nightmare on elm street

It's well documented that I have a problem. For years, I've fought the collecting urge. GI Joe toys, Star Wars figures, horror DVD's, video games - you name it. I was never satisfied until I had it all. It's that same mania that compels me to watch any and all horror movies that I come across. I'm a completist. It's a sickness and for years I've fought it - especially with toys. Fortunately, I've mostly bucked that desire, but it took nothing short of being locked in a room with Renton while my torn-out-of-the-box 'The Thing' toy crawled along the ceiling and I vomited into a bucket. Well, the obsession peddlers at NECA aren't making it any easier.

Previously, they revealed some crispy delicious Freddy toys for the remake of'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. Dread Central has some shiny closeups of the goodies. As is to be expected, the details are uncanny. The likeness is unmistakable. It's really selling me on the new look to our favorite bastard son of 100 maniacs. The flared nostrils, the withered lips. That is what a homicidal burn victim should look like.

Now from the 2010 Toy Fair, it looks like they're not just bringing back their spectacular replica glove, but they're finally doing it - the animated marionette from Dream Warriors. For those of you who don't remember, I believe it was Phillip, one of Freddy's many victims in the 3rd installment, who carved little puppets in his spare time in the asylum. In one of the spotlight effects of the film, this little homunculus comes to life, cuts his strings, and raises hell. I can't wait to hang one above my bed.


Thank God they didn't have NECA when I was a kid. Otherwise, I would have driven my parents up the damned wall.

Everyone and their mother is awaiting the release of Platinum Dunes' reimagining of the Nightmare on Elm Street. Whether it's due to their love of the franchise or their desire to see the Michael Bay-lead remake farm fail once again in their redux of a classic horror film, you can rest assured that the horror fans will be lined up for this one. I don't blame them. The "real" burned look of Jackie Earl Haley as Freddy Krueger looks genuinely interesting, and although the trailer made it look like a typical contemporary teen slasher, I have high hopes for this one.

Continuing with the Nightmare goodness, our own Peter Hall recently discussed the upcoming release of the stateside Nightmare on Elm Street Blu-Ray, which is a real treat for those unable to snag the Canadian Blu-Ray, which is apparently out of print and going for an exorbitant amount. For those not fortunate enough to own a Blu-Ray player, or for those who for some reason did not like any of the other four million releases of the film, a new box set is being released containing all the Nightmare films, including Freddy vs. Jason.

If you love Fred then you will want to visit The Elm Street Legacy official website to browse a dreamscape of behind-the-scene Nightmare on Elm Street goodies. Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, directed by Daniel Farrands and Andrew Kasch, will be delving deep into the world Wes Craven created in 1984. The film spawned an entire franchise about everyone's favorite bastard son of a hundred maniacs, who we'll be able to see again on April 30 in the Platiun Dunes remake.

From the website:

In this thrilling retrospective, fans will enter the world of Freddy Krueger and A Nightmare On Elm Street like never before: exploring what spurred mastermind Wes Craven to craft the first groundbreaking film; delving deep behind the scenes of the original and all of its sequels; learning how the cast and crew brought their worst nightmares to life; and finally, understanding the impact the series and its mythos have had on modern pop culture and the horror genre.

Narrated by and starring Heather Langenkamp, featuring interviews with the cast and crew spanning every film, and loaded with clips, photographs, storyboards, conceptual art, publicity materials, archival documents and behind-the-scenes footage, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy is the definitive account of what many have called the best, most frightening and imaginative horror franchise in motion picture history.

You'll probably notice some familiar names behind this project including some of the gang at Dread Central. Heather Langenkamp is also serving as executive-producer for the doc which is expected to be released the same month as the remake. You can visit the Legacy website or follow them on Twitter to keep up with everything. While you're there, follow the Horror Squad as well. We're easy and can be lured into the house at 1428 Elm Street with candy.

Santa Claws didn't come for someone this year. The UK Border Agency seized a package containing a Freddy Krueger claw-like weapon at Coventry's international postal hub this morning. The claws look like a bad ass combination of brass knuckles and knife blades. In other news, movie geeks everywhere debate that the claws are more Wolverine than Freddy Krueger.

