Since 1984, Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street has sent shockwaves through pop culture,
mostly thanks to the unkillable psycho villain Freddy Krueger.
But who was the man behind the makeup wielding that nightmarish claw?
His name is Robert Englund, and he's done much more than just play a quippy child killer
in increasingly cheesy horror movies.
In real life, Englund is a respected character actor, and he's been keeping busy since his
last turn in the role in Freddy vs. Jason.
Here's everything you need to know about the man behind the monster who haunts your dreams.
Horror never ends
As Freddy Krueger, Englund's very face became synonymous with the horror genre.
To this day, he still lands roles in horror movies around the globe, with a new project,
the puppet-based thriller Abruptio, expected for release in 2019.
After doing more than 75 movies in his career, he estimates at least 20 of them are horror.
While it's been nearly two decades since he's suited up as Freddy, genre projects are always
there for him when he needs a quick payday.
Speaking in a 2013 interview with the Chicago-area Daily Herald, he said,
"When things get slow for me in Hollywood [...] I can always go off to Europe and do
a movie in Italy or Spain.
This is the great gift, the happy accident of my career.
Because horror movies, like science fiction and action and fantasy movies, speak the international
language of cinema."
Of course, that kind of attitude means that some movies Englund has shown up in have been
less than stellar.
He's open about the fact that he'll sometimes take jobs just for the paycheck.
If you thought he signed on to Strippers vs. Werewolves for artistic reasons, well, think
again.
Gamer dreams
Englund did more than just voice act for 2010's Call of Duty: Black Ops.
For a bonus mode in that game, he also showed up as himself.
Teaming up with Danny Trejo, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and Michael Rooker, he appeared as
a playable character in a zombie-themed level named "Call of the Dead."
An insane interactive love letter to horror cinema, the level is a treat for fans of the
genre who also happen to like playing first-person shooters.
"Watch out zombies, I'm a comin' for ya!"
Englund's favorite part about the role was the reaction he received from the children
in his family, too young to remember Freddy Krueger at the height of his powers.
"Freddy's kind of old to them, it's sort of old school to them, ya know, and uh, now that
Uncle Robert is working on Call of Duty he's cool again"
Con jobs
Some actors grow to resent the fandoms that pop up around their most famous characters,
but if Englund has any frustration with being associated with Freddy, he doesn't show it.
As he puts it,
"Freddy will get top billing in my obituary."
Instead, he makes an effort to meet fans whenever he's able, particularly around the lucrative
Halloween season.
For years, Englund has generally done three or four appearances a year, some at Comic
Con-style conventions, and some at specific screenings of Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
They're good occasions to meet the man behind the makeup, pose for a photo, or get something
signed.
In the movies, messages from Freddy were heart-stopping moments that portended death; you can have
a lot more fun with a nice autograph.
Freddy presents...
Englund also stepped behind the camera, starting with a horror film called 976-EVIL, which
was released in 1988 while he was still making movies as the dreaded Fred Krueger.
Years later, he also directed the 2008 horror comedy Killer Pad.
Beyond those original projects, Englund has also taken a retrospective look at his own
career, starring in and helping to produce Nightmares in the Makeup Chair, a documentary
about the long hours of work it takes to bring Freddy to life through practical makeup effects.
In a statement about the movie, Englund called the doc,
"[...] my love letter to the Nightmare on Elm Street series and to practical makeup."
"YOU'RE ALL MY CHILDREN NOW, PIGGIES.
HAHAHAHAHA!"
Reboot rebuttal
While the quality of each installment varies, the Nightmare On Elm Street movies all possess
a certain charm, except, of course, for the 2010 remake.
Critics were cold to the overly-serious treatment of the material, and so was the actor who
made the films iconic.
While he had nothing but kind things to say about the reboot's cast, Englund says the
remake missed the mark, partly by going in a much darker direction than series fans were
used to.
In his opinion, the movie needed a happy-go-lucky element.
"I think that that ingredient was stepped on by their reshoots which kind of set it
deeper into the curse of Freddy by the time the movie began."
Guest star Robert Englund
Even though his most famous role caked him behind layers of monstrous makeup, Englund
is still effective as a plain-faced character actor.
It's work he's kept up steadily following the end of his involvement in the Nightmare
franchise, appearing in shows like Hawaii 5-0, Supernatural, and Criminal Minds, with
guest spots often playing off his notoriety as the infamous Springwood Slasher.
While Englund's personal nightmare may be over, the man of your dreams is still with
us, still working, and never too far away from prime time.