Welcome back to Horror Happenings! This week we have news about a nightmare returning to the big screen and a fan favorite officially returning to the next installment of a fan favorite franchise. Let’s get to it!
A Nightmare on Elm Street Being Rebooted… Again
I suppose that it was inevitable. After all, Halloween, Friday the 13th, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre all have new installments in the works. So, it comes as little surprise that, despite the reboot that came just a few years ago, New Line Cinema is going ahead with another reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Look, if you read this column or any of my writings here at Nerdist.com, you know that I am not anti-reboot/ remake. With that being said, do we really need another retelling of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street? Does New Line really think that we need the origin story of Freddy Krueger explained to us again? Have they learned nothing from the examples of The Amazing Spider-Man or Fantastic 4? We get it: a dude who was a bad guy when he was alive is now a bad guy when he’s dead and comes for teenagers in their dreams. There, I just saved you 90 minutes and $20 million.
And honestly, New Line should look at their own example of The Conjuring in 2013 or this weekend’s latest Blumhouse offering The Gift. These are movies that are made for modest budgets but aimed at a slightly older crowd. I’d rather New Line just take all the money they would have spent on a new Nightmare on Elm Street and get into a time machine and give that money to Cary Fukunaga so he can make a twisted and interesting It movie for grownups. Granted, I realize that any scenario that involves a time machine isn’t going to happen, but I hope my point is clear: the mentality behind this kind of decision is boring and stale. Shake it up!
Frank Grillo Officially Back for The Purge 3
We told you in Horror Happenings a few months ago that The Purge was coming back for a third installment. When we spoke with The Purge: Anarchy star Frank Grillo he revealed that he and writer/ director James DeMonaco had discussed ideas for a third movie but Grillo’s involvement was not yet confirmed. Now it’s official with the news coming this week that Grillo would be back as would franchise creator DeMonaco.
The Purge: Anarchy was a financial success and critically better received than the first installment. While I have a soft spot for the Twilight Zone-esque first film, I have to admit that I was hoping the third movie would be a fresh start altogether, with each film taking us to a different part of the country and experiencing new characters trying to survive on Purge Night. However, it would appear that the franchise will continue some of the storylines from the second movie.
What do you think, folks? Are you excited for a continuation of The Purge: Anarchy in the next installment of the series? What are your thoughts on a Nightmare on Elm Street re-reboot? Tell us in the comments section!
Featured Image Credit: DeviantArt/ bloodedemon
Clarke Wolfe is a correspondent for Nerdist.com and Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls. You can find her on Twitter @clarkewolfe.
