Robert Englund quickly became a horror movie icon when he took on the role of Freddy Krueger in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street films. He was so great as that character and over the years it’s been fun to see him pop up in other projects, and direct films like 976-EVIL, but he’ll forever be connected to Kruger.
As a way to celebrate the actor and his career, SCREAMBOX has spent the last two years creating a documentary that highlights the life and career of the classically trained actor and director. That documentary is titled Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story and the first trailer has been released for it!
The doc was directed by Gary Smart (Pennywise: The Story Of IT) from a script he also worked on with Neil Morris. It features a center piece interview with American actor Englund, as well as interviews with Lance Henriksen, Eli Roth, Tony Todd, Bill Moseley, Lin Shaye, Heather Langenkamp, Nancy Booth (Englund’s wife of many years) and others.
The doc is said to look beyond the film credits and “examines Englund’s career and his navigation through the cutthroat world of Hollywood,” which is sure to be interesting for the fans. There’s going to be a lot of stuff loaded into this doc that we never knew about Englund before.
Englund said in a statement: “This old veteran character actor was surprised and flattered to find he was the subject of the documentary Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares. Collaborating with directors Gary Smart and Christopher Griffiths and the rest of the team was a joy as they are genre fans like me. For Yours Truly, watching the film is a bit like Mark Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn attending their own funeral. Gary, Chris and Adam (Evans) managed to find old movies and TV shows I’d forgotten I was in. I’d come back from the dead! All kidding aside – it’s an accurate memory of a working actor’s journey – dreams can come true.”
Smart said: “This unique and intimate portrait captures the man behind the glove and gives us a wonderful insight into the world of a classic Hollywood Icon. We are both honored and privileged to have the full support and participation of Robert (Englund) in the making of this documentary. He is absolutely delighted with our tribute to his long and varied career.”
Brad Miska, Managing Director of Bloody Disgusting, added: “[Robert] Englund’s performance in Nightmare is iconic, yes, but if you look back at the history of horror, it so much more than that. His flair and understated wit helped give rise to the genre-bending ethos we have now. Englund’s humor and natural charisma paved the way for films like Scream and Terrifier and will continue to inspire actors and filmmakers for decades to come.”
The description of the film says: “A classically trained actor and feature director, Englund’s early credits included cult surfing movie Big Wednesday. His career was cemented by his portrayal of supernatural serial killer Krueger in Wes Craven’s fertile Nightmare On Elm Street franchise. More recently the veteran actor scored a key role in the upcoming fourth season of Netflix hit Stranger Things.”
The doc was produced by Christopher Griffiths (RoboDoc: The Story of Robocop), John Campopiano (Pennywise: The Story of IT), Adam Evans (Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser), Michael Perez (Never Sleep Again! The Elm Street Legacy) and Hank Starrs (Hollywood Bulldogs: The Rise and Falls of the Great British Stuntman) and executive-produced by Laurence Gornall.
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story will be available to watch on SCREAMBOX as well as Digital on June 6th, 2023.
