Your new movie Krueger:
The Legend of Elm Street - in a few words, what is it about?
It's my fifth installment in my prequel series. Pretty much, each chapter was
meant to show a different aspect of Freddy's life and career as a serial
killer. This particular one is meant to showcase his demise and rebirth by way
of fire, as well as give a fresh perspective on how he became the dream demon
we all love to hate.
What were your inspirations when writing Krueger:
The Legend of Elm Street (apart from the A
Nightmare on Elm Street movies of course)? Well, I
guess you could say, I just really, really wanted to set Roberto Lombardi [Roberto
Lombardi interview - click here]
on fire. With Krueger:
The Legend of Elm Street not being your first Freddy
Krueger fan film - how has your approach to the character
and mythology evolved over the years? It's pretty much
become second nature to me. I know Freddy like the back of my hand and I
know exactly how I want to portray him on screen. So it's really just a
matter of deciding where and when to shoot. Do talk about
Krueger:
The Legend of Elm Street's approach to horror for a bit!
In this installment we really wanted to show the birth of the dream
demon. Seeing Freddy right on the cusp of becoming the Freddy from 1984
and onward. That was pretty much my only goal - kill off the Springwood
slasher and introduce the dream demon.
What
can you tell us about your overall directorial approach to your story at
hand, and to what extent were you influenced by A
Nightmare on Elm Street's legendary director Wes Craven when
making Krueger:
The Legend of Elm Street?
My overall approach is to
make Freddy as horrifying and real as possible without compromising the
character or his source material. I am literally trying to speak on behalf
of the late Wes Craven and trying my hardest to write and direct how I
feel he would have done it, if not given any studio restrictions. I am not
trying to reinvent the wheel, I am just trying to liberate Freddy from his
comical/remake bonds and give people back the bastard maniac we all love.
Roberto Lombardi [Roberto
Lombardi interview - click here] plays
Freddy Krueger
(again) - so what makes him perfect for the role, what
made you first cast him all those years back, and what's your
collaboration like? Apart from his uncanny resemblance to
Robert Englund [Robert Englund
bio - click here], and his amazing acting chops, Roberto was able to bring a
fresh/young take to Freddy. With him, it was more than just doing an
impression of Robert Englund's performance, he brought a whole new level
to the character. I attribute a lot of that to Roberto's career in law
enforcement and criminal profiling. After two decades on the force,
Roberto was able to bring a certain level of understanding to being Freddy
that you cannot fake. And I think that, coupled with his amazing talent
and convenient likeness just set him apart from anyone else. As far as I know,
Krueger:
The Legend of Elm Street is the first time Roberto Lombardi wears
makeup playing Freddy
Krueger - so you obviously have to talk about the makeup
process for a bit!
It took about 90 minutes to get him in full gear, and that was with
rushing. It was a pretty simple design too. I used a bald cap, then
coated Roberto's face with several layers of latex. Then I simply added
some cotton swabs for texture and then I painted everything some brown
and red makeup. And for the finishing touch, I used black hair spray
paint to dirty up his makeup and skin and give him that extra toasty
look. That's literally it.
Do talk about the rest of your cast,
and why exactly these people?
Jessica Buda who played Mary auditioned for me back in 2013, along with
Jacob Flowers and Christopher Durbin. They were specifically cast
because they embodied the time period I was trying to capture. As for
Shannon McDermott who played the therapist, Shannon is a Blinky veteran
and pretty much anything she touches turns to gold. So not casting her
in anything is a disservice to myself.
What can you tell us about
the shoot as such, and the on-set atmosphere? Getting
everyone to stop giggling and having a good time is probably the hardest
thing I can think of. We are all just a bunch of big kids running around
playing pretend in between takes. And I'll tell you, between that and the
amount of dirty jokes, you'd swear were were all elementary students. Anything
you can tell us about audience and critical reception of Krueger:
The Legend of Elm Street? So far, so good! I am
eternally grateful to all the Elm Street fans who have embraced Roberto as
Freddy and the work we have created together.
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As mentioned, Krueger:
The Legend of Elm Street is not your first Freddy
Krueger fan film - so what drew you to the character in the
first place, and what can you tell us about the previous Freddy
Krueger films you did?
In 2010, I was
sitting with my ex and we were spit balling ideas of what I should make
next and I had said, what if we were to do a prequel about Freddy? And
immediately we both blurted out - ROBERTO AS FREDDY! YES! And that kind of
set the ball in motion. In the spring of 2011, I began making the short
and after that, I did prequel shorts for both Jason Voorhees and
Michael
Myers. But the critical reception for Krueger was just better and it
subsequently motivated me to make a second and then a third and then a
fourth and then a fifth. I guess you gotta give the fans what they want,
right? Can you ever be
persuaded to make yet another Freddy
Krueger movie, and/or other future projects you'd like to share?
Yes. Yes I can. As for future (other) projects, next up I have The
Weary Traveler (A Frankenstein Story), which is a psuedo-sequel to
the classic novel by Mary Shelley. Then after that, I'm not entirely
sure. But definitely more horror to come!
Your/your
movie's website, Facebook, whatever else? @Blinky500 on all
social media. Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? Hail
Hydra! Thanks
for the interview!
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