When it comes franchises,Nightmare On Elm Streetis one of the most enduring, not only in the horror genre, but in the cinema landscape in general. What is interesting though is that, even after seven movies in the original run, an unsuccessful reboot and several other spinoffs, we never got a completeFreddy Kruegerorigin. There were moments here and there, but never a complete picture of how it all happened. That is, until now.
A new fan-madeYouTubevideo that has been floating around has managed to finally deliver a completeorigin storyfor Freddy Krueger. The video comes courtesy of the Playa TV YouTube channel and has taken bits and pieces from various films and even a decent chunk form theFreddy’s NightmaresTV series to make the 18 minute video. Prior to this pretty impressive bit of work, the most complete version of the Freddy origin we had was in the pilot episode ofFreddy’s Nightmares, which first aired in October of 1988.
Robert Englund, who has of course played Freddy in most of theNightmare On Elm Streetcannon, was featured heavily in the first episode of the series but then oddly took on more of a hosting role for the rest ofFreddy’s Nightmares, sort of like the Crypt Keeper fromTales From the Crypt. The fan who madeFreddy’s Origins: The Beginningmanaged to make very good use of whatEnglunddid in that first episode of the series though and by cleverly interweaving it with various bits of footage from some of Wes Craven’s otherNightmare On Elm Streetfilms, has put together something horror fans should really be able to get behind.
At the moment, Jason will be getting a new origin story in aFriday The 13threboot that is finally getting off the ground, and Leatherface is finally getting a proper origin story later this year. Not only that, butJohn Carpenterhas signed on to executive produce a newHalloweenfilm. So it is a good time to be a legacy horror character, but outside of this fan video, Freddy is pretty much sitting idle. After the failed 2010 reboot ofA Nightmare On Elm Street, it seems like nobody really knows what to do with the property.
Englundisn’t getting any younger, and is pretty sure he’ll never don the sweater and the makeup again for another turn as the “Springwood Slasher.” Though, he is opening to returning to the franchise sans make-up for a cameo or secondary character in whatever the reboot turns out to be. WithCravenunfortunately no longer with us, it may be a bit more difficult to get a newElm Streetoff the ground that really resonates with fans. In the meantime, this fan made origin video will have to do. Be sure to watchFreddy’s Origins - The Beginningfor yourself below.
