To promote Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, the producers behind the franchise gave the slasher a bizarre, real-life funeral. Freddy became a pop culture phenomenon shortly after his debut in A Nightmare On Elm Street. With each successive sequel, he became goofier and wackier, byt his novelty wore off. The underwhelming performance of the fifth entry let production company New Line know his popularity had waned and they set up 1991’s Freddy’s Dead to conclusively wrap up the saga. This saw Freddy’s long-lost daughter Katherine learning her heritage and, in a badly-dated 3D finale, blowing him and “ending” his reign of terror.
To promote Freddy’s Dead, New Line even staged a high-profile funeral for Freddy at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. As recounted in the documentary Never Sleep Again the funeral featured a casket with Freddy’s trademark red and green jumper and hat on top. Director Rachel Talalay and cast were present, including Breckin Meyer, Lezley Deane, Ricky Dean Logan, Tobe Sexton – who played teen Freddy – and Shon Greenblatt. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 actor Robert Rusler and Lisa Wilcox and Whit Hertford from Part 5 also paid respect. Comic artist Andy Mangels (via andymangels.com) also read messages from stars Liza Zane and Alice Cooper, who cameoed as Freddy’s stepfather.
Why Freddy Krueger’s Funeral Was Controversial
Freddy’s Dead was released in the U.S. on September 13, 1991, with posters promoting it even declaring his death date. To further promote the film, New Line got then-L.A. mayor Tom Bradley to declare September 13th “Freddy Krueger Day.” This created some minor controversy, with The Los Angeles Times reporting that several groups such as National Organization for Women and the PTA bashing the mayor for “promoting” a violent slasher – even a fictional one. The mayor’s office replied it was promoting a film series that provided a boost to L.A.’s economy, in addition to celebrating the “end” of Freddy.
It Didn’t Take Long For Freddy To Get Resurrected
When interviewed during Freddy’s funeral, director Talalay stated there was no chance the character would be revived. Cut to 1994, and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare – itself inspired by a nightmare – was released. This brought the creator of the series back after the original – and following his strained relationship to its subsequent follow-ups. Craven used the film to reclaim the character’s horror roots while exploring the relationship between art and artist and the topic of screen violence. New Nightmare even jokes about New Line’s decision to revive Krueger so quickly after they killed him off. The sequel received positive reviews and is very well-regarded, but it was a financial disappointment.
In hindsight, former New Line head Robert Shaye stated in Never Sleep Again that New Nightmare was likely “too cerebral” for mainstream audiences. Krueger returned twice after this; 2003’s long-awaited monster mash Freddy Vs Jason and the 2010 A Nightmare On Elm Street remake. The latter replaced original Freddy actor Robert Englund with Jackie Earle Haley, but despite his performance being well reviewed, the film itself was not. Despite turning a profit, a planned sequel didn’t happen and Freddy has yet to return to screens. As the films following Freddy’s Dead proved, the dream demon won’t stay down forever though.
