FREDDY KRUEGER In the 1980's age of Bruce Willis heroes, Breakfast Club teenaged angst-fests, Flock Of Seagulls hairstyles and no more Star Wars movies in sight, the need for a new cinematic icon became apparent. We got one, too, with the introduction of Wes Craven's celluloid masterstroke, 1984's A Nightmare On Elm Street, featuring character actor Robert Englund in his career-making turn as Fred Krueger. But this was an "anti-hero," meaning he was a villain, but we were allowed to kinda like him anyway. For the uninitiated, Fred Krueger started his climb to meteoric horror fame as the antagonist in the above-mentioned low-budget horror flick. A despicable child murderer who was burned to death by vigilant parents after his technicality-based release from prison, Krueger managed to transcend the boundaries of dreams and reality, returning to his hometown of Springfield to wreak terror upon teens through their nightmares, spilling real blood. As his story progressed in following sequels, we saw Fred--or Freddy, as he came to be known--develop a subversive sense of humor. Eventually, his movies received backlash from fans who thought he'd traded his sinister darkness for corny one-liners. A (thankfully) brief television series with Freddy as the host did little to win new fans. After his supposed demise in the 1991 sequel Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Mr. Krueger remained dormant until a seventh film appearance three years later. Wes Craven's New Nightmare took the concept of Freddy in an unquestionably bold new direction: take this fictional killer and turn him loose upon the moviemakers who brought him to life. This meant that Craven, Englund, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon and others starred as themselves in an absolutely marvelous whirlwind of a motion picture in which art imitated life most lethally. This was no sequel to any existing Elm Street movie, but a story unto itself which offered not only a lot of in-jokes but a good deal of serious reflection upon the effects of horror films upon their audience. It's doubtful that New Nightmare will ever be sequelized (or imitated, for that matter -- this concept was one-of-a-kind and a bit of a one-shot which they managed to pull off successfully). But that's not to say that Freddy won't be back onscreen. He will, in fact. The upcoming Freddy Vs. Jason will pit Mr. Krueger against a certain Mr. Voorhees in an eagerly anticipated crossover project. PitOfHorror.com will be there for the festivities. You be there, too. | MOVIE REVIEWS | BOX OFFICE | PHOTO ARCHIVE | BB SUMMARIES | SOUNDS | | Freddy Krueger | | JAVA | NO JAVA |