If you know Robert Englund's name, you are probably a fan of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films. Though he has had other acting roles, Englund's main claim to fame is as teen killer Freddy Krueger, a role he has reprised five times since the original Wes Craven horror film, and which he also played in the syndicated TV series "Freddy's Nightmares."
The sixth - and last - entry in the movie series, "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare," opens in theaters around the country Friday, which is Friday the 13th, of course.But is this really the last "Nightmare on Elm Street" film? Are the filmmakers trying to tell us there won't be a seventh - even if this one is wildly successful?
After all, let's not forget the fourth "Friday the 13th" film, subtitled "The Final Chapter." That didn't stop No. 5, "A New Beginning," or three more sequels afterward.
But Englund, who makes it clear he doesn't much care for the "Friday the 13th" series - or any other slasher films for that matter - says that won't happen with the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films.
"Yeah, it sort of sounds like the company line," Englund said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago. "But this new film is really like a present to the fans.
"They spent a ton of money making this one. The last two reels are in 3-D, there are all sorts of celebrity fans of the `Nightmare' series who will be doing cameos - Roseanne Barr, Alice Cooper and others I'm not at liberty to divulge . . . although one of them was in a movie that gave him scissors for hands."
Did he say 3-D?
"Yeah, they'll hand out glasses for `Freddyvision' - Freddy sunglasses for this great moment at the end when (a character) looks out at the audience and says, `Now!' And we go on a tour of Freddy's brain in 3-D.
"Anyway, in this film we used all the ideas we've had over the last couple of years, all the things we've said we'd like to see. What'd Freddy look like before he was burned? Did he have a kid of his own? What was he like as a kid? All the ideas we've been saving."
For the uninitiated, Freddy Krueger was introduced as a child molester who had been burned to death by the parents of his victims. In the first film, he invaded the dreams of those parents' other children, and if he could kill them in the dream they never woke up.
Gradaully, however, the series became more and more campy, with elaborate special effects taking over as Freddy taunted new victims with their own fears and then made wisecracks as he killed them.
Obviously, the films have a great following and defenders say they are simply cathartic fun. But detractors find it disturbing that teens who dominate the audience cheer Freddy on, instead of rooting for his victims.
Englund says those who criticize the films usually haven't seen any of them. "First of all, we get lumped in with movies that are far down the evolutionary ladder. Ours are more imaginative and in a kind of dreamscape world, with camp humor. Freddy doesn't dismember people. If you're afraid of bugs, he turns you into a cockroach. There's a big difference. These movies all take place in a nightmare, dream sequence. I have found that most of the criticism has been vastly exaggerated."
Meanwhile, the "Freddy's Nightmares" TV episodes are just coming to video, as well as gaining new impetus on cable and in other countries. "There are 44 of them and they're playing well in Europe now. They really do provide another life for an actor."
Englund may start to feel he really does have a new life if "Freddy's Dead" is indeed the last of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films. He's been associated with the character of Freddy Krueger for seven years.
Yet - and he disagrees on this point - it's apparent that he may forever be linked to horror projects. "I've always been offered other things, and the only reason I haven't done them was because the money wasn't right or there was a conflict in my schedule. And it's a rare position for an actor to be in. It's lucrative and relaxing, you're able to take more risks. The only other place you get that is with a long-running series or a long-running play. It's unique in the movies."
Englund is currently shooting a TV series (his third after "V" and "Downtown") for NBC. "This series has nothing to do with `Nightmare on Elm Street' or horror. It's `new TV,' more like `Twin Peaks' or `Quantum Leap' or `Dream On.' But it is by Wes Craven and it's called `Nightmare Cafe.' I wanted them to call it `Second-Chance Cafe' or `Terminal Bar.' It's about this old diner on a pier that may or may not be purgatory, where people come when they die and they may go upstairs or they may go downstairs. It's an anthology series with guest stars."
And he has a movie, called "Wicked Flesh," he'd like to get off the ground. "It's a vampire script that I've had for a couple of years. I'm one of those guys who can't do two things at once, so I'll do the first eight shows in the series, then I'll work on that and some other screenplays I'm doing. I can't really write a screenplay, but I'm good with treatments. I'll let somebody else do the dialogue."
Englund, who made his feature directing debut a few years ago with "976-EVIL," says he'd like to direct "Wicked Flesh" as well. "I've been ruminating about it for so long that I know I can direct it. And I'll direct certain episodes of the series."
But point out to him that all of these shows do seem to be related to horror or the supernatural and Englund simply reiterates that he isn't concerned about being typecast. "I've had such a bizarre and unpredictable career. . . . I just go with the flow."