you feel about A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: Dream Child, there’s no denying it has some of the more interesting characters in the franchise. One of those is Greta (Erika Anderson), a socialite’s daughter held to an insanely high standard of beauty. In the little time we have with her, we learn she’s a good friend to Alice (Lisa Wilcox) and the gang and would do anything for them. Plus, she has one of the best kill scenes in the entire series.

Julie – Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

With what is essentially a reboot, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare reintroduces Heather Langenkamp in the “real” world. Her friend Julie (Tracy Middendorf) is everything you want in a babysitter: she’s attentive, compassionate, and isn’t afraid to jab a few nurses with a sharp needle. In the film’s third act, she tries valiantly to keep the hospital staff from giving Dylan (Miko Hughes) a sedative. She unfortunately fails, but she gives it her all.

Quentin – A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

You can’t not make a list like this without Kyle Gallner’s Quentin on it. The remake of the 1984 classic certainly makes some wild choices, but one that works is the exploration of microsleeps. Quentin and Nancy (Rooney Mara) suffer from severe sleeplessness and experience brief sleep episodes. Quentin proves to be a reliable friend, unlike Glen (Johnny Depp) in the original, and teams up with Nancy to figure out what’s going on. He steals adrenaline from a local hospital to keep them awake, which comes in handy in the final showdown. We all need a friend like him.

Sheila – A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master 

While Sheila (Toy Newkirk) has garnered a sizable fan base over the years, she still deserves more recognition. She’s charming, funny, and smart. She creates a bug zapper that proves essential in Alice’s third-act survival and helps Debbie (Brooke Theiss) with her homework (because of watching too much Dynasty). She deserved to be the Final Girl (sorry, Alice!).

Will – A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors features a group of kids just trying to survive their dreams. The entire crew is comprised of some of the most compelling characters in the series, but Will (Ira Heiden) stands out. Bound to a wheelchair, Will possesses an inner strength that gives him unwavering bravery to fight Freddy. In his dreams, he imagines himself as the Wizard Master and that he can walk. Ultimately, he doesn’t conquer the dream demon, but he gives one helluva effort.

Dan – A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 & 5

Dan (Danny Hassel) begins A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master as a stock jock character with no personality. But by his death in the sequel, he becomes a fleshed-out man trying to do right by Alice and be there for her. While he should have survived to the end, he does the most with the time he has left in The Dream Child. Perhaps, he’s not the most heroic of the series, but he’s the perfect counter to Lisa Wilcox’s Alice.

Lisa – A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

You rarely hear Lisa’s (Kim Myers) name when discussing the franchise, but she plays a pivotal role in Jessie’s (Mark Patton) survival. When Jessie reveals to Lisa that he killed Grady (Robert Rusler), or rather, a Freddy-possessed Jessie did, Lisa doesn’t abandon him. Instead, she talks him through Freddy’s diabolical plan to possess him again. She proves herself to be quite a foil to Freddy and a trusty sidekick to Jessie.

Linderman – Freddy vs Jason

When it comes to Freddy vs Jason, Linderman (Chris Marquette) rises above most of the other characters. Not only does he do his best in the final confrontation at Crystal Lake, but he delivers the line of the film. After Kia (Kelly Rowland) once again cuts him down, he retorts: “You tear me down to make yourself feel better, because you really hate yourself, which is kind of pathetic when you actually stop and think about it. Assuming, of course, you can think, with all that make-up weighing down your head.” Icon status, plain and simple.

Debbie – A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

Debbie and Sheila are the franchise’s best duo. They balance each other out. Where Sheila is nerdy and smart, Debbie is obsessed with fitness and hates cockroaches. As bodies pile up, she agrees with Dan and Alice to meet one night to concoct a plan to kill Freddy. She might not have tons of screentime, but she leaves a mark – literally, after she’s killed as a cockroach in Freddy’s roach motel.

Carlos – Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

Despite starring in the worst thing to happen to the franchise, Carlos (Ricky Dean Morgan) possesses a tremendous amount of heart. It’s a shame he died in one of the worst ways possible – Freddy controls his hearing aid and makes his head bleed from immense sound. Right up to his dying breath, he gives it his all to stay alive. Long live Carlos!

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David Bergantino, who later authored some of the Freddy Krueger’s Tales of Terror series, did not seek out New Nightmare so much as it fell into his lap. This offer only came after his book about the Friday the 13th movies fell through (again), and someone at New Line Cinema thought of him for the seventh Elm Street novelization. And as the author explained in a 2005 interview, he wrote three samples for his submission: a straightforward novelization that appeased publisher Tor Books, a “scrapbook” and “documentary” version for New Line, and then finally, a combination of the two styles. It was that union of both concepts that got Bergantino hired, as well as made New Nightmare the most unique Elm Street novelization.

Anyone who’s read these kinds of media tie-ins knows how off course they can go. That said, Bergantino stuck rather closely to the source material, as he was writing the book while the movie was being filmed. Other authors are given just the one version of the script to draw and write from, whereas Bergantino would revise his manuscript to reflect Wes Craven’s changes. In the end, the differences between the two versions aren’t especially significant, but then again, that’s never been the main draw of this particular novelization.

New Nightmare is broken up by Bergantino’s side-story—that pseudo-documentary element that attracted both the publisher and the studio in the first place. So when Wes Craven’s fourth wall-breaking idea isn’t being actively adapted on the page, Bergantino chronicles the various stages of his own writing process, albeit fictionally so. His journaling is obvious in nature and lacking in style, but it makes sense for Bergantino to be frank and to only point out the parts that are worth recording. Namely, the strangeness that doesn’t go unnoticed in his creative, not to mention ill-fated, journey.

Bergantino opens the novel with the end of his experience on New Nightmare. In the final entry dated June 29, 1994, and set in the early morning of that day, the author wrote: “Finally finished the book. I’m lucky it didn’t finish me first.” He goes on to say this journal is “about the story of the book and the story behind the book,” and it was intended to be for his eyes only. How it fell into other hands is later revealed in the novelization’s conclusion. For now, and before New Nightmare commences, Bergantino signs off with: “Whatever happens, I should be all right—if the nightmares stop.”

Bergantino began his journal on May 5, 1994, which was when he learned he had secured the job. However, that initial entry isn’t actually shown until the last page of the book. As a result, Bergantino’s understandable excitement—” Today, I start work on the official novelization of Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. I’m gonna be published! (Insert small victory dance here.)”—comes across as a sad epilogue. That feeling is definite after reading the details of the author’s investigation into why he’s begun having unsettling dreams, why he feels like he’s being watched and stalked, and why he was really chosen to write the novelization.

New Nightmare came about when New Line’s head honcho, Robert “Bob” Shaye, asked Craven to extend the franchise, even though Freddy (Robert Englund) was supposedly dunzo after the sixth installment. Craven, who had parted ways with Elm Street following his writing on Dream Warriors, then delivered the most unexpected method for bringing the Kruegster back—and without stooping to any hackneyed nonsense. This postmodern, pre-Scream horror movie was also the product of Craven’s “absurdism“ stage as he ruminated on the censorship crusade that was happening in the background of 1990s media. “If you forbid this kind of art, the actual real horror is unleashed in a sense,“ Craven said.

More or less, the novelized parts match what’s shown on screen. The author did, however, fill in some missing mental and emotional gaps whenever possible. Internal dialogue is one of this book’s strengths, seeing as Bergantino gives the sort of direct, unfiltered access to characters that’s not always feasible with movies. Specifically, Heather Langenkamp’s part is more full-clad now that her innermost, sheer thoughts are confirmed in writing. Nevertheless, Langenkamp playing a version of herself—the conflicted, anxious mother, wife, and actor trying to survive an increasingly turbulent world—is never once unclear in Craven’s flick. There, Langenkamp turned in a vulnerable, multifaceted performance that not only illustrated the filmmaker’s aim to show how art can affect its creators but also demonstrated his opinion that censorship (of horror and art) would lead to adverse consequences in reality.

The greatest appeal of New Nightmare’s novelization is perhaps Bergantino’s journal, which feels at home in today’s horror climate. Enthusiasts of metafictional and immersive storytelling should enjoy the author’s phony predicament. From his recurring bad dreams of Freddy to his learning there’s truth in Craven’s screenplay, Bergantino’s concocted saga is a page-turner in itself. The cherry on top of it all, though, is the surprise conspiracy revealed towards the end—the publisher et al hired Bergantino and two other writers, in the hopes that one of them would be able to complete a manuscript before Freddy intervened. And in something akin to found-footage horror, Bergantino goes missing after outlasting his peers and finishing the novelization. The police find only a “grisly scene,” along with a “manuscript and news clippings,” at his apartment. Of course, New Line denies any part in the disappearance: “We don’t need to play sick jokes to promote a film, especially an Elm Street movie.”

New Nightmare is a bit of a missed opportunity; like other tie-in reads, it could have added in anything that didn’t make Craven’s final cut. As examples, the giant, devouring earthquake originally slated for the outset, and Tracy Middendorf’s character Julie playing a more sinister role. Instead, the written companion lines up well with the finished movie—maybe too much so if exclusive or cutting-room floor material is expected from these adaptations. Still and all, Bergantino’s meta-narrative is always there to disrupt the familiarity and hitch a ride on the movie’s ambitious blur of reality and fantasy. Not every Elm Street fan will be won over, yet for those who appreciate weird novelties in their film novelizations, this one is hard to beat.

The post ‘Wes Craven’s New Nightmare’ – Slashing into the Novelization On the Movie’s Anniversary appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Look, I understand all the shortcomings of the film. The awful look of Freddy, the quick edits, the pillow-gloved recreations of iconic scenes, the total lack of suspense. That being said…

Here are five things worth celebrating about the Nightmare on Elm Street remake.

A Solid Opening Sequence

Every great slasher needs an awesome opening kill. Turns out not so great slashers have them too. While we’re quickly introduced to some of the characters at the now very neon Springwood Diner, we’re also treated to some “How sweet, fresh meat,” with the gnarly death of Dean (Kellan Lutz). Dean has been trying to fight off sleep in a booth at the diner when the waitress rudely ignores him and heads to the kitchen. Like any normal person would do, he decides to follows her into the bowels of the fire laden kitchen and oh shit… this is a dream! It was such a super-charged moment of electric anticipation at the theater when, seconds later, Freddy’s glove drops into frame.

After our first introduction to those terrible quick-cut “Teleportation of Freddy Krueger” edits, Freddy gives him a quick slice to the hand before Dean awakens. Next thing you know, his friend Kris (Katie Cassidy), helplessly watches him stand up from the booth, screaming and fighting an invisible force while holding a steak knife to his own neck. Freddy has him dead to rights in dreamland and he’s acting out the scenario alone in front of Kris, God, and everyone else. Dean shoves the steak knife fully into his neck and without pulling it out whatsoever, digs it across his throat. A scream and a title drop.

It’s a solid introduction to our characters and an intense opening kill that sets a tone, letting us know that this isn’t joke-cracking “MTV” Freddy Krueger we’re dealing with. This shiny new and clean Platinum Dunes remake surprisingly managed to make us squirm with a pretty brutal death scene from the jump.

