The world knows of the legacy of child killer Freddy Krueger thanks to Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street and the sequels of varying quality, but every story has a beginning and now we’re being taken back to the time of the original crimes to see what turned Frederick Charles Kruger into the Springwood Slasher.
Why we’re looking forward to this: What’s this, you say? A new Elm Street movie? Well yes, and no. The Trial of Fred Krueger is actually a fan made film from the imagination of acclaimed horror artist Nathan Thomas Milliner, who has done extensive work with Horrorhound and Scream Factory.
We know that the prospect of a Freddy without Robert Englund behind the prosthetics is a scary thought in itself – after all, if a talented actor like Jackie Earle Haley couldn’t pull it off in the lacklustre 2012 remake then who could possible manage it? – but from The Trial of Fred Krueger’s trailer it looks as though Kevin Roach is certainly going to give it his best shot.
Creepy, menacing and unapologetic, Roach has captured the essence of everything that made Freddy actually frightening in the original Elm Street before he became a wise cracking pop icon in the sequels.
We don’t often highlight fan films in The Cutting Room, but we think that The Confession of Fred Kruger could be that rare example of a fan made movie that could actually surpass some of the official entries.
The Trial of Fred Krueger is debuting at the Horrorhound Weekend in Indianapolis in September and will be available online afterwards.
RICHARD COSGROVE
