It’s all but impossible to imagine anyone else but Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, the razor-gloved antagonist of the Nightmare on Elm Street series (sorry, Jackie Earle Haley). Making his first appearance in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, Englund went on to portray the character in six sequels, a TV series, and the 2003 franchise crossover Freddy vs. Jason, creating a pop culture icon in the process.
But it could have been so much different, had it not been for scheduling conflicts with Wes Craven’s first choice for the role, British actor David Warner (The Omen). Englund subsequently filled the role, and the rest as they say is history, however thanks to Reddit we’ve now got a taste of what might have been, with some images of Warner in early make-up tests arriving online…
How do you think the Nightmare on Elm Street series would have fared without Robert Englund as Freddy?
Originally published October 19, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