Everything BUT the Look of Freddy Krueger

Jackie Earle Haley did an admirable job of filling in for horror icon Robert Englund, and I still believe that the role could be filled again with the right actor. However, there was nothing anybody could have done with the look they gave him. Once full of personality, this version just looked like someone threw pizza cheese on the face of a hairless gopher. BUT WE’RE BEING POSITIVE. And in that spirit, the voice he brought with him added a pretty cool element to the character.

Whenever this iteration of Freddy speaks, there is a sort of an imperfect rawness. An extra creep factor. I’m not going to sit here and blaspheme or pretend it’s better in any fashion than what was done during the high points of the original films. But I would be lying if I didn’t say that it’s a nice departure after the likes of Freddy’s Dead. The way he slowly speaks, almost as if it’s painful for him though he’d never admit it. There are also some pretty cool lines drawn up here for Krueger that include: “Why are you screaming? I haven’t even cut you yet!” and “Did you know that after the heart stops beating, the brain can function for well over seven minutes? We got six more minutes to play.”

Kyle Gallner and Rooney Mara

Kyle Gallner and Rooney Mara. These two would arguably be even more intriguing to see on the screen together in an Elm Street movie all these years later. Gallner has not only turned himself into a mustachioed physical specimen, as anyone who saw Strange Darling can attest, but he’s also become horror royalty. In his still extremely young career, the actor has starred in everything from Jennifer’s Body to Smile, with a litany of others in between. It’d be electric to see his character return to the franchise today. Rooney Mara has also established herself as a versatile actress capable of shining on screen alongside some of the best actors in the world.

These two were underrated in each of their performances in what would have probably been better off as a stand-alone sequel rather than a remake. They were the clear standouts amongst their peers and had a great chemistry on screen together. Some were skewed on this topic because when you compare Mara’s portrayal of Nancy to Heather Langenkamp’s, the two are night and day. They were playing two entirely different characters. Mara’s Nancy was a more introverted and haunted character for a movie that was attempting to be more grounded. She was also extremely believable when the character is under duress in a way she doesn’t often get credit for among all the crazy shit happening in this movie.

Gallner managed to completely nail the portrayal of a teenager tortured by sleeplessness. I also appreciate the way their characters are both good people, and they fit together like an awkward little puzzle. I wanted these two to survive and make it. Maybe go on a damn normal date where they can eat pizza and listen to My Chem in peace.

The Micro-Naps

“Your brain will start to shut down its functions for a few seconds in an attempt to get the rest it needs. You’re dreaming, but you don’t know it… It’s called a micro-nap.” – Quentin, explaining Micro-naps to Nancy.

The addition of micro-naps was a fantastic idea because it stripped our victims of their very last safety net. Even if they managed to stay awake, Freddy now had a plausible way to quickly splinter himself into your reality during them. This resulted in a couple of pretty good jump scares, including an intense scene at a pharmacy, and Freddy showing up in the road ahead as they drove. They are also a real phenomenon that folks with insomnia can suffer from.

If the future of the franchise (should there be one) keeps one idea from this movie, I hope it’s micro-naps. I also enjoyed some of the additions to the story. Such as Quentin jacking the adrenaline from the hospital and utilizing his ADHD medication to fight the sleepies.

The Fact That It Even Exists

I am endlessly gob smacked at the lack of Freddy Krueger in our modern society. This franchise, in the modern landscape of Hollywood, is basically a license to print money. But forget money. authentic and talented individuals such as Mike Flanagan have openly stated they’d love to work on the franchise with the care it deserves.

So, why is no-one even discussing it out loud?

Robert Englund’s glove is a gargantuan one to fill and they would have to find a replacement with the utmost care. But the idea of Freddy Krueger is an everlasting one. A horror icon that is unescapable to any human being who needs sleep. He is inevitable, and the dream world is without limits, making the potential of the franchise equally boundless.

So, as perplexed as I am at the astounding lack of Freddy Krueger in our lives in the inexcusable fifteen years since? I am happy this pretty bad remake exists. Because it’s fun to talk about (even when we’re complaining), there’s a few cool kills (shout out to Jesse getting punched through the chest), and it’s living, breathing, proof that even the worst-reviewed Freddy movies can still make money at the box office. So get Ari Gold or Less Grossman or whoever the hell you have to in the offices at New Line on the phone with whoever is in charge at the Craven estate, and let’s make some magic!

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While “Freddy’s Nightmares” is unfortunately no longer on Screambox, all 44 episodes of the 1980s television series have returned to Tubi after being off the service for quite a while now!

Based on one of horror’s most storied franchises, “Freddy’s Nightmares” is an anthology series starring the original Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund. Airing from 1988 to 1990, each episode tells a different story of a dark rooted and grim nature that takes place in this fictitious town on Elm Street; the same setting as the A Nightmare on Elm Street films.

The series picks up with where the films left off (at the time), with Freddy Krueger terrorizing the citizens of his hometown and taking his revenge out through their dreams.

Stream “Freddy’s Nightmares” on Tubi now!

The producers of the series cast a slew of unknown names who later became very notable actors including Brad Pitt, Lori Petty, John Cameron Mitchell and Mariska Hargitay.

The pilot episode, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, acts as a prequel to A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and was directed by the late Tobe Hooper (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist). Other notable filmmakers include Mick Garris (Critters 2, Sleepwalkers), William Malone (Scared to Death, House on Haunted Hill), and Tom McLoughlin (Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives). Robert Englund directed the episodes “Cabin Fever” and “Monkey Dreams”.

[Related] Ranking All 44 Episodes of “Freddy’s Nightmares”!

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Rachel Talalay was with the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise from the beginning, working her way up from accountant on the first film to producing the third and fourth installments before making her directorial debut on Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare.

“I had the background of having worked on the first five films, so I had that confidence that I wasn’t afraid of the effects or anything. I was afraid of being able to handle the actors. That was the scary part,” Talalay admits.

“Your pressure’s the same. I need to make as good a film as I possibly can within what they’ve asked for and within how much money they give me. It wasn’t specific to it being the last [Elm Street]. It was specific to, how do I make my first film great?”

Although Freddy’s Dead performed well at the box office — at the time, it had the franchise’s second biggest opening weekend after the original — the fan backlash it has received in the years since has taken its toll on Talalay.

“I do get a lot of hate. I’m still surprised when people come and say how much they actually love it and appreciate it for what it is. I think I am a little bit hurt by the accusations that I made the ‘girl version’ of the film and ruined horror films. That’s a classic internet hate thing that I should not worry about,” she admits.

“But I do think that the film stands up. I think that there should be more appreciation for the script that Michael De Luca wrote, for the topics that he took on within it, and less accusations of it just being too funny, which also was very well liked when it came out.”

Talalay continues, “I have the test screening scores, where they asked, ‘How do you rate all the films?’ And among those, it was always number two after the original, which I know is shocking. We worked for our time period, then we didn’t work for a long time period, and now we’ve come back in our own way.”

She adds, “I am both proud of the film, and I would make a completely different film with the same script if I was making it today, in terms of the filmmaker I am.

“And also I would make a scarier film now.”

The new restoration for the Elm Street 4K collection afforded Talalay the opportunity to bring Freddy’s Dead closer to her original vision.

“Re-color timing the film for 4K was both joyous, because you could make it look better, and absolutely frustrating, because all you wanted to do was go jump in and re-edit. But I was able to do some really fantastic work in terms of finally making things look the way I wish they had looked. And the 3D, it’s a complete redo in a way that’s phenomenal.”

She explains, “When you edit for red-blue 3D, you edit slower so the eye can catch up. So all these people who’ve only seen it in 2D get this muted color with slow editing. But when you see it now redone with digital post, it looks incredible. The 3D is so good! I cannot wait for people who’ve never seen that ending the way it was meant to see it.”

Even the 2D version has been improved. “We were able to fix the color on the 2D version. I was able to make the colors more realistic and do all kinds of things. I was just so happy to see it look amazing. To be able to see that 3D, you really have not seen that. If you want to justify your budget for any reason, it’s that 10 minutes being that different.”

Having been involved with Elm Street from the beginning, Talalay has a unique perspective on Freddy’s legacy.

“Who knew? How in a million years could this be something that Ronald Reagan referred to, that, you know, is in everyday parlance? How lucky am I that a lot of the early stuff I worked on still has longevity?” she ponders.

“That’s incredible, because there were a bazillion films made in that time period. And Nightmare was, in many ways, I think, the most creative of the ’80s horror. We weren’t stuck with a man in a hockey mask. We had dreams.”

Talalay adds, “Credit to Bob Shaye for really understanding how creative you could be with it. Credit to Robert Englund for creating a phenomenal character. But I still can’t believe that it has the longevity. I’m so proud of the films.”

A Nightmare on Elm Street: 7-Film Collection is now available on 4K UHD.

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Freddy Krueger actor Robert Englund waxes poetic about his work on the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise in the new 4K Ultra HD set, which features 4K restorations of all seven original films.

Two new extras, “Boiler Room Confessional” and “Freddy’s Footnotes,” are included. Totaling a combined 15 minutes, they feature Englund along with A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge director Jack Sholder, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors director/co-writer Chuck Russell, and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare cinematographer Mark Irwin.

“Boiler Room Confessional” mostly centers on Englund, who touches on the origins and legacy of Freddy Krueger. He discusses drawing inspiration from Klaus Kinski‘s portrayal of the titular vampire in 1979’s Nosferatu the Vampyre while channeling his indignation after witnessing his young co-stars get pampered while he was stuck in the makeup chair for hours on end.

Russell praises “Robert’s timing, his interaction with the cast, and his conviction.” Sholder adds, “There’s something about him that he emanates this power and he radiates this strength and menace. He’s a superb actor.”

“Freddy’s Footnotes” gives the filmmakers more of the spotlight, discussing their biggest challenges — from Freddy coming through Jesse in Freddy’s Revenge to the snake creature in Dream Warriors to the freeway sequence in New Nightmare — along with their favorite kills and scenes from their respective movies.

[Related] Robert Englund Talks the Future of Freddy & His Franchise Favorites

Despite the brevity, each participant shares interesting anecdotes about their time on Elm Street. While more in-depth individual interviews (or, better yet, audio commentaries) would have been preferred over desultory featurettes, the truth is we’d purchase this set regardless of whether anything new was included.

The real selling point of the set is, of course, the movies themselves — and the new restorations are absolutely dreamy. You also get the unrated cuts of the original Elm Street and The Dream Child, the alternate 3D ending of Freddy’s Dead with 3D glasses, and dozens of archival special features.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: 7-Film Collection is now available on 4K UHD.

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“At this time there are no plans for additional product to be manufactured,” Bloody Disgusting has been told. As for those who pre-ordered the set in time but haven’t yet received it, “We haven’t heard anything about cancellations or delays in terms of manufacturing the collection.” So if you did get your pre-order in, hang tight. The set should be on its way to you soon.

