Robert Englund Talks the 4K Release of A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film Collection

Robert Englund transforming into Freddy Krueger | Image courtesy of Warner Bros Discovery

By Shannon McGrew

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET is a staple within the horror genre, boasting over seven films within the franchise over ten years and creating one of the most iconic horror slashers to date, Freddy Krueger, personified by the acclaimed and unforgettable actor Robert Englund. 

Over the years, the movie and the franchise as a whole have been given special edition releases to satisfy fans’ thirst for the man who visits them in their dreams. However, this year, all seven films in the iconic horror franchise were finally given the 4K UHD treatment for the first time, allowing fans the opportunity to see their favorite slasher clearer than ever before.

To celebrate the 4K release of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 7-Film Collection, Creepy Kingdom’s Shannon McGrew had the chance to chat with Freddy himself, Robert Englund. During their chat, they discussed what makes this 4K release special and the precise, crisp details he hopes Elm Street fans will notice. 

Fans have seen A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET released in so many forms over the years. What do you think makes this release special? 

Robert Englund: If you had asked me a year ago, I would have given you a different reason, but over the last year, I’ve been thinking about this. So many of my fans experienced the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise at home on VHS and maybe DVD, but not that many saw the DVD Blu-ray. So this new 4K is for all the fans that have a favorite in the franchise that they never really saw in a movie theater, or they just saw on a small television screen, or watched a banged-up mom and pop video store rental that was passed around the dorm room and was watched with some cold pizza.

I just saw A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4: THE DREAM MASTER on 4K and it’s amazing. Cinematographer Roy H. Wagner (A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) completely changed the way we watch network television with his great work on the original CSI, featuring color field and deep focus, like an Orson Welles cameraman. It looks so great. 

I just recently saw the 4K of Rear Window with my wife’s family, and that blew my mind. I’d realized I’d seen Rear Window half a dozen times, and I’d seen it with my mother and father in the original print at the movie theaters. That’s how old I am. I’m dating myself now [Laughs]. I think this’ll be the same experience that fans will have with the A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET franchise, especially if they have a favorite. Stephen Hopkins A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5: THE DREAM CHILD with Lisa Wilcox as the ingenue, it’s such great production design, and to see it all brand new, crisp, clean, and pristine, it’s really a treat. 

For fans who are just coming into the franchise, what’s one detail about Freddy you hope that they notice that may have been overlooked in the past? 

Robert Englund: We were always worried about the makeup, and there was a moment in A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET when they realized how beautiful Johnny Depp and Heather Langenkamp were that they didn’t have to light them like Greta Garbo; they had to worry about lighting me. I used to have to step into their leading lady/man lighting, and that was too bright for me and the makeup. The highlights on the makeup appeared a little too white, so they began to adjust the lighting specifically for the makeup. We could use the shading from the brim of the hat, and then the kids would have to step into my lighting. It didn’t matter, because they were so young and beautiful and moist, which is a horrible word; I hated them [Laughs]. That was the big problem, but it’s now so crisp.  

All the great cameramen we had over the years, including Jacques Haitkin and Roy H. Wagner, and others, did subtle work to ensure that I wasn’t too bright. Now, I get to come alive a little more with the warm colors. 

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 7-Film Collection on 4K UHD is now available to own.