Rumors about an upcoming A Nightmare on Elm Street movie have fans wondering where the story should go, but it would be wise for whoever produces the film to follow the lead of 2018’s Halloween and retcon the series.
Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers are two of the most iconic figures in horror movie history, largely based on their exceptional first movies. Fans always want more, though, so of course there were going to be sequels. Both franchises have decades of history at this point and around ten movies each, including remakes. Both series have also seen their ups and downs when it comes to critical and fan acclaim, with some of the later sequels not held in high regard.
Halloween (2018) avoided many of the pitfalls that convoluted, long term storylines can cause by retconning everything after the first movie. A new A Nightmare on Elm Street entry could do the same.
Freddy Krueger vs The Dream Warriors
Starting with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors, the series started to dabble with more fantasy elements, having exhausted the simpler tale of revenge told in the first movie. While A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge starts to introduce new concepts like Freddy Krueger being able to possess people in the waking world, it’s the third movie that introduces the idea that normal characters can have “dream powers.” The fantastical dream battling concept goes even further in the fourth and fifth movies with the introduction of Alice Johnson, who is the Dream Master that protects good dreams. The introduction of baby Freddy Krueger and laser battles take the series completely over the top. It’s no wonder the story arc of the previous few movies is dropped by the time of Wes Craven’s New Nightmare in 1994.
Halloween (2018) decided to use only the story established in the first movie as its base, acting as a sequel to it while ignoring every other movie in the series. This eliminated the sibling connection between Laurie and Michael Myers established in Halloween II as a twist, as well as other more blatantly supernatural elements that were added in later movies. A Nightmare on Elm Street would benefit from a similar retcon because both series rely on a sense of mystery in order to be effectively scary. The development of fantastical lore involving supernatural powers, magic, and reincarnation only muddies the waters when what’s scary is the concept that a boogeyman could be on the loose for seemingly no reason.
While there are no concrete plans at this time for a new movie in the franchise, the Wes Craven estate is pursuing options. After the disappointing 2010 remake, the best hope for fans is that the next movie works to better capture the spirit of the original.
Next: Why Kevin Bacon Should Star in A Nightmare on Elm Street Prequel
