British director Rob Savage is on the rise after making a name for himself by bringing back Stephen King’s The Boogeyman. With only four movies under his belt, he’s keeping an open mind about what he’d like to do next. In fact, Savage has one classic horror film on his radar that he’d like to reboot, and I’m all for it.
The horror reboots that have come out as part of the 2023 movie releases include The Haunted Mansion and The Exorcist: Believer. With so many classic horror films that have been made in cinema history, there are still plenty out there that directors have their eyes on to further establish their careers. The Boogeyman’s Rob Savage spoke to ComicBook about what horror classic he’d like to take on next and his answer has me looking forward to it.
The one that comes to mind straight away is Nightmare on Elm Street. I’m sure it is for most horror directors. I know there’s a bit of a rights issue there, so I don’t know if Nightmare on Elm Street is going to continue anytime soon.
What makes the Dashcam filmmaker want to take on a project like this is liking the idea of fighting off an evil presence in your dreams compared to the real world. Savage said A Nightmare on Elm Street was one of his favorite franchises that terrified him as a kid, and he’d love to explore the realm of not being able to trust what you see. In one of the best horror films that has made audiences afraid of sleeping at night, we were introduced to Freddy Krueger, who murderously targets the children of the parents who burned him alive. A modern take on the horror classic could interest this generation. But with actors who play the iconic role of Freddy Krueger like Robert Englund and Jackie Earle Haley, it makes me wonder who else would be a good fit for the child killer.
A 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street happened, which was the highest-grossing movie of the franchise, but suffered from mediocre reviews. In 2015, a remake was supposed to happen between Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema but that take on Nightmare on Elm Street got stuck in developmental hell, as New Line Cinema wanted to focus on The Conjuring universe. The Wes Craven franchise is in serious need of a revival to serve Freddy Krueger more justice than he got in the 2010 remake and to expand the franchise further. This is the chance to see what would happen when modern-day teens are affected by an undead killer who corrupts their dreams. It would also be interesting to see how today’s technology could come into play in the story. Maybe Krueger becomes viral on social media.
As Rob Savage explained, many directors have tried to get their hands on A Nightmare on Elm Street, and many have failed. The Fall of the House of the Usher’s Mike Flanagan wanted to pitch his franchise idea, but didn’t know who to talk to about his pitch with no idea who was in control of the franchise. It Lives Inside director Bishal Dutta also wanted to revive the franchise, but didn’t feel like it would be right to reboot it without Robert Englund on board to reprise his villainous role. Englund previously said in 2019 that he could picture himself doing one more Elm Street movie, but not for additional sequels. There are just some roles that feel irreplaceable, but if you pick a truly talented actor for the part, I’m confident Freddy Krueger could scare audiences once again.
If The Boogeyman had people checking for monsters under their beds and had Stephen King hyping the movie, Rob Savage might have it in him to be the director A Nightmare on Elm Street needs. If you’re interested in revisiting the original movie, it’s available now with your Max subscription.