To date there’s been nine films starring the mother of all dream
demons, the wise cracking, joke spewing, one and only son of a thousand
maniacs, Freddy Krueger. As the films have progressed, Krueger has changed
visage on many occasions, sometimes looking completely different, going as far
as changing species and even genders! So, since most of these films are from
the 80’s and February is 'Going Back to the 80’s' month here on
The Film Connoisseur, I leave you guys with the many faces of Freddy Krueger. Props go to Fred Krueger himself Mr. Robert Englund for bringing this character to life with such dedication and to all those make up artists who over the years have shaped and molded Freddy Krueger into our favorite dream controlling demon. I’ve probably missed one or two of his looks, so I urge you guys to strike back
on the comments section and let me know which ones I’ve left out.
Trench coat Freddy
Film: New Nightmare (1994)
Description: This film marked Wes Craven’s return to the
franchise he created, and so he wanted to get as far away from what Freddy had
become: a joke spewing cartoon of a villain. With this one, Craven wanted to
make Freddy scary, dark and imposing and so we get a slightly more demonic
looking Freddy who wears a black trench coat and according to the film, can
actually crossover into the ‘real world’.
Quote: “Miss Me?”
Demon Freddy
Film: New Nightmare (1994) and Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Description: During the whole franchise, we get two glimpses
at a more demonic than usual Freddy Krueger. Yeah, sure, Freddy is pretty evil
looking on his own right, but on these two occasions mentioned here, he
looks extra evil. First one is in New Nightmare, where during Freddy’s demise
he burns in flames and as he burns, we see his true demonic nature, a horned
Freddy Krueger. You see, according to this sequel, Freddy is an ancient demon
who has existed for eons. Second demonic Freddy pops up in Freddy vs. Jason
when Jason Voorhees has a nightmare and Freddy invades it. In Jason’s
nightmare, Freddy has red skin, fangs and demonic yellow eyes; demonic indeed!
Quote: “After they killed me I became something much, much
worse”
Snake Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Description: Snake Freddy is for me personally one of the
scariest of all of the Freddy incarnations, I mean, this giant snake literally
comes out of the woodwork and tries to swallow up Patricia Arquette whole, like
some sort of demonic Boa Constrictor! Personally I feel as if this is one of
the best effects achieved in the whole series; I’ve always considered Dream
Warriors to be a high water mark in the series in terms of special effects
work. That’s one thing I loved about these NOES films, they were showcases for
entertaining and well developed effects sequences, each film is filled with its
own show stopping moments effects wise, Snake Freddy being one of the better
ones.
Quote: “You!”
Puppet Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Description: Puppet Freddy comes to life as Phillip, one of
the last of the Elm Street kids, falls asleep. You see, Phillip enjoys building
his puppets and so Freddy turns one of Phillip’s handmade marionettes into a
Freddy Puppet, which then grows into a life size Freddy Krueger! Then, Freddy
turns Phillip into a living puppet, by cutting his arms and legs open and using
Phillip’s own tendons and veins as the strings from which to pull him with! It
really is one of the most gruesome deaths in the whole series.
Quote: “The fact that we all dreamt about this guy before we
ever met doesn’t impress anybody”
Caterpillar Freddy
Film: Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Description: Potheads never get it good in horror movies
(unless it’s Cabin in the Woods) and Freddy Vs. Jason is no exception. On this
one there’s a major pothead called Freeburg who smokes practically on every
scene he is in, funny part is he even looks like ‘Jay’ from Jay and Silent Bob
Strike Back (2001), another major pothead! So anyhow, at one point Freeburg
smokes weed and succumbing to the effects of the drug, falls asleep. That is
when this Freddy caterpillar pops up to smoke with him. The worm is very reminiscent of the smoking
caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland.