Just 15,000 of the Nightmare on Elm Street SteelBook sets were manufactured, with seven individual SteelBook cases housed inside of a steel box decked out to look like Freddy’s sweater. The sets are now selling for upwards of $500 on eBay, and paying those inflated prices may unfortunately be the only way to get one of these limited sets going forward.

The good news? The standard 4K collection of the 7-film A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is still available and will likely continue to be available, and that’s selling for just $99 over on Amazon at the moment. It’s the same set without the fancy SteelBook packaging, and it’s still a wonderful way to finally own the Elm Street saga in all its 4K Ultra HD glory.

The collection includes the original seven films – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) – along with the uncut versions of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Dream Child.

The collection also includes an alternate ending of Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare presented in anaglyph 3D and complete with 3D glasses in the physical collection.

Two BRAND NEW SPECIAL FEATURES for this set include:

• Boiler Room Confessional: The king of slashers, Robert Englund, takes us on a journey through the dream world, sharing what inspired Freddy Krueger, his rise as a cultural icon, and the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street, plus his favorite kills, scenes, and more.
• Freddy’s Footnotes: Robert Englund and original A Nightmare on Elm Street filmmakers revisit iconic scenes, revealing the movie magic and chaos behind our favorite nightmares. Pull back the curtain and relive epic moments through the eyes of those who made them.

You can order your copy of the Elm Street 4K collection right now!

The post Don’t Expect Warner Bros. to Release More ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Collection 4K SteelBook Sets appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“I think if they were gonna reboot it, they should probably start with [A Nightmare on Elm Street 3] Dream Warriors, because it has that great opening that’s sort of like ‘Previously on Nightmare on Elm Street,'” Englund tells Bloody Disgusting.

“I don’t know if they should ever reboot Part 1 again. They could do it as a prequel, like Tobe Hooper did on the series [“Freddy’s Nightmares”]. Really do a backstory before, so you have the story of Nancy and Tina and Glen and everything going on, but you start even before that. That’s what I would do,” he says.

“There’s plenty of directors out there that I think could really, really do some interesting work with the Nightmare on Elm Street motif,” Englund adds.

“I think, for the sake of the franchise, they need to find someone like a Doug Jones,” referring to the actor known for his creature performances in the likes of The Shape of Water, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Hocus Pocus, and “What We Do in the Shadows.”

“Years ago, I heard they were considering Kevin Bacon for Freddy Krueger. Kevin’s in a couple of my favorite horror movies; Stir of Echoes I love, and Tremors obviously. I love Kevin as an actor,” Englund notes.

“He’s a true character actor, he just happens to be imprisoned in a leading man’s body, but Kevin is also very physical. I thought that was a great choice, but this was, like, five years ago. I know he’s got all these other projects now and he’s not getting any younger, so he probably wouldn’t be interested,” Englund postulates.

“I was trying to think of someone like that, if he were going to look for a name, like Kevin Bacon. But I think they probably should steer themselves to someone more unknown that doesn’t have to worry about following in my footsteps or anything else, just creating his own conception of the character.”

Englund continues, “I think that it would be interesting to maybe redefine Freddy differently than my physicality and my size; a lumbering tall man, perhaps, or someone wiry and shorter than me, and maybe more cat-like or reptilian. It would be interesting. They gotta pick somebody that can go the distance.”

Englund is excited for fans to experience the new 4K restorations of all seven original films.

“They’ve got so much great post-production technology now. It must have just been really exhilarating for Rachel Talalay and Jack Sholder and Chuck Russell and Renny Harlin and everybody to get to go in there and really clean them up and make stuff look exactly the way they had imagined it when they were shooting it.”

Englund continues, “Everybody’s got a decent-sized flat screen, and you pop these on, and it’s just so rich and wonderful. I’m just happy for everybody that they have an opportunity now to see it the way that those creatives wanted it to be in their mind’s eye.”

Englund cites Wes Craven’s New Nightmare as his favorite installment in the franchise to make, while Freddy vs. Jason is his favorite one to watch.

When asked about his favorite Freddy look, Englund recalls the special effects artists with ease. “I like the makeup for Part 2, Kevin Yagher’s, but I also love the demon makeup in Freddy vs. Jason by Bill Terezakis.”

For his favorite kill, England mentions a classic and a deep cut. “I love Tina on the ceiling in Part 1. That’s a piece of film history in and of itself. But I also like the boy with the hearing aid in Part 6.”

Finally, Englund recites his favorite Freddy line. “Well, it used to be the classic ‘Welcome to prime time, bitch’ [from Dream Warriors], but recently I like, ‘Don’t worry, princess. The first time tends to get a little messy’ [from Freddy vs. Jason] because that’s about as nasty as you can get.”

A Nightmare on Elm Street: 7-Film Collection is now available on 4K UHD.

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Films from the Friday the 13th franchise will air all day on Saturday, October 4, followed by films from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise all day long on Sunday, October 5.

It all builds to a special presentation of Freddy vs. Jason at 6:45pm ET on Sunday night, the 2003 mashup that finally brought the two horror icons onto the same screen!

Here’s the full schedule for AMC FearFest’s Freddy vs. Jason Weekend…

Saturday, October 4
Freddy vs. Jason Weekend

8 am: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
10 am: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning
12 pm: Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
2 pm: Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood
4 pm: Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
6 pm: Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday
8 pm: Friday the 13th (1980)
10 pm: Friday the 13th Part 2
12 am: Friday the 13th Part III
2 am: Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
4 am: Friday the 13th: A New Beginning

Sunday, October 5
Freddy vs. Jason Weekend Continues

6 am: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare
8 am: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
10 am: ; A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
12:15 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
2:30 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
4:30 pm: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
6:45 pm: Freddy vs. Jason

Click here for the full schedule for AMC FearFest 2025!

The post The ‘Freddy vs. Jason’ Weekend Marathon Takes Over AMC FearFest This Weekend! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

From New Line Cinema, the collection includes the original seven films – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) – along with the uncut versions of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Dream Child.

The collection also includes an alternate ending of Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare presented in anaglyph 3D and complete with 3D glasses in the physical collection.

Two BRAND NEW SPECIAL FEATURES for this set include:

• Boiler Room Confessional: The king of slashers, Robert Englund, takes us on a journey through the dream world, sharing what inspired Freddy Krueger, his rise as a cultural icon, and the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street, plus his favorite kills, scenes, and more.
• Freddy’s Footnotes: Robert Englund and original A Nightmare on Elm Street filmmakers revisit iconic scenes, revealing the movie magic and chaos behind our favorite nightmares. Pull back the curtain and relive epic moments through the eyes of those who made them.

Here’s the full breakdown of included Special Features for each movie…

A Nightmare on Elm Street

· Ready Freddy Focus Points

· Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher

· Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin

· Alternate Endings – Scary Ending, Happy Ending, Freddy Ending

· The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror

· Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street

· Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

· Freddy on 8th Street

· Heroes and Villains

· The Male Witch

· Psychosexual Circus

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

· Behind the Story: Burnout

· Behind the Story: Fan Mail

· Behind the Story: The House that Freddy Built

· Behind the Story: Onward Christian Soldiers

· Behind the Story: Snakes and Ladders

· Behind the Story: That’s Showbiz

· Behind the Story: Trading 8’s

· Dokken Dream Warriors Music Video

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

· The Finnish Line

· Krueger, Freddy Krueger

· Hopeless Chest

· Let’s Makeup

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

· Behind the Story: Womb Raiders

· Behind the Story: The Sticky Floor

· Behind the Story: Take the Stairs

· Behind the Story: Hopkins Directs

· Behind the Story: A Slight Miscalculation

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

· 86’D

· Hellraiser

· Rachel’s Dream

· 3D Demise

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

· Commentary with Wes Craven

· NEW – Boiler Room Confessional

· NEW – Freddy’s Footnotes

· Becoming a Filmmaker

· Filmmaker

· An Insane Troupe

· The Problem with Sequels

· Two Worlds

· Welcome to Prime Time: It Really Happened

· Welcome to Prime Time: A Childhood Memory

· Welcome to Prime Time: Sometime in the Early 80s

· Welcome to Prime Time: So It Began

· Welcome to Prime Time: Beauty and the Beast

· Welcome to Prime Time: Making the Glove

· Welcome to Prime Time: Shapeshifter

· Welcome to Prime Time: The Shoot

· Welcome to Prime Time: The Revolving Room

· Welcome to Prime Time: All’s Well that Ends Well

· Welcome to Prime Time: Talalay’s Tally

· Welcome to Prime Time: It Couldn’t Have Happened

· Welcome to Prime Time: Alternate Ending Version

· Conclusion: Where Gothic Plots Come From

· Conclusion: Why We Like Gothic

· Conclusion: Sadomasochism

· Conclusion: Freddy vs. Pinhead

· Conclusion: Freddy’s Manic Energy

· Conclusion: Creating Lasting Characters in Horror

· Conclusion: No More Magic Tricks

· Conclusion: Monster with Personality

· Conclusion: Freddy as Sex Machine

· Conclusion: Campfire Stories

You can order your copy of the Elm Street 4K collection right now!

The post The ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Franchise Is Now Available on 4K Ultra HD for the First Time! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are five upcoming horror releases you don’t want to miss this month.

Clown in a Cornfield – September 9

Clown in a Cornfield will be released on SteelBook 4K UHD + Blu-ray on September 9 via RLJE Films, exclusively through Amazon. It comes with a set of magnets that stick to the SteelBook.

Based on Adam Cesare‘s 2020 novel of the same name, Eli Craig (Tucker and Dale vs Evil) directs from a script he co-wrote with Carter Blanchard.

Special features:

• Audio Commentary with Director Eli Craig, Author Adam Cesare, and Actors Katie Douglas and Carson MacCormac

Quinn and her father have just moved to the quiet town of Kettle Springs hoping for a fresh start. Instead, she discovers a fractured community that has fallen on hard times after the treasured Baypen Corn Syrup Factory burned down.

As the locals bicker amongst themselves and tensions boil over, a sinister, grinning figure emerges from the cornfields to cleanse the town of its burdens, one bloody victim at a time. Welcome to Kettle Springs. The real fun starts when Frendo the clown comes out to play.

Katie Douglas (“Ginny & Georgia”), Carson MacCormac (Shazam), Aaron Abrams (“Hannibal”), Will Sasso (“Mad TV”), and Kevin Durand (Abigail) star.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “What begins as a straightforward slasher deftly shifts gears, tackling heady topics with infectious snark and bloodletting. It’s a rare film that speaks directly to its teen audience while refusing to water down the horror; Clown in a Cornfield knows its demographic is resilient enough to handle the terror just fine.”

Halloween – September 16

Halloween will be released on SteelBook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on September 16 via Scream Factory, exclusively through Amazon.

The 1978 genre-defining classic is directed by master of horror John Carpenter, who co-wrote the script with producer Debra Hill.