I think knives are nifty too but I'm not so sure about this. "Just gonna use these to slice someone to shreds. No big deal."

Although the border staff is used to discovering weapons, drugs (most recently a boat load of fake Viagra) and other restricted items on a regular basis, I'm sure these razor sharp claws won't be forgotten any time soon. The agency was created in 2008 and is responsible for the safety of UK borders and controlling migration.

I would have put this post under the 'Lunatic Made' category, but, oh, we didn't have one.

Brad Fuller wrote about the Nightmare on Elm Street reshoot on the Bloody-Disgusting Platinum Dunes blog the other day, but left fans in the dark about what exactly is being reshot. "I don't want to get specific about what we are shooting, but suffice to say we heard you. After you've seen the film we can discuss what was reshot," said Fuller. Reshoots aren't always a big deal, but overall I'm nervous about the hype on this remake. Fuller is in full defense mode, early reviews were menza mez and The Friday the 13th remake wasn't horrible, but I'm not a fan of the other stuff PD has been putting out.

So, for today I'm just going to forget all about this NOES news and remember the man behind it all--Freddy Krueger. Leave your remake worries and woes behind and let's all enjoy some songs about Fred. After the jump are a few videos by friends of Freddy who think he's the cat's pajamas and wanted to spread the love.

Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.) is a N.Y.C. based hardcore/thrash band who has enjoyed a career of questionable lyrics intended to piss people off. The song Freddy Krueger is from their Speak English or Die album, part of which was MTV's Headbanger's Ball theme for a while. Reuben is a UK, mustache happy alt rock group whose 2004 song Freddy Kreuger (intentional spelling) reached #53 on UK charts. I've also included a little ditty a fan boy wrote for his lady friend to scare her. Aw--love. Lyrics on YouTube if interested. Last but not least, I didn't forget about Dokken, the metal band who recorded a song for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, called (you guessed it!) Dream Warriors. Respect the hair.

It's time for Horror Bites -- your (semi) daily round-up of blood, guts, and torturous mayhem from around the web:

Wondering what scenes will make it from the original Nightmare on Elm Street to the remake? Kellan Lutz gives some clues. [SciFi Wire]

The Hollywood Reporter posts that Len Wiseman is gearing up for an untitled post-apocalyptic thriller.

James Gunn reveals that he must leave the world of Scream Queens behind for his recently greenlit Super. [FEARnet]

Fangoria shares pictures and a trailer for the horror anthology Psycho Street, where you can find tasty slabs of whole-roasted leg.

If you're itching to travel through Dante's Inferno, Dread Central reports that a demo of the game, titled Gates of Hell, will be available this December.

Bloody Disgusting offers a peek at Hilary Swank all bloodied in The Resident.

Mention Robert Englund and invariably one thing springs to mind: Freddy Krueger. The actor will always be best known for his turn as the disfigured dream-murderer of the A Nightmare on Elm Street films, making it easy to lose sight of the fact that Englund has appeared in a wide range of films (and television shows) during his nearly four decades in the film business .

G4's Attack of the Show caught up with the actor recently and have shared a nearly 14 minute long interview wherein Englund discusses his new autobiography (Hollywood Monster), his career both in horror and beyond, the love he has for his fans, his thoughts on the Nightmare on Elm Street remake, and more.

If there's a better way to start your Halloween than spending roughly a quarter of an hour listening to one of the genre's greatest icons reflect on his career and what's still to come, I'll be damned if I can think of what it might be.

Jump past the break to check out the interview.

Michael Myers has his own Halloween: 25 Years of Terror, a certain hockey masked maniac has His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th, even Jaws has the incredibly elusive The Shark is Still Working, but no one has yet chronicled with any depth the behind-the-scenes adventures of everyone's favorite fedora sporting, sweater wearing, knife-glove loving, dreamscape-haunting pedophile. But fret no more, all it takes is a big Hollywood remake to give an icon of fright his very own documentary, and thus we shall soon have Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy.