Quote: “I only smoke when I drink now”
Wicked Witch of the West Freddy
Film: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Description: This was one of the most fun times I’ve had watching a NOES
film in theaters, there was this excitement to see Freddy in 3-D, and it was
just one of these movies were a lot was promised, amongst those promises, Freddy
was supposed to “really “ die on this one! So of course it was a special film
in that sense. On this one we got a lot of back story on who Freddy was before
he became who he became. As far as I’m concerned, we know a lot of what we know
about Freddy from this movie alone. By this time, the character of Freddy
Krueger had become a full blown jokester; he’d kill teens and say jokes while
doing it with definitive ‘gusto’. From the very beginning of this film you can
tell that the tone on this one was going to be funnier than normal, for
example, during the opening nightmare sequence one of the kids dreams that his
home is flying through the air on a tornado, a la The Wizard of Oz (1939) and
suddenly, on his bedroom window the teenager sees Freddy Krueger flying on a
witches broom, wearing a pointy witches hat and waving his black cape around. This
scene started the film on the right foot for me, I was laughing from the get
go.
Quote: “I’ll get you my pretty! And your little soul too!”
Skeleton Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Description: Here’s something most people don’t think about,
Krueger’s burnt skeleton. We all know his dream demon look, with the fedora hat
and the red and green sweater, but what of his real body? The one that the Elm
Street parents burned to a crisp? Well, on A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 we actually
get to see that skeleton! According to
the ghost of Krueger’s own mother, you have to spray Krueger’s remains with
holy water in order to defeat him. So, a brave doctor ends up digging up
Freddy’s skeleton in order to lay it to rest, and give it a proper burial or
something, but right there and then Freddy’s Skeleton comes to life and begins
to attack the doctor! On this one we were presented with the idea that Krueger
could control his remains from the dream world.
Bus Driver Freddy
Film: Freddy’s Dead: The
Final Nightmare (1991)
Description: When one of the last Elm Street kids dreams he
travels to this lonely open road in the middle of nowhere, out of the blue, a
bus comes along and guess whose driving it? Bus Driver Freddy that’s who! Bus
driver Freddy hits the kid with the bus and the teenagers’ body slams onto the
windshield of the bus. Then Freddy hits the breaks sending the teenagers body
hurling through the air and crossing the boundaries of Freddy’s world. After
the kid disappears through some sort of dimensional dream world rift, from his
bus drivers seat Freddy utters the words: “Good doggy! Now…Fetch!”
Quote: “No screaming while the bus is in motion! ”
Nurse Freddy
Films: Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors (1987)
Description: Joey,
one the Elm Street kids being treated at a local mental facility is attracted
to one of the nurses that takes care of him. They both find a place where they
can get intimate and slowly but surely the nurse reveals herself to Joey, the
lucky dude, this nurse is smoking hot! Joey starts kissing her but notices her
tongue getting inhumanly long. It isn’t long before Joey realizes that this
nurse isn’t a nurse, it’s really Freddy Krueger in disguise! Joey has fallen
asleep and Freddy is gonna get him! Suddenly, in his dream, Joey’s bed
disappears and beneath it is a gate way to a fiery hell!
Quote: “What’s wrong Joey? Feeling a little tongue tied?”
Hall Monitor Freddy, Lt. Donald Thompson Freddy, Mrs.
Voorhees Freddy
Films: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), A Nightmare on Elm
Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
(1989), Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Description: Freddy likes to mess with peoples’ minds and so
whenever he can he’ll disguise himself as somebody else. In A Nightmare on Elm
Street (1984), he disguises himself as a hallway monitor, asking for hall
passes with a gloved hand and a bloody face. In Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream
Warriors he disguises himself as Nancy’s father, so he can get close enough to
Nancy so he can kill her! He also disguises himself as Dan Jordan (Alice’s
boyfriend) in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989). After Dan
dies, Freddy posseses Dan’s body and from the burning wreck Dan tells her “Hi
Alice! Wanna make babies?” And in Freddy Vs. Jason (2003), Freddy disguises
himself as Jason Voorhees’s mom so he can manipulate Jason to do his bidding.
Quote: “I’ve crossed over princess. I couldn’t go without
telling you how sorry I am for all the things that I’ve done. I love you so
much. I’ll always love you.” “I love you
too daddy” “DIE!”
