Horror Fans Met a New Freddy Krueger, Saw More of Camp Crystal Lake, and Experienced An American Haunting
This week in horror history: April 29-May 5
Hello, horror fans! Welcome to Misty Oracle Grove. Hopefully, your week has gone well. For those who are new, I am your host for this brief look back at horror history. I am an interdimensional being of the Shadow Realm. I am supernatural myself but enjoy a good paranormal tale written by a human writer. Manifesting in the flesh can be quite exhausting but observing this realm can be quite interesting.
Step into my macabre manor and follow me to my Hall of Fear. Don’t worry, it’s a safe place to reminisce about horror history. Now, let’s sit and perhaps enjoy some blood orange tea or any other strange concoction you may prefer or perhaps a light snack. See that mirror there? It’s quite large and, as you can see, not an average mirror. Notice the crimson mist swirling within its center. Look into it and be taken back in time for this week in horror history.
April 30
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Jackie Earle Haley had some large razor-sharp gloves to fill as he took on the iconic role of Freddy Krueger in the 2010 remake. Following the basic plot of Wes Craven’s 1984 classic, the remake has a darker tone. One change was that Krueger is portrayed more as a pedophile than child killer, which Craven changed for the original film. Robert Englund fully supported the remake and Haley’s casting. Craven reportedly wasn’t as pleased that he wasn’t consulted on the film. Critics panned the film but audiences came out to see it. The remake raked in over $63 million at U.S. box offices and earned $117.7 million worldwide, and ranks as the highest-grossing film of the franchise.
May 1:
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
A direct sequel to the first installment saw Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, and Walt Gorney reprising their roles with the addition of Amy Steel and John Furey. The film follows the same premise as the first as an unknown killer stalks a group of camp counselors at a training camp near Crystal Lake. SPOILER ALERT: Part 2 marks Json Voorhees debut as the main antagonist. He doesn’t even have his hockey mask yet.
Like Halloween, Friday the 13th was meant to be an anthology series. Each film was supposed to have an original story based on the Friday the 13th superstition. Due to the original film’s popularity, the filmmakers decided to pick up where they left off. Cuts had to be made to the film to appease the Motion Picture Association of America, who opposed the original cut due to its “accumulative violence.” Once the film was butchered to their liking, the MPAA gave the film an R rating. Critics hated the film. While it wasn’t as financially successful as the first film, it did earn $21.7 million in the United States against $1.25 million budget. Jason Voorhees would slash his way across the silver screen in Friday the 13th Part III one year later.
May 5:
An American Haunting (2005)
This film is based on the allegedly true tale of the Bell Witch. Starring Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, and Rachel Hurd-Wood as the Bell family, the film was written and directed by Courtney Solomon. Based on the novel, The Bell Witch: An American Haunting by Brent Monahan, The film debuted at the AFI Film Festival on November 5, 2005, was released in the UK on April 14, 2006, and released in the U.S. on May 5. Critics panned the film. It currently has a 38/100 rating on Metacritic and a 14 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 71 reviews. “The consensus states: ‘Well, it looks good. But wasn’t it supposed to be scary?’”
Frightfully Fun Facts
Here’s a shocker: Eddie Murphy was considered for the titular role in the original Candyman film. The only reason why we didn’t see Murphy in the role is that the producers couldn’t afford his salary.
Another interesting casting tidbit is that Janeane Garofalo turned down the role of Gale Weathers in Scream.
Jamie Lee Curtis was almost Regan in The Exorcist. Curtis’s parents, Tony Curtis and Janet Lee refused to allow the 14-year-old Curtis to take the role.
Set in fictitious Haddonfield, Illinois, John Carpenter’s classic slasher, Halloween, was filmed in Los Angeles, California in the area of West Hollywood and Pasadena.
Sources: Movie blurbs culled from the pages of Wikipedia and Odd Facts from the following articles:
31 Things You Didn't Know About Horror Movies (eonline.com)
15 Surprising Facts About Classic Scary Movies – Best Horror Movie Trivia (goodhousekeeping.com)