2017 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS, and actress Heather Langenkamp recently sat down with TooFab to discuss her time on Elm Street.
Langenkamp faced horror icon Freddy Krueger three times over the years, beginning with the original A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. DREAM WARRIORS was a rematch for the pair, and unfortunately things didn't turn out so well for Langenkamp's character Nancy Thompson that time around. Still, Langenkamp returned to the franchise again for WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE, in which she played herself. Looking back, Langenkamp just wishes she had gotten even more chances to work with series star Robert Englund.
(I would) love to go back in time and do another movie with him, I would love nothing more than that."
During the interview, Langenkamp mentions that she has never seen the 2010 NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET remake, because
I can't let go of my own vision of 'Nightmare on Elm Street,' I just don't want to. I don't want to see another person play Freddy Krueger. I don't want to see scenes that we worked really hard on be reimagined. I respect their reason for doing it but I don't want to have it in my imagination or my mind. Those memories are so precious to me. I was a teenager when I made that movie so it's so formative. My friendship with Robert Englund is so important to me that I don't need it."
Although Englund's time as Freddy may be over, and Langenkamp understands that "You have to put aside these roles that you've become so known for if you want to ever hope to do anything else", she does think there are more stories to be told in the ELM STREET world.
You see this in some of the other horror franchises, is that they're taking the universes of these stories, all the elements of the story that was created and picking something that was over here, not the main thrust of the story and expanding upon it. There's so much in the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' realm that could still be explored and Freddy Krueger could still be explored some more."
The actress took some time off from her acting career to work at her husband's special effects studio while raising their children. Now that their children are grown, she's starting to take some more acting jobs. She's not enthusiastic about being "marched across the screen" for a cameo, but she does want to get back to doing what she's passionate about. One of her upcoming roles is in HELLRAISER: JUDGMENT, about which she said
I'm anxious to see what I look like in that. The script was great, I really liked it and I thought it was really creative. To see one that comes across the page as being very bizarre and fresh was the main attraction for me."
So now that Langenkamp is back in action and since she thinks there's more to do in the ELM STREET realm, would she be interested in starring in another ELM STREET movie?
I would never say no to the option of doing something like that. It's a great universe and it's one of the most creative franchises, there's more to be made, I'm sure."
But keep in mind that she doesn't want to see anyone other than Englund play Freddy, so I'm not sure how that would work… unless Englund and Langenkamp were both brought back for another rematch. Fans can dream, can't they?