Disc 1 – 4K UHD:

• 2021 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative, Approved By Cinematographer Dean Cundey
• Dolby Atmos Track
• Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Director John Carpenter And Actress Jamie Lee Curtis
• Audio Commentary With Director Of Photography Dean Cundey, Editor Tommy Lee Wallace, And Actor Nick Castle

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

• 2021 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative, Approved By Cinematographer Dean Cundey
• Dolby Atmos Track
• Audio Commentary With John Carpenter And Jamie Lee Curtis
• Audio Commentary With Dean Cundey, Tommy Lee Wallace, And Nick Castle
• “The Night She Came Home” Featurette
• “Halloween Unmasked 2000” Featurette
• TV Version Additional Scenes
• Trailers From Hell – Adam Rifkin On Halloween
• Theatrical Trailer
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots
• NBC Broadcast TV Promo
• Newspaper Ad Still Gallery
• Still Gallery

On Halloween night years ago, little Michael Myers brutally slaughtered his sister in cold blood. For the last 15 years, the people of Haddonfield have rested easily, knowing that Michael was safely locked away in a mental hospital… until tonight. Michael has escaped and he will soon return to the same quiet neighborhood to relive his grisly murder again.

Jamie Lee Curtis, Donald Pleasence, P.J. Soles, Nancy Loomis, Charles Cyphers, and Nick Castle star.

Halloween II will be available on SteelBook 4K UHD the same day.

Night of the Living Dead – September 23

Tom Savini‘s 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead will be released on SteelBook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on September 23 via Sony.

In addition to the theatrical version, a new uncensored cut is included, both newly restored in 4K with Dolby Vision. Supervised by Savini, the alternate cut restores gore that was originally cut to avoid an X rating, in addition to starting in black and white before transitioning to color.

Disc 1 – 4K UHD:

• Uncensored cut
• Theatrical version
• 4K restoration presented with Dolby Vision/HDR
• Commentary with director Tom Savini on the Uncensored Cut, moderated by Michael Felsher (new)
• Audio: Dolby Atmos (both versions), 5.1 (both versions), 2-Channel Surround (theatrical version)

Disc 2 – Blu-ray:

• Theatrical version, sourced from the 4K master
• Audio commentary with director Tom Savini
• Interview with Actor Bill Moseley (new)
• Interview with Actor William Butler (new)
• Interview with Actors McKee Anderson and Heather Mazur (new)
• Interview with Producers John Russo and Russell Streiner (new)
• Interview with Editor Tom Dubensky (new)
• Interview with Zombie Performers Greg Funk and Dyrk Ashton (new)
• Savini’s Night with Director Tom Savini Featurette
• Being Barbara with Actress Patricia Tallman Featurette
• Return to the Living Dead with Special Makeup Effects Supervisors John Vulich and Everett Burrell Featurette
• The Dead Walk: Making-of Featurette
• Theatrical Trailer
• Audio: 5.1, 2-Channel Surround

Seven strangers are trapped in an isolated farmhouse while cannibalistic zombies wage a relentless attack, killing (and eating) everyone in their path.

George A. Romero rewrote the original 1968 screenplay, with John A. Russo and Russell Streiner returning to produce.

Tony Todd, Patricia Tallman, Tom Towles, McKee Anderson, Heather Mazur, William Butler, Katie Finneran, and Bill Moseley star.

28 Years Later – September 23

28 Years Later will be released on SteelBook 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on September 23 via Sony.

Director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland reunite for the long-awaited third installment in the post-apocalyptic horror franchise, which launched in 2002 with 28 Days Later and continued with 2007’s 28 Weeks Later.

Special features:

• Days to Years
• Capturing the Chaos
• The Survivors
• Becoming the Infected
• Behind the Cameras

It’s been almost three decades since the rage virus escaped a biological weapons laboratory, and now, still in a ruthlessly enforced quarantine, some have found ways to exist amidst the infected.

One such group of survivors lives on a small island connected to the mainland by a single, heavily-defended causeway. When one of the group leaves the island on a mission into the dark heart of the mainland, he discovers secrets, wonders, and horrors that have mutated not only the infected but other survivors as well.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jack O’Connell, Alfie Williams, and Ralph Fiennes star.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review, “Boyle and Garland once again introduce characters we want to spend more time with, even when they break our hearts. This riveting blend of horror and heart also reminds that death, horror’s favorite equalizer, can be as beautiful as it can be cruel.”

A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection – September 30

A Nightmare on Elm Street: 7-Film Collection will be released on 4K Ultra HD on September 30 via Warner Bros.

It includes the seven original films in the slasher franchise: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994).

Also featured are unrated cuts of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Dream Child, along with the alternate 3D ending of Freddy’s Dead, complete with 3D glasses.

New special features:

• Boiler Room Confessional
• Freddy’s Footnotes

Dozens of archival extras – like audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and interviews – are also included.

Robert Englund stars Freddy Krueger, the vengeful killer burned alive by angry parents who returns to haunt the dreams of their children.

The films also feature Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Mark Patton, Patricia Arquette, Lisa Wilcox, Lisa Zane, and Johnny Depp.

Which movies are you adding to your collection this month? Let us know in the replies!

Peruse our archive of must-have horror releases.

The post 5 Must-Have Horror Releases Coming to Physical Media in September 2025 appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

From author Lowell Greenblatt, Nightmare Autopsis: A Return to Elm Street promises “a nostalgic trip back to Elm Street to revisit the original Nightmare and its sequels.”

Featuring original story analyses and new production info, the book notably features exclusive new interviews and reflections by cast and crew from every entry. You’re also getting a franchise-spanning photo gallery, new insights from three Nightmare on Elm Street directors, extensive looks at unused sequel scripts, and notes on deleted and alternate scenes.

“For the Fredhead that likes to know every detail, this book is for you,” says Harker Press owner Dustin McNeill. “It’s been a lot of fun to work with Lowell Greenblatt to bring this particular book to life. His attention to detail in exploring the Elm Street mythology is very much in the tradition of our earlier books like Taking Shape and Reign of Chucky. You’ll not only learn about the storylines that were, but also storylines that almost were such as in deleted scenes, discarded subplots, and alternate scripts. And it’s all backed up by stories from the filmmakers themselves.”

“My love of film started at a young age with the Nightmare on Elm Street films,” says Greenblatt. “I’ve long felt that this franchise has been underserved in our cultural conversation around horror, especially during the genre’s modern resurgence. My hope with Nightmare Autopsis is that their artistry and imagination will finally be appreciated as readers delve with me into Nightmare history. Whether you’re a huge Freddy fan or a newcomer to the series, there’s something for you inside.”

You can grab your copy of Nightmare Autopsis over on Amazon now!

The post ‘Nightmare Autopsis’ – New Book Revisits the ‘Elm Street’ Movies With New Interviews for Every Installment appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The schedule is as follows:

• A Nightmare on Elm Street – August 29
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge – September 5
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors – September 6
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master – September 12
• A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child – September 13
• Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare – September 19
• Wes Craven’s New Nightmare – September 20

Freddy Krueger, the vengeful child killer burned alive by angry parents, returns to haunt the dreams of their children on the big screen. From his first terrifying appearance on Elm Street to his resurrection through nightmares, Freddy unleashes horror across generations.

Alamo Drafthouse has locations in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington DC.

The post All 7 ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ 4K Restorations to Debut at Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas Starting This Month appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

“Wes Craven was supposed to direct it, and he dropped out about six weeks before the start of production. The train was going down the track when New Line asked me if I would do it,” Sholder recalls.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of time to really think about legacy or anything other than how the hell am I gonna get this movie made in six weeks with, like, a hundred special effects, none of which I knew how to do, and a whole bunch of other things.

“I knew New Line was hoping for another sequel, but nobody had any idea that it was going to be what it turned out to be. I’m thrilled. There’s still a big audience for Part 2, and the movie keeps on selling.”

Sholder recalls, “When we were testing the film, Bob Shaye, the head of New Line, kept saying it’s not scary. I worked on it to try to tighten it up and put in bigger, scarier music and all of that — which is basically putting lipstick on pig.

“But there was a problem with the structure of the film, which was that Freddy keeps showing up and saying, ‘I’m gonna do this, I’m going to do that.’ But he never does anything until the end of the second act, which is the whole scene in the in the gym with the coach.

“Bob said, ‘You’ve got to move it up to the beginning of the second act, and then when he says he’s going to do something, you believe him because he already did.’ And I said, ‘Well, we can’t do that. It won’t make any sense, because then the coach is dead, and the story has to go on with the coach still there.'”

Utilizing his background as an editor — a 14-year career that included cutting The Burning — the solution came to Sholder on a subway ride after a test screening. “I figured out how to move that whole scene up to the beginning of Act 2 by finding a shot where I could put some voiceover where you couldn’t see their lips to cover the logical problem. We moved it up, and suddenly the film got a lot scarier.

“When people tell me it’s one of the scariest ones, I always say, ‘Wow, that’s so great, because that was the big problem we were facing.’ So it’s always a thrill to hear people say that.”

Addressing the film’s oft-discussed queer subtext, Sholder says, “We actually got pretty good reviews for a sequel to a low-budget horror film. But there was one review from The Village Voice that said it was ‘the gayest horror film of all time,’ or something along those lines. We thought it was funny, because it never occurred to any of us. I always saw it as tying in with the theme of teen sexual anxiety.”

Following the successful release, Sholder continued to work in the industry — helming the likes of The Hidden, Wishmaster 2: Evil Never Dies, and “Tales from the Crypt.” His time on Elm Street was but a distant memory until he was asked to participate in a Freddy’s Revenge reunion convention.

“I thought, ‘Oh, it sounds like it would be fun to see all these people who I haven’t seen since I made the movie.’ I stayed in touch with Robert [Englund] and we had seen each other socially, but nobody else.

“And then I found out from Mark Patton about his whole story; dropping out after the end of the movie, and they had to find a detective to dig him up. There was this whole new interpretation of the movie, and Mark was taking a lot of heat from that.”

He adds, “It always seemed like it was considered the ugly stepsister, and then there began to be a reappraisal of the film.”

Sholder acknowledges that his sequel is more of a standalone effort than a continuation of the first film. “The writer [David Chaskin] broke the cardinal rule of the series, which is that Freddy only comes out in your sleep, which I think is one of the reasons that Wes always objected to it.”

He continues, “My approach was, ‘Hey, I’m gonna make a better movie than the first one.’ That was my attitude. Honestly, the only thing that New Line ever said was to keep Freddy dark and keep him scary. There was no pressure to recreate a masterpiece.

“In fact, the head of distribution at New Line said, ‘If this film makes 70-80% of what the original made, we’d be very happy. Fortunately, it ended up making quite a bit more.” Freddy’s Revenge ended up grossing just under $30 million at the box office, besting the original’s $25.5 million.

“The whole gay subtext has only added to it. People teach it in film studies classes now,” Sholder says. “While it was not ever something that we intended, it’s certainly in there, and I was aware that it was in there. I think it’s great that people can interpret the film however they want. I’m thrilled that there’s a whole group of fans who find that there are things that they can identify with in the film.”

