Elm Street Prequel to be directed by Henry: POASK Director

Ryan Wishton · 04-04-2006, 12:52 AM

Seems New Line in following the lead of recent "torture" flicks.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer director John McNaughton is set to direct the upcoming Elm Street Prequel/Sequel.

Since this movie is set to take place at least partially before the burning, this is set to be more realistic in tone. But, I wonder how they will handle a very iffy subject? Krueger's human life revolved around the murders of small children. I don't know if a storyline based on those events will go over well.

I assume Nightmares and Burned Freddy will play some part in the movie. But, that is unknown.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/ind...plate=newsfull

http://fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=5873

Justin_S · 04-04-2006, 01:25 AM

Great news. If anyone can take Freddy back to his dark roots, it's McNaughtan. Henry is more than enough proof of that, but the real question is how dark New Line will allow the film to be. Either way, McNaughtan (whose gothic Masters of Horror ep was one of the three best of the series) is a great choice.

DavidPla · 04-04-2006, 09:43 AM

Sounds very interesting and has been a subject many have wanted to see for years now. I doubt it has much Box Office potential though.

Russell G · 04-04-2006, 12:12 PM

I really hope they go dark and gritty with this. Hell, go all the way in to 70's sleeze/ Last House On The Left territory. IT would shock the hell out of casual Freddy fans.

This could be really great.

Shawn_KE · 04-04-2006, 01:45 PM

Could be pretty dark if they keep the same persona of Freddy from the first Nightmare.

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Matt Stone · 04-04-2006, 06:11 PM

I'm not the world's biggest McNaughton fan, but I'd be pretty exited for a film like this. It'll be interesting to see if they can keep the fantasy tone from the existing films. The first is different from the rest, but still has a definite dreamlike (almost Cronenberg-esque) tone. That'll be hard to accomplish if they're just focusing on Freddy's murders.

Russell G · 04-04-2006, 06:48 PM

I have to disagree in part with Matt (not on the McNaughton part, he's hardly gold as a director goes, and I really hope he doesn't try to inject the satire of HENRY into this. I'm hopeful for the gritty aspects of HENRY, which of course could be a budget thing as opposed to style) but I'd love to see them jetison all the humor and fantasy aspects, and display a very real, perverted, deviant monster that the "real" (undead) Freddy was.

Unfortunately, I suspect that the ratings concious, mainstream aspect of the Nightmare franchise well prove this type of take to be impossible.

Steve_Knutzen · 04-05-2006, 12:58 AM

This weekend I bought a 12-inch Springwood Slasher figure at a comic convention and now I read this. What a coincidence.
Funny that Henry's tagline was: "He's not Freddy. He's not Jason. He's real."

I like McNaughton and think he's an interesting choice to direct. Fred Krueger needs to be a sick, disturbing killer. The intro to Freddy vs Jason where Krueger licks the newspaper clipping and puts it in his scrapbook was perfect. More stuff like that. "What's the matter Joey, toungue-tied?" isn't gonna cut it for this film (and Dream Warriors is my second favorite Nightmare for the record). The ending could be tricky. The studio will probably want to tie it in nicely with the rest of the franchise but the dream demons from Freddy's Dead would look completely stupid in a more gritty horror flick. We'll just have to see how it turns out.

Cameron Yee · 04-05-2006, 01:08 AM

I'm not sure how I feel about this prequel idea. Part of me feels it would take alot of the mystique away or fall victim to the simple fact that people's imaginations tend to be more powerful and that a film could never match it. I kind of like not knowing the whole Krueger story myself, though I AM interested in the Hannibal Lecter prequel.

Michael Elliott · 04-05-2006, 01:16 AM

The director is certainly very talented but I'd rather see him coming up with an original movie instead of adding another film in a very long series. I'd much rather see Craven return and do the prequel.

Ryan Wishton · 04-05-2006, 01:27 AM

Well, I understand peoples points on Freddy's mystique.

But, does he really have any left? This is a very creative slasher who was destroyed by commodity value. If this was early on in the series, I would agree whole heartidly.

A Nightmare 1 Freddy? No, he should not be explained. Just as a Part 2-4 Jason and Halloween 1 Myers shouldn't.

But, these characters have all been so ruined over the years that I don't think it matters anymore.

I think the plan is to try and re-invent both series and start over. Sort of like Batman. The idea doesn't really bother me if it goes back to what made the characters famous to begin with.

Some people are actually in arms over at the Friday the 13th site. Claiming that the new Friday film will just destroy and bury the series. I am all for fandom, but have these people seen Jason X? Let's face it. If a Power Rangers movie set in space with a Shredder reject couldn't destroy a series about a camp ground killer; I don't see how a movie set at a campsite with a camp ground killer is going to destroy it.

People have been nagging to get a traditonal F13 film set at a campsite for 18 years (the last time one happened). Now, after 13 years of New Line refusing to make a tradtional Friday film (due to the whole Paramount thing), they say they will. But, those asking for it now say that it will ruin the series. Huh???