Happy 30th Anniversary Freddy!

30 years. Wow. Feels like a lifetime ago! Yup, today, November 9th, marks the 30th anniversary since the release of Nightmare On Elm Street and the introduction of my favorite horror icon, Freddy Krueger! Can you believe it? 30 years?!?!

 
Now, I was only a year old when the first Elm Street movie was released but being a child of 80s, Freddy was everywhere. My brother was a fan and rented the movies, Freddy gloves were in stores, Freddy's Nightmares were on tv. If you were a young fan of creepiness and horror, he was your number 1 guy. By the time I saw my first Elm Street movie at age 6, I knew the deal. I knew Freddy wasn't real, he was just a character on a movie. Some kids wouldn't be able to separate reality from fiction and would've become terrified of ol' pizza face. Not me. I embraced him. He was no different than a Ninja Turtle or He-Man. He was just pure entertainment.


Since age 6, I've become immersed in Freddy. Be it merchandising, meeting the actors at conventions, having multiple viewings of every movie(well, maybe not Freddy's Dead). It's consumed me. And why not? It's a movie series you can't compare to any other. We've all seen cartoons and movies make a "Nightmare on something street" joke or a Freddy parody. There's not too many movies 30 years later that can really say they have the staying power of Nightmare On Elm Street. Heck, not many movies 10 years ago that has the staying power.


Freddy definitely changed the way we look at slashers and fear itself. The movie series, if anything, has taught us we can control the fear, embrace it, and then kick it's ass! Freddy, while originally meant to be feared, became the charismatic, cool villain that we all fell in love with. And now, with all the troubles in the world, he's more important than ever. Because no matter what happens during the day, if you can come home and enjoy an Elm Street movie, then for an hour and a half, everything is ok.


I've had the pleasure of meeting Robert Englund twice which was always a dream for me. To meet the man behind the blades himself? Oh yeah. Had to happen! Just be careful, if he starts talking, he won't stop! Which isn't a bad thing!


Freddy's fans, myself included, are some of the most rabid, loyal, loving fans you'll ever meet. They can recite every line, discuss the characteristics of every character and even tell you all about the town of Springwood. I'd hate to even consider where the series would've gone without it's crazy fanbase. I can't imagine it would've been as successful. But thankfully, there are the wild fans who would follow Robert to the end of the earth.


Wes Craven didn't know what he was doing when he first came up with Freddy. How could he? There's no way to determine what will be a huge success. But I'm sure he's happy that he did. I know I am. And I'm sure you are as well.


So, here's to Freddy, Wes Craven, Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, and anyone else who had anything to do with the success of this great series! And here's to 30 more!


-Chad

For more of my Freddy related entries, check these out:

Freddy's Nightmares
Awesome VHS ads
NECA 8-Bit Freddy Review
Freddy VS. Jason
Hell of Fame Induction(piece I did for Death Ensemble)
Freddy Memorabilia







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