Sholder was delighted to be involved with the new 4K restoration. “I got a call from Warners that they were doing this, and they wanted me to come out and approve everything. They had already done the work. They had gone through and scanned the film in 4K.”

He notes, “I asked why they didn’t scan it in 8K for the future since they were going to all this trouble, and they said, ‘Well, we actually did a test in 4K and 8K and couldn’t tell the difference.’ Basically, there was no more information to be added in the 8K that you didn’t get in the 4K.”

The process not only afforded Sholder the opportunity to approve the restoration but also bring the film closer to his original vision. “It looks gorgeous. It’s beautifully photographed, and all of that comes out. I was able to do a bunch of little tweaks and corrections that were impossible to do when you were just on film. It’s basically the same, except it’s better.

“There are little, minor tweaks. For instance, in the opening scene with the bus ride, one of the concepts we had was that the front of the bus would have a kind of a demonic face to it, a little bit like The Cars That Ate Paris. So they put some tusks on it, and there was supposed to be smoke coming out of the front of this thing — but it never really worked right. It was really lame. Now I was able to just enhance the smoke a little bit.

“There were little things like that where I could just go in and tweak, and probably no one will even notice it. But it’s an accumulation of tiny little details that I think make it better.”

Sholder occasionally found himself getting carried away with the possibilities, but he ultimately chose not to stray too far from the original aesthetic. “There was one point where I wanted to make this whole scene look a little different, and the Warner Bros. executive who was sitting there said, ‘Jack, don’t do that. Keep it the way it was originally.’ And I said, ‘Okay, I completely accept that. This is the film we made in 1984.’

He continues, “It was one of the sequences in the house that I wanted to make a little bit darker, a little bit spookier. You know, films made in 2025 look different from films made in the ’80s. There’s a different kind of aesthetic.

“You could go through and redo some of the special effects — they’re a little hokey — and digitally fix them up. But that’s part of the charm. It’s a handmade product. It means a human being worked on it, and human beings are not perfect.”

Sholder’s involvement with the restoration went as in-depth as considering the amount of grain present in the new transfer. “I’ve only seen it on the studio monitor, but Warners assures me that all the grain is still there.”

He explains, “Something that I think people don’t fully understand is that there’s an original negative, and then when they go into release they make an interpositive off the original negative, and then they make an internegative, and then they make the 35mm prints off of the internegative. So you’re three generations removed, and each time it goes another generation you pick up a little more grain.

“For us, the perfect situation would have been that all of the prints were made from the original negative, because that’s what we were going for, but you don’t do that because it puts the original negative at risk. However, this was scanned off of the original negative for the first time, so this is the way that we had envisioned the film looking from the get go. I’m very happy about that.”

As a cost-cutting measure, the film’s audio was originally mixed in mono rather than stereo, but the 4K boasts a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. “Putting the original mono mix into Dolby Atmos blew my mind. I was able to hear things that I’d never heard. It made me look like a much better filmmaker,” Sholder chuckles.

“We were able to go in and raise certain balances. We were originally mixing to a mono track, and optical tracks are pretty good but they had certain limitations. I was always told, ‘No, you can’t make that any louder or you have to make something else softer.’ But in Atmos you could hear everything.

“I was watching the sequence with the demonic parakeet. How do you make a scene with a demonic parakeet any good? We did the best we could. And now I’m watching it like, ‘Wow, this is like The Birds! This is really good.’ Then I played it with the original track and it was, you know, so-so. That’s how much difference good sound makes.”

Sholder adds, “I was just thrilled with how it turned out. I have to say that everybody at Warner Bros. really gave the film a lot of love and did everything the right way, so I couldn’t be happier.

“The process for me was like when they take like an old Renaissance painting and restore it. They spend a year, take all the old varnish off, and there’s all these little details you could never see. This is the way that the artists who made this film wanted it to be.”

The restoration process allowed the filmmaker to appreciate Freddy’s Revenge in the similar way that audiences have come to embrace it over the last 40 years. “I have reassessed it, and for what it is, I think it’s really quite good. I am very pleased and so proud of the work that I had done on it. It basically did what it was supposed to do.”

Sholder concludes, “I’m assuming the rest of the series also look as good as ours. I hope that everybody who watches it feels as excited about it as I do.”

A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film 4K Collection will be released September 30.

The post ‘Freddy’s Revenge’ Director Jack Sholder Explains How ‘Elm Street 2’ Was Improved for New 4K Release appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Freddy Krueger, the vengeful child killer burned alive by angry parents, returns to haunt the dreams of their children when this chilling 7-film saga becomes available as a 4K UHD collection for the first time. From his first terrifying appearance on Elm Street to his resurrection through nightmares, Freddy unleashes horror across generations – where sleep is no escape, and dreams become deadly. The 4K collection including the original seven films from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise will be released on September 30, 2025!

From New Line Cinema, the collection includes the original seven films – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985), A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989), Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991), and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) – along with the uncut versions of A Nightmare on Elm Street and The Dream Child.

The collection also includes an alternate ending of Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare presented in anaglyph 3D and complete with 3D glasses in the physical collection.

Two BRAND NEW SPECIAL FEATURES for this set include:

• Boiler Room Confessional: The king of slashers, Robert Englund, takes us on a journey through the dream world, sharing what inspired Freddy Krueger, his rise as a cultural icon, and the legacy of A Nightmare on Elm Street, plus his favorite kills, scenes, and more.
• Freddy’s Footnotes: Robert Englund and original A Nightmare on Elm Street filmmakers revisit iconic scenes, revealing the movie magic and chaos behind our favorite nightmares. Pull back the curtain and relive epic moments through the eyes of those who made them.

Here’s the full breakdown of included Special Features for each movie…

A Nightmare on Elm Street

· Ready Freddy Focus Points

· Commentary with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, Robert Shaye, and Sara Risher

· Commentary with Wes Craven, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, and Jacques Haitkin

· Alternate Endings – Scary Ending, Happy Ending, Freddy Ending

· The House that Freddy Built: The Legacy of New Line Horror

· Never Sleep Again: The Making of A Nightmare on Elm Street

· Night Terrors: The Origins of Wes Craven’s Nightmares

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

· Freddy on 8th Street

· Heroes and Villains

· The Male Witch

· Psychosexual Circus

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

· Behind the Story: Burnout

· Behind the Story: Fan Mail

· Behind the Story: The House that Freddy Built

· Behind the Story: Onward Christian Soldiers

· Behind the Story: Snakes and Ladders

· Behind the Story: That’s Showbiz

· Behind the Story: Trading 8’s

· Dokken Dream Warriors Music Video

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

· The Finnish Line

· Krueger, Freddy Krueger

· Hopeless Chest

· Let’s Makeup

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

· Behind the Story: Womb Raiders

· Behind the Story: The Sticky Floor

· Behind the Story: Take the Stairs

· Behind the Story: Hopkins Directs

· Behind the Story: A Slight Miscalculation

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

· 86’D

· Hellraiser

· Rachel’s Dream

· 3D Demise

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

· Commentary with Wes Craven

· NEW – Boiler Room Confessional

· NEW – Freddy’s Footnotes

· Becoming a Filmmaker

· Filmmaker

· An Insane Troupe

· The Problem with Sequels

· Two Worlds

· Welcome to Prime Time: It Really Happened

· Welcome to Prime Time: A Childhood Memory

· Welcome to Prime Time: Sometime in the Early 80s

· Welcome to Prime Time: So It Began

· Welcome to Prime Time: Beauty and the Beast

· Welcome to Prime Time: Making the Glove

· Welcome to Prime Time: Shapeshifter

· Welcome to Prime Time: The Shoot

· Welcome to Prime Time: The Revolving Room

· Welcome to Prime Time: All’s Well that Ends Well

· Welcome to Prime Time: Talalay’s Tally

· Welcome to Prime Time: It Couldn’t Have Happened

· Welcome to Prime Time: Alternate Ending Version

· Conclusion: Where Gothic Plots Come From

· Conclusion: Why We Like Gothic

· Conclusion: Sadomasochism

· Conclusion: Freddy vs. Pinhead

· Conclusion: Freddy’s Manic Energy

· Conclusion: Creating Lasting Characters in Horror

· Conclusion: No More Magic Tricks

· Conclusion: Monster with Personality

· Conclusion: Freddy as Sex Machine

· Conclusion: Campfire Stories

The Elm Street collection will be available in limited edition collectible SteelBook packaging (exclusive to Amazon) and as a standard 4K collection and will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Fandango at Home and more.

You can pre-order your copy of the Elm Street 4K collection right now!

The post ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ 4K Collection Officially Revealed With Trailer and Full Details! [Exclusive] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Chatting with the video podcast Talks from the Crypt, Kane Hodder reveals in a new interview that Craven actually discussed his next movie with him while on set of Hills Have Eyes Part II. And it sounds like he could’ve even been potentially up for the role of Freddy at the time!

“I was talking to Wes on the set one day, and he said he was developing a new character that was going to make a franchise,” Hodder tells the show. “And he says, ‘This is a character that’s been burned, and I’m thinking about using an actor with real burn scars.’ Which… I have. And he briefly mentioned it to me on the set. He said, ‘I think I’m gonna call him Fred Krueger.’ And then of course, he decided to go in a different direction and do prosthetics. Because my face is not scarred, which is the whole point of Freddy. His face is all scars.”

It was of course Robert Englund who became Freddy Krueger for Wes Craven the following year, while Hodder went on to become the definitive actor to portray Freddy’s adversary.

“I don’t think I would’ve done it as well as Robert [Englund],” Hodder admits. He adds, “I would’ve tended to make the character less comical. But I don’t know if that would’ve been the right choice. Because that’s kind of the popularity with Freddy; he’s a smartass, and fucking violent, and ya know. I don’t think it would’ve been as good as the way Robert did it.”

While it’s probably not accurate to pretend that Kane Hodder “almost” played Freddy Krueger, it’s certainly interesting to at least imagine that conversation between Hodder and Wes Craven back in 1983. And to imagine that in some alternate reality, Craven did end up casting an actor with real burn scars to play the dream demon. And that actor, well, it could’ve been Hodder.

Imagine how much that would’ve changed the course of horror history!

The post Kane Hodder Recalls His Early 1980s Brush With Possibly Playing Freddy Krueger in Original ‘Elm Street’ appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The line includes T-shirts ($33.99), long sleeves ($43.99), all-over print tees ($59.99), zip-up hoodies ($64.99), embroidered denim jackets ($124.99), and 60×50 woven blankets ($62.99) — so you’ll never sleep again!

The collection is only available through Sunday, June 1, and will ship in 6-8 weeks. Select pieces are limited in quantity and may sell out before the weekend is over.

In Wes Craven‘s 1984 slasher classic, teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger, a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on them in their dreams — which, in turn, kills them in reality.

Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Johnny Depp, Amanda Wyss, Nick Corri, and Robert Englund star.

The post Freddy’s Coming for You on ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Apparel from Rucking Fotten appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Fright-Rags is now serving terror by the mugful with horror-inspired diner mugs.

