Billy Bob Thornton to play Freddy Krueger?

Photo from source, DListed

Krueger image from source, Wikipedia

I'm a big 70s and 80s horror movie fan, which has been (over) documented here in the past. One of the very best of the genre, in my estimation, is A Nightmare on Elm Street by Wes Craven. The original film has had its reputation altered--sometimes enhanced, sometimes not--by countless sequels, spinoffs and merchandising. Even though I'm a fan of nearly all of that, somewhere along the way, audiences began to like the villain, Freddy Krueger, rather than fear him.

Krueger, played by Robert Englund, was a horrifying creation--a child murderer, and presumably molester--who haunted teenagers in their dreams. The hook of the first film was that you were never quite sure what was real and what was a dream. The original film, and some of its sequels, are beloved by horror movie fans. And Englund is so closely associated with the series that a remake without him is something akin to blasphemy.

But Hollywood has never much respected horror films. Since Universal's heyday with Frankenstein and Dracula, they've churned out sequels, spoofs, team-ups and remakes. Sometimes it works. Most times, it doesn't.

Billy Bob Thornton is a good choice to play Krueger, though. He's creepy in real life, so imagine him with Hollywood magic. Still, I'm wary.

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Billy Bob Thornton As Freddy Krueger?!

One...two....Billy Bob's coming for you. No. That doesn't have a nice ring to it. Michael Bay is currently working on butchering the classic "Nightmare on Elm Street," and apparently he's signed Billy Bob Thornton to play Freddy Krueger. Billy Bob would make a better Crypt Keeper instead. . .

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