From the creators of the fantastic and comprehensive His Name Was Jason, Never Sleep Again has already begun filming in Los Angeles, which has long served as the shooting location for the fictional street. The documentary will be narrated by the series' most notable final girl, Heather Langenkamp, and span everything from the original 1984 film to its six sequels (seven counting the missed opportunity, Freddy vs Jason) to the upcoming Platinum Dunes remake directed by Samuel Bayer. Considering how vast their documentarian scope seems to be, I'd also prepare yourself for some coverage of the 1988 TV series "Freddy's Nightmares" as well as all the Freddy lunchboxes and Pez dispensers the crew can find.

For me, this is fantastic news. I love both of the Halloween and Friday the 13th documentaries, as well as the franchises they cover (save for a certain rocker-led two-film reboot I'd rather not talk about for fear of foaming at the mouth), but Krueger has always been my favorite cause for insomnia. And if there are any doubts that the filmmakers will be phoning in Never Sleep Again simply to coincide with the remake, co-director Andrew Kasch would like to dissuade you of that notion right now:

Nightmare on Elm Street:
Peter Martin already gave the heads up to the first official still of Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy, but now that the convention is in full swing we've got eyes on the first poster as well. Even better, if you can forgive the quality of the recording, over at Dread there's a video of the Nightmare on Elm Street panel.

The Hills Run Red:
IGN is hosting the first trailer for The Hills Run Red, which looks like a self-aware deconstruction of recent horror and will be coming out straight to DVD at the end of September. Bouns points for William Sadler!

Peter Jackson Back to Horror?
Lord of the Rings master, and master to geeks in general, Peter Jackson was on hand in San Diego to talk about District 9, a very original looking sci-fi style blender produced by Jackson. During the panel the Dead Alive director dropped word that he'd like to return to horror with an, "urge to create a unique horror film higher than ever". Oh, and do check out Cinematical's reaction to District 9 here.

Castlevania
Paul W. S. Anderson may have dropped out of the running for bringing the classic video game saga Castlevania to the big screen, but Saw starter James Wan is picking up the gauntlet.

The Cabin in the Woods
The Joss Whedon/Drew Goddard teamup, once paraphrassed as 'the horror movie to end all horror movies', was absent from this year's media convention save for these three posters, each of which are bound to put a smile on your face.

Legion
Sony Screen Gems has an apocalyptic trilogy on their horizon, the first of which will be Legion. A panel at the SDCC confirmed that the film, about a group that must stop the fulfilmnet of an ancient prophecy involving demons and other not-good things, will have a, "hard R" rating. Personally I hate the phrase "hard R", but if they'll be stoping on some demon guts, I'll be there.

We asked, and you delivered. After counting more than 100,000 votes, we can reveal the winners of our super-duper, stunningly creative Ultimate Fan Polls! (Cue drum roll.) May I have the envelopes, please?

Winners of The Ultimate Horror Movie Fan Poll:

1. What is the best horror movie franchise of all time? Nightmare on Elm Street.
2. Which horror movie classic deserves a reboot? Poltergeist (narrowly edging The Shining).
3. Who is the best all-time scream queen? Jamie Lee Curtis (with a decisive 51% of the vote).
4. Who is your favorite slasher of all time? Freddy Krueger.
5. Who would you like to see take a turn as a scream queen? Megan Fox (ahem).

Winners of The Ultimate Sci-Fi Fan Poll:

1. What is the best sci-fi movie franchise of all time? Star Wars (decisively).
2. What is the best sci-fi film of 2009 so far? Star Trek (with 69% of the vote; no robots for you).
3. What is your most anticipated upcoming sci-fi film? District 9 (beating out Avatar).
4. Who is the all-time best sci-fi action heroine? Ripley (Alien).
5. What is the greatest all-time sci-fi creature/alien? Alien (Alien). (Sorry, Chewbacca.)

Big thanks to everybody who voted. You can view all the nominees and the breakdown of votes at Horror Squad and Sci-Fi Squad. In addition, Reuters has a nice story on the poll results. I'm glad to see Jamie Lee Curtis recognized for her multiple roles, but a bit startled that the Star Wars franchise still holds sway. Any big surprises for you? Outrage? Joy?