Baby Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Description: On A
Nightmare on Elm Street 5, we have a scene in which as Alice dreams, she takes
a look into Freddy’s past and actually witnesses Freddy’s birth. The doctors
performing the birth think that the baby is an abomination! When he is born,
Amanda Krueger, his own mother says “This is no creature of God!” The baby
falls to the ground and scurries away until he finds the church in which he was
killed in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988). Once there,
baby Freddy makes his way into an altar and slowly but surely becomes a full
grown Freddy Krueger!
Quote: “We’ll
just see bitch, we’ll just see…”
Chef Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Description: Greta is a teenager living with her up class
mom, who only cares about looking good in front of her rich friends. Greta wants’
to lose weight so she doesn’t want to eat so much, but her mom wants’ her to
eat! Because this is a social gathering, and that’s what people do in social
gatherings! Eat and drink! Greata’s mom has prepared a fine meal for all her
friends to enjoy as they drink wine and gossip, but Greta is so bored with it
all that she falls asleep on the table. That’s when Freddy strikes! He appears
dressed as a Chef and straps Great down on a chair then starts to force feed
her! He fills Greta’s mouth with so much food that she chokes on her dream and
consequently, chokes in real life as well!
Quote: “Bon Apetit, Bitch!”
Television Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Description: Jennifer Caulfield’s a teenager who knows the
horrors of Freddy up close and personal, so she will do anything not to fall
asleep. She’s always drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. To stay awake, she
burns the cigarette butts on her own arm! She does anything she can to keep herself
from falling asleep! But sleep overtakes her anyways one night while watching
late night television. Greta Garbo is interviewing somebody and Freddy appears
as an interviewee and says “who gives a fuck what you think?” and kills her on
live television! Jennifer, not believing her own eyes gets closer and closer to
the television until the television suddenly goes blank. That’s when Freddy’s head
pops out of the top of the television! Then two robotic hands emerge from the
sides of the television andgrab Jennifer by her arms! The robotic hands lift Jennifer
up into the air and smash her head into the television screen.
Quote: ‘’Welcome to Prime Time, Bitch!”
Video Game Freddy
Film: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Description: What
horror film from the 80’s didn’t have a pot head amongst their characters? Not
a lot of them that’s for sure! On Freddy’s Dead the pothead is named Spencer,
who also happens to be a gamer. One day, while visiting the strangely desolated
town of Springwood, Spencer enters an abandoned house and decides to space out
while watching a little television. Suddenly, Krueger appears on the television
and tells Spencer “Hey Spencer, let’s trip out!” As he spaces out and smokes
his weed, Spencer finds himself inside of the television and participating in a
Nightmare on Elm Street video game!
First Spencer faces a video game version of his father who tells him: “Be like
me! Be like me!” to which Spencer replies: “Not like you! Not like you!” and
starts attacking back. Then, Spencer has to face the video game version of Freddy,
who starts kicking the shit out of Spencer in all sorts of ways, like stepping
on him with his giant feet. Funniest part of this sequence is seeing a video
game version of Freddy Krueger, walking around in one of those 80’s style side
scrollers.
Quote: “Great graphics!”
Power Glove Freddy
Film: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Description: The
Nightmare on Elm Street Video Game that Spencer ends up participating in is
actually being played by somebody and that somebody is Freddy Krueger himself!
The faces Freddy makes while playing the video game are priceless and then, Freddy
Krueger whips out his very own version of Nintendo’s Power Glove and says “Now
I’m playing with power!” For those of you who don’t know what the hell a power
glove is, well, it was this thing Nintendo released during the 80’s, basically,
it was a controller in the form of a glove. Who would’ve thought we’d ever see
Freddy the Gamer?
Quote: “” I beat my high score! Ha ha haaa!”
Child Freddy
Title: Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Description: As
Maggie and the rest of the orphans search around Springwood for clues about
Freddy, they stumble upon Springwood Elementary School where they encounter
ghosts of Freddy’s past. Including his old teacher, his old classmates and they
even get to see Freddy Krueger himself as a child. Freddy was an outcast, all
his buddies knew he was “son of a hundred maniacs” and they made sure he never
forgot it. Freddy would just have fun smashing hamsters to death, strange kid
in deed.
