One, two, Freddy’s coming for you. Three, four, you better lock your door.
Robert Englund’s portrayal of Freddy Krueger has terrified audiences for over 40 years. In 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street debuted, spawning a seven-film series. The Los Angeles native called it the “happy accident” of his career.
“It’s the great gift of all of this, that it’s gone global, and people have put my name on my face,” he explained to Melvin Robert on KTLA 5 Morning News. “Something they never tell you in acting classes, you know how important it is…but it really made a difference. It made me global overnight and that’s the greatest gift.”
The role has reached generations of fans with people of all ages donning the infamous red and green jacket, felt fedora, and knife-tipped gloves.
“The kids are hysterical. There’s nothing funnier than if I’m at Comic Con or something and I see baby Freddy and baby Jason fighting over candy or something,” he laughed. “But I like sexy Freddy-ites. They get more candy.”
And to keep up with the times, all seven films in the saga are now available in 4K Ultra High Definition.
“A lot of fans have had the VHS experience because we were there at the beginning of that whole revolution,” he said. “They’ve seen it with their mom and dad, or their older brother and sister, or their wonderful stepdad who let them watch it… but they haven’t seen it perfectly restored, or they haven’t seen it in a live theatrical experience.” “So, if you have a favorite one, I’ll review this set.”
Englund said he’s looking forward to watching the 1988 film “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” to see the work of cinematographer Roy Wagner.
“Remember how amazing CSI was when it first came out, the depth of field and the colorful lighting? This is Roy doing it in Part 4, and I’m really looking forward to seeing it.”
Englund was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in England, and began his career on stage. Playing a badly burned child murderer who kills teenagers in their dreams in a slasher series wasn’t something he’d seen for himself, but a conversation with director Wes Craven changed all that.
He explained, “You know what Wes reminded me of? Because I was full of myself, I was the guy in the short jacket with the patches on the sleeves. I was going to do Shakespeare. I’m not going back to Hollywood, you know? I’m above all that, and I’ve done almost 10 years of film work, and Wes reminded me that I was a fan too when I was a kid, and he taught me to respect that kind of movie.” “And all these memories of mowing lawns in the valley and going to see horror movies and Hammer movies and things like that when I was a kid, they all came back. So it gave me a real respect for the fans.”
Now all those fans will be lining up along Hollywood Boulevard to see him get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, which is Halloween. He said he jumped at the opportunity to hold the ceremony that day, after learning that “Halloween” director John Carpenter had chosen to receive his honor earlier in the year.
“I thought John was going to have a Halloween date with Jamie Lee Curtis and Kurt Russell and everyone. He went and got his date in the spring,” he explained.
Englund described the honor as “personal,” considering that he lived in Hollywood during his time as an aspiring actor.
He described the Walk of Fame as “a real kind of tapestry of popular culture.”
Englund’s event will be held on October 31 at 11:30 a.m. PT in front of the Larry Edmonds Book Store at 6644 Hollywood Blvd. The party starts at 11:30 am
“A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection” in 4K UHD is available now.