Pick your poison from Halloween‘s Haddonfield Diner, Friday the 13th‘s Crystal Lake Diner, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4‘s Crave Inn Diner, and Twin Peaks‘ Double R Diner.

Designed by Kyle Crawford, each vintage-style, 11-ounce ceramic mug costs $15.

Featuring hand-applied decals, the durable mugs are dishwasher safe but hand wishing is recommended to preserve the design.

The post Fright Rags Serves Up ‘Halloween,’ ‘Friday the 13th,’ ‘Elm Street,’ ‘Twin Peaks’ Diner Mugs appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It was a prank, of course, but it begs the question: 15 years removed from the last entry, what is the status of Freddy Krueger?

The Hollywood Reporter asked New Line Cinema President and Chief Creative Officer Richard Brener if a new Elm Street was on the horizon.

“We hope so. It’s complicated because of the rights,” said Brener.

The response is not surprising, but New Line — often referred to as “The House that Freddy Built” — has not publicly commented on Elm Street in some time.

The U.S. rights to the property reverted to the estate of writer-director Wes Craven back in 2019, but New Line maintains the international rights. We’ve heard that the estate was taking pitches, but they need New Line on board or a deal with another domestic distributor to move forward.

Launched in 1984, the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise features nine films. Robert Englund starred as Freddy in all but the remake.

If nothing else, it seems like fans have a 4K UHD box set to look forward to.

The post New Line “Hopes” to Make Another ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie: “It’s Complicated” appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The first time tends to get a little messy in the three-minute short below.

Michael Leavy, who played Will the exterminator in the first Terrifier and went on to produce the sequels, dons the iconic glove and sweater as the Springwood slasher.

Sea Shelves’ Dominick Muschello, who worked on and appeared as an extra in Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3, rocks the Johnny Depp crop top as Freddy’s catfishing victim.

“I have been a huge fan of Robert’s forever,” says Leavy. “He’s a huge reason I got into filmmaking and horror in the first place, so to be able to bring one of the best slashers back to life in my own way while paying homage, and to do it with the hilariously talented Sea Shelves Productions, was a dream come true.”

Incidentally, Leavy played a younger version of Robert Englund in 2014’s Fear Clinic. He also served as a producer on Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story.

The post Dreams Do Come True in ‘Date Night with Freddy Krueger’ Sketch Starring ‘Terrifier’ Producer Michael Leavy appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Fallout Figures from McFarlane Toys

Emerge from Vault 33 with a four-pack of “Fallout” action figures as part of McFarlane Toys’ Movie Maniacs line.

Priced at $74.99, it includes blood-splattered 6″ posed figures of Lucy, The Ghoul, and Maximus (with masked and unmasked heads) plus a black-and-white Vault Boy.

The set comes with an environmental base and printed backdrop for each character, plus an art card with a certificate of authenticity and a secret bonus item.

Nosferatu Sweatshirt from La Femme En Noir

With Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu in theaters now, Le Femme En Noir has released an official apparel collection dedicated to the film.

Along with modern replicas of Victorian-era costumes, the line includes a crewneck sweatshirt featuring Count Orlok’s mysterious contract that Thomas signs.

Made from a premium ring spun cotton pigment dye, the two-sided design costs $80.

Freddy Krueger Jacket from Eternal October

Get your claws on Eternal October’s A Nightmare on Elm Street premium zip-up jacket featuring detailed embroidery and a printed inner lining.

Price at $100, pre-orders run until January 10 and are expected to ship in early February.

Complete the look with Eternal October’s Freddy Krueger snapback hat for $35 and Nightmare on Elm Street pullover hoodie for $60.

A Clockwork Orange Posters from Mutant

Mutant continues Matthew Woodson’s Stanley Kubrick poster series with A Clockwork Orange 24×36 screen prints.

The standard edition (left) is limited to 160 for $65, while the variant is limited to 85 for $80.

Squid Game Track Suit from Netflix

In honor of the second season of “Squid Game,” now streaming on Netflix, Puma has created a velour track suit inspired by the player uniforms.

Sold separately, the jacket costs $90 and the pants are $80.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives.

The post 5 of This Week’s Coolest Horror Collectibles Including McFarlane’s ‘Fallout’ Figures appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

It’s available on unisex and women’s T-shirts for $33, baseball tees for $40, and zip-up hoodies for $55.

Two previous Freddy Krueger tees have also been restocked: Yannick Bouchard‘s Raiders of the Lost Ark parody art and Matt Ryan Tobbin‘s purr-fect “You’re All My Kittens Now” design.

If you’re a fan of A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Fright-Rags also has three shirts designed by Kyle Crawford and Jeff Zornow in honor of the sequel’s 35th anniversary.

RELATED: Robert Englund Talks ‘Elm Street‘ 4K Release and Whether or Not He’ll Play Freddy Again [Interview]

The post Fright Rags Celebrates 40 Years of ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ with New & Classic Apparel appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

While you wait for Michael Myers to take over AMC FearFest with Halloween franchise marathons on Halloween Eve and Halloween Day, today’s schedule is dominated by Freddy!

AMC is airing a “Nightmare of Freddy” marathon all day today, October 29!

While the movies are being aired out of order, which we’re of course used to by now, what’s cool about this marathon is that EVERY FREDDY MOVIE EVER MADE is included.

Here’s the full “Nightmare of Freddy” schedule…

• 9am – Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare
• 11am – A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
• 1pm – A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
• 3:15pm – A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
• 5:30pm – A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge
• 7:30pm – A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
• 9:45pm – A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
• 11:45pm – Freddy vs. Jason
• 2am – Wes Craven’s New Nightmare

Click on over to AMC FearFest and watch Freddy slash through the decades all day long!

The post AMC FearFest: Watch an All-Day Marathon of the ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movies TODAY! appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Deluxe Metal Freddy Glove – $59.99

Freddy Krueger’s glove is one of the most iconic props in horror cinema, but not all replicas are created equally. If you want something more realistic than the plastic version, this 15″ deluxe edition features metal claws.

Freddy Krueger Sweater – $34.99

Did you know Wes Craven chose red and green for Freddy’s sweater because he read that it’s the most difficult color combination for the human eye to process? No horror fan’s wardrobe is complete without one to keep them warm long after Halloween has passed.

A Nightmare On Elm Street Makeup Kit – $12.99

If you’re feeling extra creative, forgo the Freddy mask in favor of recreating his burned look with the official makeup kit. It includes three makeup crayons, four cream makeup colors, two sheets of temporary tattoos, makeup sponge, and gel blood.

Freddy Kreuger Plush – $10.00

Will you be able to sleep with a dream demon by your side? Conquer your fears by cuddling up with this 8″ plush Freddy.

Freddy Krueger Press On Nails – $7.99

Not even Freddy’s glove could compete with Elm Street fingernails. The set includes 24 self-adhesive press-on nail chips featuring five different Freddy-inspired designs.

Freddy Krueger Snugarumi – $39.99

Like a blanket you can wear, a Snugarumi is a soft, oversized hooded shirt with a kangaroo pocket. The Freddy Krueger edition is a cozy alternative to the classic red and green sweater.

Elm Street Sign – $17.99

“Every town has an Elm Street,” as Freddy points out in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, and every Fredhead needs an Elm Street sign. This wooden display piece measures 20.5″ wide and 4″ high.

Freddy Krueger Succulent Planter – $12.99

Want a killer garden without all the work? This 3″ ceramic planter in the shape of Freddy’s head houses a lifelike artificial succulent. No sunlight required, so it’s perfect for nightmares.

Freddy Krueger Pet Pajamas – $17.99

Let your four-legged friends in on the Halloween fun with Freddy Krueger pet pajamas. The red and green striped jumpsuit will remind you not to fall asleep whenever you pet your pup.

Nightmare on Elm Street Clapper Board – $19.99

Welcome to prime time! Get ready for your closeup with a Nightmare on Elm Street clapper board. The fiberboard prop measures 12″ wide and 10.5″ wide.

As an added bonus, you can save 20% on one item with the code TWENTY or get free shipping on orders over $35 with the code FREESHIP. Find your local Spirit Halloween today!

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I was thirteen when the film hit theaters and absolutely terrified of slashers. Though already a Fear Street devotee and one of Stephen King’s Constant Readers, the masked and stoic killers of this violent subgenre filled me with an icy dread I still can’t describe. I took a chance on New Nightmare and found a young heroine struggling with her own fear of horror movies. The story’s bold construction allowed me to distance myself from the onscreen terror by providing names and faces to the many wizards working in tandem behind the curtain. Seeing star Robert Englund appear both in and out of his Freddy Kruger makeup provided distance between the man and the monster while helping me keep “it’s only a movie” firmly in mind. After surviving my first foray into this frightening subgenre, I dove headfirst into the pool. I would go on to learn about the final girl archetype and meet several incredible female characters – including Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) – who would help me find my own empowerment and wind up changing the course of my life.

Of course it’s in this perception of safety that the horror lies. With no title cards to ground us, we open on a new variation of a familiar scene. In a fiery boiler room workshop, mysterious hands emerge from the sleeves of a red and green sweater and prepare a mechanical glove with knives for fingers. As the blades sever a human hand, we hear a director’s voice enter the fray. Wes Craven glides into the frame and we realize we’re on a movie set. The murderous glove is operated by a remote control device and Heather herself watches from the wings while her young son Dylan (Miko Hughes) sits on her lap. We take a breath and let the artificial nature of this frightening scene wash over us before Craven hits us with a surprise left hook. The glove begins to move on its own and impales the special effects team with its razor-sharp claws. Heather screams herself awake in the midst of a frightening earthquake and we realize we have just witnessed her latest nightmare. No longer on Elm Street, we now find ourselves caught in a Hollywood system intent on reviving Freddy (Englund) for a new generation.

Premiering ten years after the original film, New Nightmare serves as a sequel/reboot of sorts long before the term became industry slang. The film feels simultaneously fresh and reverent, nodding to Craven’s original story with new and unique set pieces and kills. Freddy’s tongue reaches Heather (Langenkamp) from a phone receiver and she chides a nurse to “screw your pass!” in a hospital hall. Along with boiler room imagery and a Hansel and Gretel motif, Dylan waves to us through the clear plastic of an oxygen tent, mirroring the iconic body bag dragged through the hallway of Nancy’s school. When babysitter Julie (Tracy Middendorf) meets her grisly end, she writhes across the walls and ceiling just like Tina (Amanda Wyss) in the franchise’s first – and arguably best – death. This iteration of the iconic scene takes on new horror as Craven alternates between reality – in which Julie dies by unseen hands – and Dylan’s dream world that sees the frightened young woman dragged across the ceiling by the sadistic killer. 

