Why Horror Icon Robert Englund Will Likely Never Play Freddy Krueger Again

"When I was alive, I might have been a little naughty, but after they killed me, I became something much, much worse. The stuff nightmares are made of," says Freddy Krueger in "Freddy vs Jason," where he explains how and why he feeds on children's fears to siphon power. Discourse about the teen slasher genre is incomplete without Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street," whose enduring legacy paved the path for a claw-gloved horror icon to emerge.

Freddy's mainstream popularity over the years can be attributed to a plethora of factors, key among them being Robert Englund's terrifyingly compelling portrayal of a character that stalks our dreams and waking nightmares. The actor has enthusiastically talked about Freddy at length since the release of Craven's 1984 film, but he is finally happy to pass on the mantle (should another "Nightmare" reboot come to pass) on account that he's too old to embody the role anymore.

In celebration of the 4K restoration of Craven's original "A Nightmare on Elm Street," Englund spoke to Bloody Disgusting about the film's influence on pop culture, and why he has no more Freddy left in him:

"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 [...] Maybe I could play her part as a male doctor that's very cynical [...] 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."

Maybe it is time for a new, postmodern Freddy Krueger who is acutely aware of the socio-cultural shifts that shape his victims, and navigates his sadistic impulses while keeping this altered context in mind. However, let us talk about how Englund approached Freddy over the years and invested depth into a character who is twisted beyond comprehension.

Freddy brandishes a certain kind of crudeness in almost every iteration, warping the very foundation of adolescent dreams and latent desires, which become stained with something more cruel and dark. It is not farfetched to analyze Freddy through the lens of a folkloric boogeyman, the kind that transgresses cultural boundaries and punishes children for the sins of their parents or guardians (as is very much the case in "A Nightmare on Elm Street"). The psychosexual aspect of Freddy's reign of terror is inherently abusive, driven by gross, sadistic enjoyment when he feasts on his victims' terror, who are chosen on a whim, as opposed to any decided pattern.

Although Englund played Freddie with these characteristic motivations in mind, his version is markedly different from that of Jackie Earle Haley's portrayal in the 2010 remake, which leans into blatant malevolence without evoking genuine empathy for the teenage victims. Although Englund liked Haley's performance, he told Variety that the "Nightmare" remake fundamentally alters Freddy's primary motivations, which robs the villain of any nuance:

"Jackie's just so good, a wonderful actor, so I don't think it was that [when asked why he thinks the remake wasn't well-received]. I've always thought that Freddy is described as a child killer. So when they made Freddy a child molester [in the remake], that's not what Freddy is, I don't think. By taking it to such a dark, dark place, there's no room for the personality of Freddy to be exploited."

Unlike fellow fictional killers, like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, who are driven by revenge or some sort of personal vendetta, Freddy's actions are arbitrary, where (in the scariest scenes in the "Nightmare" films) he indulges in cruel wisecracking moments before the kill and a campy deviousness that is extremely self-aware. Englund embodied these aspects exceptionally well, and this lack of self-seriousness despite the presence of a dark, uncompromising tone makes Freddy Krueger a horror icon like no other.