Quote: “Son of a hundred maniacs, son of a hundred maniacs!”
Teenage Freddy
Film: Freddy’s Dead:
The Final Nightmare (1991)
Description: Teenage Freddy didn’t have it too good. He was
adopted by an abusive parent who kept him locked up in a basement. Freddy would
only get visits from his step father to get whipping, until Freddy starts
liking the whippings! Freddy strats enjoying cutting himself with a knife! And
one day, when Freddy can’t stand the abuse anymore he stabs his step dad with a
knife!
Quote: “The secret of pain is to stop feeling it and start
using it”
Motorcycle Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Description: When Dan Jordan, Alice’s boyfriend decides to
take a ride on his motorcycle, he falls asleep driving it and suddenly, a
mechanical version of Freddy’s face appears on the motorcycle itself! Then
cables come out of the motorcycle and inject themselves into Dan’s flesh,
joining his body with the motorcycle, effectively turning Dan into a half man,
half motorcycle thing! Freddy screams “Fuel Injection!” Freddy turns Dan into a
speed demon!
Quote: “Yee-Haa! This boy feels the need for speed!”
Beach Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
Description: Nightmare on Elm Street 4’s the film where
Freddy became a joke, he was no longer scary, now he was a one line spewing
monstrosity. How did I notice this? Well, as soon as I saw Freddy’s claws
traveling through the sand as if they were a shark’s fin, I knew something was
off. Plus, doesn’t Freddy seem completely out of place wearing shades in a beach?
Let’s not forget this is the film where Freddy actually eats a meatball pizza,
the catch being that the meatballs were made up of his victims’ heads! Still,
even though this movie is kind of funny, I still think it’s one of the most
entertaining ones in the series, the effects work was top notch on this one.
Quote: “You shouldn’t have buried me, I’m not dead”
Super Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Description: On this film we meet Mark, a comic book geek/artist
who can’t stand the sight of blood even though his comics are drenched in it.
So anyways, one night he falls asleep reading comic books. During his dream he
becomes one of the characters he created in his own drawings, this cool looking
super hero who uses these cool looking guns, problem is that Freddy also
changes into Super Freddy! It’s then that Freddy turns Mark into a cartoon character made of paper! Freddy
then starts to shred Mark into pieces! Mark ends up dead when all of his comic
books fall on him and kill him, bummer.
Quote: “I told you comic books were bad for ya!”
Freddy the Drunken Truck Driver
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Description: Dan is driving his car when he suddenly falls
asleep driving, Freddy then appears next to him driving. He tells him “Hey
Danny, you better not dream and drive!” then takes a zip of a bottle of
alcohol. Then Freddy pours some of the alcohol on his shoulder, and for some
reason, the alcohol eats through Freddy’s arm as if it was acid! Freddy then rips
off his arm and sticks it on the ceiling of the car…it is then that Dan wakes
up and crashes his car on an oncoming truck.
Quote: “Put your pedal to the metal Dan!”
Drug Pusher Freddy
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Description: Taryn is a girl trying to break with her heroin
habit, but it’s getting increasingly difficult when the orderlies of the mental
institution supply her with the stuff. When Taryn falls asleep she ends up in
an isolated alley where she comes upon Freddy Krueger who offers her heroin.
All of Freddy’s fingers transform into
syringes! Taryn’s veins literally open up and beg for the drug and that’s when
Freddy injects her with all of the syringes and gives it to her! He literally
sucks Taryn dry, and she dies from an overdose…after killing her Freddy says “what
a rush!”
Quote: “Let’s get high!”
So that’s it boys and girls, hope you liked this list
numbering many of Freddy’s different looks. If you want to know a bit more about Freddy, don’t forget
to check out my article entitled: Freddy Krueger: An Unauthorized Biography or Why is Freddy so messed up? It retells Freddy’s life story in seven
chapters! And don’t forget, its 80’s Month here on The Film Connoisseur, so
starting today, its all 80’s all the time! Don’t miss it! See you around!