New Nightmare is perhaps most fascinating due to its verisimilitude. In addition to Langenkamp, several members of the cast, crew, and production team of A Nightmare on Elm Street appear as themselves, implying a sort of chosen family that has carried on long after the first film wrapped. Much of the plot was based on real details from Langenkamp’s life including her marriage to a special effects man – David LeRoy Anderson declined an invitation to appear as himself – and the couple’s young son, a boy several years younger than Heather’s onscreen child. Unfortunately another aspect of the film is also true to life. Langenkamp reportedly did have a stalker who caused her to briefly relocate to London. Craven asked for her blessing before including this harrowing plot development in the film’s narrative, fearing some scenes might trigger painful memories of that horrific time. The film concludes with Craven writing a note thanking Heather for playing Nancy one last time and we marvel at the sheer bravery it must have taken to reveal so much of her personal life to the world. New Nightmare feels like a special collaboration between director and star, bringing deeper understanding to an inspirational character. Like Nancy, we watch as Langenkamp takes back power over her own life and directly confronts what must be some of her darkest fears. 

Also making appearances are New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye and veteran actress Lin Shaye, now a horror icon in her own right. John Saxon also appears as himself, offering fatherly support to Heather in the wake of her husband’s death. This warm relationship sets the stage for a gut punch as John begins to revert to the dismissive condescension of his Lt. Thompson persona. The sudden appearance of a police badge on his hip tells us in no uncertain terms that we have crept out of the waking world and into Freddy’s nightmare. But of all the cameos and easter eggs, it’s a scene between Heather and Wes that pulls at our heartstrings. Nine years after the beloved director’s passing, this conversation about the precarious nature of genre storytelling feels like uncovering a treasured memory. 

No Elm Street film would be complete without a matchup between Heather/Nancy and Freddy Kruger. In a duel role, England once again slips into the deadly glove while also playing himself as a genial friend who dabbles in painting. After six films buried under gruesome makeup, it’s nice to see the handsome actor step out of Freddy’s shadow. His relationship with his co-stars adds a layer of warmth to an upsetting story and causes us to question the cost of playing such a despicable villain. We’re introduced to the cartoonish version of Freddy early on as he slices through a talk show set, jokes with Heather, then waves to an audience of kids cheering his name. Though his energy pervades Heather’s California home, we don’t see the monster until much later. With an updated creature design and subdued malevolence, Craven and Englund deliver a much more sinister version of the legendary killer. Gone is the wise-cracking prankster of later sequels and MTV fame. This Freddy feels more like the sadistic murderer who once inspired a bloodthirsty mob of frightened parents to burn him alive.

It’s this fascinating design that gives the film not only its teeth, but its narrative power. The seventh franchise entry, New Nightmare falls after Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare , a horror comedy responsible for killing off the evil dream-lurker. Combined with merchandise, television appearances, and a horror hosting gig on the series Freddy’s Nightmares, the cinematic child-killer had crossed the rubicon and was drifting closer to playground ubiquity and anti-hero status. Heather voices this concern when she remarks that, “Every kid knows who Freddy is. He’s like Santa Claus… or King Kong …” Craven’s own musings on the subject deal more with classic narrative structure. He theorizes that by creating Freddy, he was able to capture an ancient evil within a digestible form. But now that the monster has been defeated, the malicious entity has been set free and plans to break through the barrier between fiction and reality. As the first person to take away the demon’s power, Nancy has become the gatekeeper – the only one able to hold him in the dream world and defend us against a real life nightmare. 

Though Freddy is admittedly terrifying, New Nightmare posits that the horror genre itself has become a sort of boogeyman. Multiple characters rail about the dangers posed by scary movies and a disapproving doctor outright blames the ANOES franchise for Dylan’s mysterious illness. The film follows a decade of self-righteous parents and politicians blaming explicit music, movies, and TV for societal woes. Heather seems to have fallen for this moral panic as well and discourages Dylan from reading or watching anything violent. Though understandable, her concern parallels the first film’s catalytic violence. Freddy gained his power when a group of parents murdered a man suspected of killing neighborhood children then buried the evidence to avoid any consequences. Years after taking the law into their own hands, they watch as their kids succumb to the results of their own misguided efforts at protection. Similarly, Heather tries to shield Dylan from the idea of Freddy, but her attempts to repress this part of her past only causes the supernatural killer to push back harder. She’s repeating the sins of her own cinematic mother by sheltering her child and denying the fact that monsters exist.

Two years later, Craven would explore this idea in Scream, a slasher following teens who have grown up in Freddy’s shadow. These savvy horror fans discuss the rules of slasher lore and believe that pop culture knowledge will make them impervious to the killer’s tricks. A Freddy facsimile does appear, but the Ghostface killer is made of flesh and bone. They are kids not much older than Dylan himself who use genre knowledge to butcher their friends. Yet even then, Craven pushes back against the idea that horror is responsible. After describing his motive, the killer says, “Movies don’t create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative!” In the third franchise installment, final girl Sidney (Neve Campbell) goes a step further, insisting that the killers commit their crimes because they “choose to,” not because of any outside force. The Scream franchise is built on the confluence of horror in fiction and reality, the seeds which can be felt in Heather’s parental dilemma. The well-meaning mother must reckon with the effect horror has had on her own life and how it will shape the life of her child, ultimately realizing that it’s in allowing ourselves to be afraid that we’re able to finally find our strength. 

The film concludes with a meta moment in which Heather reads the script of New Nightmare to her son, finally shepherding him through narrative horror. She has once again reclaimed her power and pushed Freddy back onto the screen. Ten years ago, a generation of children were inspired by watching this brave teen take back any power she gave to a monster. Ignored by her parents, she was forced to take matters into her own hands and battle a deadly beast all on her own. But now, she will use what she’s learned to guide her own son through the experience of fear, teaching him to face the monster and find empowerment. Thirty years after Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, early Freddy fans are raising kids of their own. Hopefully they will once again follow Heather’s example and remember that it’s only in allowing our children to explore and overcome their fears that we can raise them to be heroes who are “into survival.”

The post 30 Years Later: How Wes Craven’s ‘New Nightmare’ Created a Bridge Between Slasher Eras appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

A Nightmare on Elm Street 1-3 Vinyl from Mondo

A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors’ soundtracks are available on vinyl for $40 a piece from Mondo.

Each expanded 2xLP album features the original soundtrack on the first disc and additional themes and cues on the second disc. Shipping in November, they feature artwork by Mike Saputo.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is composed by Charles Bernstein (Cujo, April Fool’s Day). It’s pressed on 140-gram “Boiler Room Blast” colored vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket with liner notes by Bernstein.

Freddy’s Revenge is composed by Christopher Young (Hellraiser, Sinister). It’s pressed on 140-gram “Freddy Blast” colored vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket with liner notes by director Jack Sholder and actor Mark Patton.

Dream Warriors is composed by Angelo Badalamenti (Twin Peaks, Mulholland Drive). It’s pressed on 140-gram “Hypnocil Dream Haze” colored vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket with liner notes by actor Ira Heiden.

Demolition Man 4K UHD from Arrow Videoo

Demolition Man will be released on 4K Ultra HD on December 17 from Arrow Video. Both the the domestic “Taco Bell” and international “Pizza Hut” versions of the 1993 sci-fi action film are included via seamless branching.

Marco Brambilla directs from a script by Daniel Waters, Robert Reneau, and Peter M. Lenkov. Sylvester Stallone, Wesley Snipes, Sandra Bullock, and Nigel Hawthorne star.

The film has been newly restored in 4K from the original 35mm camera negative, approved by Brambilla. The limited edition set comes with a 60-page book, a double-sided poster, six art cards, and two stickers.

Special features include: new commentary by Brambilla and Waters; new commentary by The Projection Booth podcast’s Mike White; commentary by Brambilla and producer Joel Silver; new interviews with production designer David L. Snyder, stunt coordinator Charles Percini, special make-up effects artist Chris Biggs, and body effects set coordinator Jeff Farley; and more.

The Crow Umbrella from Rucking Fotten

It can’t rain all the time, but just in case you should equip yourself with Rucking Fotten’s The Crow umbrella. Limited to 100, it costs $34.99.

The umbrella is part of an officially licensed The Crow 30th anniversary collection, which also includes shirts, jackets, hats, socks, and more. It’s only available through Sunday, October 6, and will ship in 6-8 weeks.

Uzumaki Vinyl from Milan Records

The soundtrack to Adult Swim’s anime adaptation of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki is coming to vinyl on November 15 via Milan Records. The score is composed by Colin Stetson (Hereditary, Texas Chainsaw Massacre).

Priced at $31, the album is pressed on 180-gram black and white spiral picture disc vinyl. It’s housed in a jacket featuring new artwork by Ito, a 12×12 insert, and an obi strip.

Hollywood 90028 Blu-ray from Grindhouse Releasing

Hollywood 90028 will be released on Blu-ray on November 26 via Grindhouse Releasing. The 1973 exploitation flick has been newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative.

Also known as The Hollywood Hillside Strangler and Twisted Throats, the movie is written and directed by Christina Hornisher. Christopher Augustine, Jeannette Dilger, Dick Glass, and Gayle Davis star.

The three-disc set comes with a newly remastered soundtrack CD composed by Basil Poledouris (RoboCop, Conan the Barbarian) and a booklet of liner notes.

Special features include: commentary by film historians Marc E. Heuck and Heidi Honeycutt; commentary by film historian Shawn Langrick; interviews with Augustine, Dilger, Davis, editor Leon Ortiz-Gil, and Tom DeSimone; alternate scenes from the original X-rated version; 16mm short films by Hornisher; outtakes; and more.

For more merch madness, peruse the Killer Collectibles archives. You can also visit Broke Horror Fan.

The post 5 of This Week’s Coolest Horror Collectibles Including ‘Elm Street’ Soundtracks on Mondo Vinyl appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The actor had a feeling that A Nightmare on Elm Street was special during the production in 1984, but he didn’t know if it would reach an audience. “I just wanted people to see it, because I could tell we were onto something good. My girlfriend back then, who discovered several actors who’ve gone on to great success in Hollywood, she saw Johnny Depp for 20 seconds in the hallway the first week, and she said, ‘He’s going to be a star.'”

While he was unsure what kind of advertising budget a then-unknown New Line Cinema could provide for the film, he had faith in writer-director Wes Craven. “I knew that Wes was special, having hung out in a new-wave bar in Hollywood that had clips from The Last House on the Left and The Hills Have Eyes, and on the other end of the bar they had Eraserhead running in a continuous loop. I kind of fused them, after a beer or two, as real equivalent artists: David Lynch and Wes Craven.”

He continues, “I knew Wes was onto something, because he had pitched the whole idea of what the movie meant to him; this suburban malaise and divorce and alcoholism among the parents. This neighborhood had been cursed with this guy, and then they had burned him alive, and he had come back to haunt them for their own suburban American complacency. He had this whole kind of thing going on with it.

“It’s very symbolic. I mean, every town has an Elm Street! Where was John F. Kennedy shot? On Elm Street. There’s a lot going on there. Wes is no fool. He was layering stuff in there. All the adults in all the movies are flawed, and the kids are losing their innocence to this nightmare, this thing that’s telling them that their parents aren’t all goody-goody. It’s almost like a loss of innocence for America, just like the death of Kennedy was a loss of innocence for America.”

