Horror films of the 80’s were infamous for creating characters that made it difficult to fall asleep at night. One such fiend was Freddy Krueger, who was constructed for the purpose of terrorizing you in the middle of the night. In this article, you will learn a few facts concerning this popular plotline, as well as trivia regarding Stephen King’s IT and Blair Witch Project from the 90s.
Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Who can forget the man who invaded dreams during the 1980s and 90s? With his signature red and green sweater, hat, and glove made to slash; Freddy Krueger will go down in history as one of the scariest horror movie characters in history. The movie would become a life of its own , dominating Halloween costume choices, entertaining with video games, and fueling endless sequels. The first Nightmare on Elm Street film debuted in 1984 and continued on with the same actor, Robert Englund, until the 2010 remake of the original classic hit movie theaters. A few interesting movie facts concerning Nightmare on Elm Street include:
Before he was a swashbuckling pirate, Johnny Depp’s first film credit is with Nightmare on Elm Street. He accompanied a friend to an audition (not intending to try out) and was spotted by director Wes Craven. The director asked if he’d like to read for the part. Later that night, Craven was home and his 14-year-old daughter caught sight of Johnny Depp’s headshot. Her input is thought to have solidified Depp’s plunge into the movie world.
Interestingly, the movie is built around Elm Street, but the only times you see the words “Elm Street” are when the opening and closing credits are rolling. You will not hear “Elm Street” mentioned at any time during the movie.
Nightmare on Elm Street was the second movie produced by New Line Cinema.
When Wes Craven wrote the script for Nightmare on Elm Street, he shopped it around to various major studios, but no one wanted to take a chance on the film. It wasn’t until three years later that New Line Cinema showed genuine interest and signed onto the project.
Blair Witch Project (1999)
As three young filmmakers enter woods with an infamous tale attached, their fate takes a turn for the worst when they become separated and face the local urban legend. The students traveled to Maryland to investigate the Blair Witch. They went on a 2-day hike and disappeared in the process. One year later, the film and video that the students took was found in the woods. Supposedly, the footage was compiled and made into a movie.
Since handheld camera movements played an important part in the making of the movie, some people in the theater experienced nausea and actually left their seats to vomit. The ushers in some Toronto theater actually asked moviegoers who were prone to motion sickness to sit in the aisle seat and try not to ‘throw up’ on others.
IT (1990)
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel with the same title, the scary threat in the film was named Pennywise (played by Tim Curry). The character was influenced by John Wayne Gacy, who was a real serial killer that liked to dress up as a clown to entertain children. The book that depicted seven youths trying to defeat a killer clown was turned into a movie for television that debuted in 1990.
