It’s official: we’re getting a new A Nightmare on Elm Street Movie.
Which, of course, means we’re going to be getting a new Freddie Krueger too. Krueger is one of the very few horror villains who can be meaningfully re-invented between franchise reboots, a far cry from the lumbering silence of a Jason or Michael, and who we get in front of the camera to take on this iconic role is perhaps just as important as who we get behind it. We’re already had a couple of very different takes on the character – Robert Englund’s campy, wise-cracking take by far the more successful, but I have a soft spot for Jackie Earle Haley’s more serious, capital-t Trauma approach in the 2010 remake. So, I’d like to share some utterly unsolicited suggestions for the new Freddie Krueger – actors I think would bring something distinct to the role, whether that’s horror, comedy, meta, or something entirely new. Let’s get into it!
- 1. Scott McCord
If the remake goes down a more serious route with the new Freddie, this is who I would pick to play him. McCord’s turn as Victor in the series From has a dreamlike sense of unreality to it that I think would transfer brilliantly to Krueger, and he’s more than capable of hitting you with an emotional gut-punch. I would love to see him turn those skills to a more villainous outing, and he’s probably the one I can see visually making the most sense in this role.
2. Glenn Howerton
Glenn Howerton is already best known for a role that splits the difference between comedy and bone-chilling horror as Dennis in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and he would make for a ridiculously good time behind the knife-gloves of Freddie Krueger. He can pull off cold, calculating, and cruel without missing a comic beat, and I think he’s got the physical presence to embody the hell out of this role to boot. You know, because of the implication.
3. Sabrina Grdevich
Now, hear me out on this one: one of the few truly redeeming features of the Hellraiser reboot was Jamie Clayton as Pinhead, and I think it would be enormously fun to see another classic horror icon gender-bent in a modern remake. And the woman for the job? Sabrina Grdevich, Slasher faithful and all-round embodiment of the blend of grotesque horror and comedy that makes up the classic version of Freddie. I think she’s totally underrated as a horror actor in her own right, and I’d love to see her camp the hell out of an outrageous villain like Freddie.
4. Kyle Gallner
Is this kind of a stupid idea? Yeah, but I really think, for a franchise with as much meta-credentials as A Nightmare on Elm Street, it just might work. Kyle Gallner, who stared as Quentin, one of the kids terrorized by Freddie in the 2010 remake, has gone on to become a bit of a horror icon in his own right, in movies like Smile, The Cleansing Hour, and Jennifer’s Body; it would be an enormously fun nod to see an actor go from victim to villain in the same franchise, and Gallner has long-since proved he has the chops to pull it off. It would cement his horror legend reputation once and for all and offer a genuine first for the franchise – which, after this many movies, is a tough thing to do.
5. Toby Huss
I fell in love with Huss in the wildly underrated fantasy-horror show Carnivàle, and he’s been the kind of character actor who bumps up the quality of everything he’s in by at least two points – whether it’s Gerard Butler action-thrillers or modern horror classics, he’s got a lightness of touch even in his more serious roles that I think would apply really well to a more darkly comic version of the character.
Anyway! Who would you like to see don the iconic shears for Freddie Krueger in the upcoming remake? Let me know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this article and want to see more stuff like it, please consider supporting us on Ko-Fi. You can check out more of my work on my personal blog, The Cutprice Guignol!
By Lou MacGregor
(header image via IMDB)
No But Listen 