It wasn’t long before Englund started to see the impact of Freddy, which he first witnessed while accepting an international award for NBC’s hit sci-fi series V, on which he played the friendly alien Willie. “There were already fans mobbing me in Europe as far back as the end of ’84 or ’85. I literally was there for another project, and all the fans were Freddy fans. I understood what global success meant then and what it meant to be an international actor.”

Freddy’s status as a pop culture icon became undeniable to Englund with the sequels. “I think I knew we really were getting iconic sometime during Part 3 or Part 4. I was on location, and fans got to the set and they were literally rocking the makeup trailer. They followed me home on the freeways of Los Angeles. I actually went past the off-ramp for my own home to lose them. At that moment, I knew there was no turning back.”

Warner Bros’s new 4K remaster of A Nightmare on Elm Street includes an unrated version that restores eight seconds of gore cut from the iconic death scene of Freddy’s first victim, Tina. “I’m anxious to see what they put back in,” says Englund.

“We did a thing in the death of Tina on the ceiling upside down where they wanted a point-of-view shot from the actress, Amanda Wyss. We saw her being dragged on the ceiling, but what she was seeing up there, of course it was Freddy dragging her on the ceiling.

“We actually couldn’t let Amanda operate the camera, because she wasn’t union, but the cinematographer Jacques Haitkin’s wife, Amy, was union. They took her, pulled off her jeans, and put blood on her legs. I grabbed her by her ankles, which were all bloody, and she was handheld shooting a point-of-view — gynecological — between her legs at me pulling her.

“I remember dropping her as if I had been dragging her and she just died of fright. I just dropped the legs, but the coagulated stage blood from all the stuff that they put on her legs got on my glove. I saw that, and I went and I blew her a kiss.”

He adds, “I hope it’s not just my imagination. I think I actually got to see that sequence on a Moviola. Wes, I believe, threatened to use it in the movie as a way of getting other graphic horror bits in the movie that he really needed, strategically, in terms of the shape of the film for a thrill and a shock, even though he wasn’t ever intending on using it.

“Maybe there’s a piece of that, or maybe there’s just another great piece of Amanda up there alone. I don’t know. I’m looking forward to seeing that, because I’ve been telling this story for years,” he chuckles.

In my recent conversation with Heather Langenkamp, the Elm Street final girl said she believes Englund has one more Freddy performance in him. Unfortunately, Englund has to disgree. “I don’t. I literally don’t. I mean, there might be some gimmick thing we could do with a close-up or something, but no, I can’t play him anymore. I’m too old,” he refutes.

“I would love to be invited if they reboot Part 3, Dream Warriors, which I think is the most popular film of the franchise. It would be fun to play one of the doctors. The great Priscilla Pointer, Amy Irving’s mother, was in that film. Maybe I could play her part as a male doctor that’s very cynical. A cameo wink to the audience that I don’t buy that there’s this dream demon that everybody’s having the same dream about. It’s in the tradition of remakes, especially with horror, to give an actor that’s been in the original a little cameo, so I think that would be fun.

“But no, there’s no Freddy left in me. I could possibly voice a really high-end, animated version. That would be nice to be asked to do, but I know I can’t do the fight scenes more than one take now, one angle. I just can’t be snapping my head or anything like that. I’m an old dog! Give me a break,” he smirks.

While his days donning the sweater and glove may be behind him, Englund is pleased that fans can experience his Freddy Krueger debut again for the first time in 4K UHD.

“Several generations of fans discovered this project on video: the rough old tape from the mom-and-pop video store, that bootleg that was passed around dormitories, that old copy that somebody stole off a bookshelf. Those were grainier. They weren’t as true. They weren’t as good. This is gonna be better than the original release,” he extols.

“Jacques Haitkin, our director of photography — really talented guy — I’m sure he worked with the lab and the new technologies. There’s a lot of color work in these movies for when the nightmares begin. When you graduate into that dream world, they did different kinds of lightings. That should be really pronounced in this. It’s just going to be pristine.

“I’m a big fan of this now. Even recently, I just ordered a copy on my big, living room flat-screen of Hitchcock’s Rear Window. I saw the original in the movie theaters, and it was better.

“I’m encouraging everybody, because — even though it was a great thing with the family, a cold pizza on the coffee table and a blanket around your shoulders, and your dad’s in the kitchen putting knives on his fingers to scare you — this will look so good. You can turn the lights down and have fun, and maybe bring somebody in to see it that’s never seen it before, experience it that way.”

The post Robert Englund Talks ‘Elm Street’ 4K Release and Whether or Not He’ll Play Freddy Again [Interview] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

The Real Murders on Elm Street is a chilling new six-part documentary series about small suburban towns across America that have been torn apart by murder. Every town has one…

ID previews, “At the heart of the series is the central question of how in a single night, these quaint residential Elm Streets can descend from peace and tranquility into horror, senseless death, and tragedy. Each episode will examine a murder investigation that occurred on one of the many Elm Streets across America with each episode proving horror happens everywhere.”

The debut episode, Killer in the Walls, premieres September 9 @ 9/8c on ID & Max.

“When a husband discovers his wife and two children brutally murdered, police begin to suspect the killer is someone they’ve arrested before. One year prior, a disturbed teenager terrorized a family for months by hiding in a most unlikely place.”

The Real Murders on Elm Street is produced by Grandma’s House Entertainment.

The post ‘The Real Murders on Elm Street’ Trailer – Docuseries Explores True Elm Street Nightmares appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.

Neve Campbell’s recent comments about Scream’s seventh installment compared it to Halloween’s 2018 recipe. The irony is David Gordon Green’s film owes a debt to Halloween H2O. To say nothing of Scream 4, which already riffed on the idea of an older Sidney Prescott facing off with not only another deranged teenager in a Ghostface mask but also her survivor’s guilt and complicated feelings about her hometown. Notice a theme? 

Horror is overflowing with original ideas and stories; this isn’t about the genre. But there’s something to say about the fact legacy films can’t quit examining, well, their legacies. A longing for the “good old” days and fears of upsetting even moderately vocal fanbases created a cul-de-sac for franchise horror with no way out in sight. 

Before going any further, this isn’t some new creatively bankrupt phenomenon. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Halloween famously tried that whole evolution thing in the 1980s. While connoisseurs appreciate those deviations now, those wild swings didn’t generate the necessary box office or fan response at the time. The Halloween franchise felt the sting so hard that they ensured everyone knew the fourth installment featured Michael Myers. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers was comfort food for those who found Halloween III: Season of the Witch a little hard to digest. But only to a point. While Halloween 4 looked like a series going back to basics for most of its runtime, it did something very different in its final minutes that telegraphed a unique direction going forward. And yet, that moment gets explained away and rendered moot by the time Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers arrives one year later.

The creative urge for something new constantly clashes with the business need for something that prints money. The dollars and cents worshipers at the top of the industry often believe that taking the most minor creative risks makes the most sense because it leads to more dollars. 

That’s why Nancy and her dad couldn’t escape Elm St. Or why Michael rarely stopped chasing his relatives. Or even the improbability that the Brody’s couldn’t escape Great White Sharks even while vacationing in the Bahamas. As the calendar turned and fandoms grew more significant, the demand for that type of thing only got louder. To quote one of the great fictional philosophers of our imaginary time, Philip J. Fry, “Clever things make people feel stupid and unexpected things make them feel scared!” Futurama’s insight is a bit harsh, but there’s still some truth buried in the satire. 

In some cases, shifting to tried and true formulas is somewhat understandable. While they’re tacit admissions that sometimes the best idea is the first one, they’re also, at times, necessary business decisions. John Carpenter never envisioned Halloween as more than one movie. The same goes for Wes Craven and A Nightmare on Elm Street. Dollars to donuts, that’s probably the same story for most films that morph into the two words familiar to most people reading this website: intellectual property. That distinction comes with responsibilities to shareholders and CEOs and, no pun intended, the lifeblood of some companies. Ghostface is no longer just a person in a Spirit Halloween robe and a cheap dime store mask; Scream’s chief killer is a brand. 

What was once taboo is now a t-shirt at almost any department store. There are Ghostface Funko Pops, ceramic mugs, backpacks, and even a hockey jersey for the little ones. Let’s keep it real: Scream and other franchises of its ilk have more in common today with McDonald’s or Burger King than the original horror flicks studios produce. That’s not an inherently bad thing, but it is a thing; viewing these properties through that prism makes the math add up. That’s why Jamie Lee Curtis found herself at the center of not one, but two Halloween “reboots” twenty years apart from one another. The movies about the psycho wearing the William Shatner mask established their formula in ’78, so no matter what, they always revert to something from that time period. Even the proposed Halloween TV series is a “creative reset” returning to… ’78.

Staying trapped in the familiar is on the con side of the ledger when horror becomes more significant than just a simple movie. Easily discernible why? Sure. But can it also mean preaching to the same choir from one installment to the next? Also yeah.

Fede Alvarez embraced yesteryear with Alien: Romulus, but he believes he did so without alienating (pun very much intended) a new audience. “You never want an audience to go see a movie and furrow their brow thinking, ‘Who is this person?’ Why is half the cinema so excited about this man and I don’t know who he is?” said Alvarez in a recent interview. “It becomes an excess I’m not interested in.” 

How one feels about the excesses of which he showed great interest in Romulus aside, his overall point rings true. Rooting franchises in their glory days means not making them relevant for today. Everyone involved becomes so focused on paying homage to the past or dealing with older characters that they don’t justify the present or chart a future. That’s precisely where Scream finds itself right now. There’s a lot to how the seventh entry arrived at this point. So much so that there isn’t enough ink to cover it all here. What matters now is the beloved series moving away from a story that attracted old fans and created new ones in favor of playing the hits. Given the circumstances, the creative team behind the next Scream didn’t simply break glass in case of emergency so much as they shattered it by throwing a 100 mph fastball in the form of the Sidney Prescott solution.

For several reasons, some that look incredibly cynical, Scream can’t escape the vicious cycle even though it charted new waters.

We had a new core cast. The Grim Reaper finally collected on Dewey Riley’s long-term debt. Sidney was out of the picture, and who knows how many more attempts on her life Gale Weathers could weather. Scream and Scream VI reflected on their legacy without bathing in it. The movies looked fresh through the eyes of new characters rather than being slavish to Generation X and Millennials. Scream 4’s original ending almost pulled off this same high-wire act in 2011 until it didn’t. Some people behind the scenes got cold feet in the 9th inning for whatever reason. Writer Kevin Williamson’s bold move went bye-bye in favor of the status quo. Almost 15 years later, the Scream franchise still suffers from chili digits. Sadly, it’s not the only one. 

For a genre built on punk rock sensibilities, there’s far too much conformity and timidness at the top of the food chain. Cul-de-sacs keep us in comfortable places by design, but horror isn’t about comfort. It never was. The second these prominent properties remember that is the reason Target happily sells t-shirts to children with masked killers etched on the front,  we might finally get off this road to nowhere.

The post Brand Awareness: Why Horror Franchises Have Trouble Evolving appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.