Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street was initially released in 1984, and spawned a nine-film franchise over a thirty year period, though there were many other projects within the franchise that never saw the light of day for one reason or another. The original film hit theaters as a critical success and is now thought to be one of the first iconic slasher films, following John Carpenter's Halloween, which came out in 1978.
Like Friday the 13th, its predecessor in the genre, A Nightmare on Elm Street inspired a number of reboots and crossover films. The excessive reiteration of the slasher plot and its predictable teenage characters launched a sub-genre of satirical humor mocking the recycled stories. Putting a meta spin on the slasher narrative, films like Scream and The Cabin in the Woods show characters working around the engrained rules of the genre in order to survive. Within its own franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street gains a similar sort of awareness, constantly finding new ways to destroy and revive Freddy Krueger. Although there is no shortage of Freddy footage, an interesting handful of films were conceptualized, but never brought to life.
Many of those involved in the original film have put forth concepts for spinoffs and sequels, including actors Robert Englund and John Saxon. Inspired by the boundless limits of Freddy's power and the tenacity of those who go up against him, creatives have continued to explore the world of Elm Street. Whether in the form of a treatment, a pitch or simply a burgeoning idea, these suggested stories surrounding Freddy Krueger and his enemies remain unmade.
A Nightmare on Elm Street: First Kills
Although audiences got a taste of Freddy Krueger's backstory in the 1991 film Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, there was another rumored prequel, which had the title A Nightmare on Elm Street: First Kills; the movie was workshopped, but never got made. Krueger actor Robert Englund revealed that the film was to mainly take place in the courtroom, addressing the legal side of the villain's earliest crimes. John McNaughton, director of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer was approached for the project but he was uninterested in repeating a similar tone, instead suggesting that the film take place in hell and explore Freddy's story after he is burned to death by the parents of his child victims. This idea was rebuffed, and the project eventually dissipated.
John Saxon's Prequel: "How The Nightmare Began"
John Saxon, who plays the cop father of the franchise's original final girl, Nancy Thompson, proposed a strange prequel in which Freddy is framed for his original crimes by real life killer Charles Manson. Saxon completed the treatment for How the Nightmare on Elm Street All Began, and put the material up for sale on eBay.
Robert Englund's A Nightmare on Elm Street
Robert Englund, the original Freddy Krueger, submitted multiple ideas for sequels focused around characters from the first film. While the third film in the franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, was well received by critics and thought to be one of the finer sequels, Englund revealed he had his own ideas for the movie's premise. One plot involved the character of Tina, the first victim in the original film, and sees her sister solving some of Freddy's crimes. The second concept Englund put forth surrounded children who had been told the story of Freddy, and developed their own nightmare versions of the villain.
Peter Jackson's A Nightmare on Elm Street 6: Dream Lover
The Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson pitched a meta sequel where an old, worn out Krueger is taunted by purposefully sleeping teens. Noticing that the franchise had tired out their villain and his scare factor seemed to be rapidly declining, Jackson pictured a scenario in which the teens of Springwood now torment Freddy, falling asleep on purpose in order to mess with the killer in the dreamscape. This would, of course, reignite Freddy's strength and rage, unleashing the dream demon yet again.
Freddy Vs. Jason 2
Warner Bros., who have recently gotten into the horror game with major breakout hits like IT: Chapter One, IT: Chapter Two, and Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep, briefly considered a Freddy vs. Jason sequel that would feature the characters of each film's modern remakes. Friday the 13th was remade in 2009, followed by a new A Nightmare on Elm Street in 2010 and both films were panned critically, neither attempts coming close the success of the originals. Seeing as how both of the retellings were poorly received, a movie focusing on the characters from the failed reboots would likely be a hit and a miss.
Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash
A crossover entitled Freddy Vs. Jason. Vs. Ash was pitched by Freddy Vs. Jason producer Jeff Katz after pairing up the two villains established a revitalized interest in both franchises. The film would see Freddy and Jason go up against Ash, the protagonist of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise. Although the three-character crossover never made it to the big screen, the concept was adapted as a comic book in which Ash takes on the two iconic slashers, with bloody and interesting results for all three franchises, which are arguably three of the biggest in the horror genre.
While there has not been a new film since the 2010 reboot, which was met with harsh criticisms from both critics and fans of the franchise, it seems like fresh ideas for Freddy and the franchise are still circling the minds of those involved. Even though many of the unmade projects never made it to fruition, there's always potential for them to be re-written or revisited in the future. Currently, Wes Craven's estate has been open to accepting pitches from people who are potentially interested in making another movie in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. This has garnered interest from major studios like Blumhouse Productions and even actor Elijah Wood. It feels likely that fans have not seen the last of the dream-invading killer as there are always creative ways to experience A Nightmare on Elm Street.