Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

From The Boiler Room...

2010-04-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

A very special message from the Director of Photography on NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY.

Enjoy!

--Buz Danger Wallick (director of photography)

Get Ready...For Freddy!

2010-04-09T13:59:00.000-07:00

Hello Elm Street Children!

Although it has been a while, I can assure you that all of us here at NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY have done everything but sleep (probably a good thing for those of us prone to a certain finger-knived madman)!

Instead, we've all been holed up in the glorious process of post-production. Whether it is editing, listening to the score, making notes, sound mixing, recording narration -- or just about any of the other seemingly hundreds of things necessary to pull off a show of this magnitude -- rest assured, things are moving along and the show is truly going to be more Elm Street than anyone could have imagined. And that is definitely a good thing!

In addition, as many of you probably already know, the show comes out May 4th, and you can pre-order it here:

http://shop.elmstreetlegacy.com/Never-Sleep-Again-The-Elm-Street-Legacy-2-disc-DVD-p/063390030224.htm

The best thing about ordering from the wesite is that orders placed online at elmstreetlegacy.com will include a special, commemorative Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy poster (12" x 18"). This original artwork, created by "Elm Street" poster artist Matthew Joseph Peak, is only available through elmstreetlegacy.com with your purchase. You can see the incredible artwork here:

But there's more:

If you place your order at elmstreetlegacy.com before June 1, 2010, your commemorative poster will be individually signed by "Nancy Thompson" herself, Heather Langenkamp!

So go on over and check it out. All the details of this 2-disc set are there as well, so you'll see how much of a Nightmare you'll be getting.

Thanks, everyone...we cannot wait for you to see the show!

--Thommy Hutson (producer/writer)

To The Ends of The Earth

2010-02-23T08:07:00.000-08:00

Things are moving along at a rapid pace -- so rapid, in fact, there aren't enough hours in the day to keep up with the workload, much less find time to blog, but who am I to complain when I am working on the coolest horror retrospective ever made?

I am amazed that this project has become such a huge, multi-national/transcontinental extravaganza. I honestly didn't see it coming, and still am not quite sure how we managed to pull it off. We chased Ronny Yu across three continents for several months trying to lock down his interview -- and, by God, we finally got it! Through the magic of Skype and a fortuitous stroke of luck (we just *happened* to locate a Los Angeles cameraman who just *happened* to be working in Beijing, China at the time!), Ronny Yu is officially part of the "Elm Street Legacy."

From a frigid New York City to the southern-most tip of Corpus Christi ... from Vancouver, Canada to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico ... from our modest soundstage in Burbank to the woodsy backroads of Meadowvista ... we have searched out and brought to our proverbial hot seat well over 100 "Elm Street" alumni from every corner of the globe for this once-in-a-lifetime "family reunion."

While we wish we could have gotten everyone from the series (Ms. Arquette and Mr. Fishburne are particular sore spots), I don't think anyone has ever assembled such an enormous and varied cast for a horror retrospective (though I'm sure I will hear about it if I'm wrong -- and I stand humbly corrected). But rest assured: there will be no shortage of colorful stories from the set of all eight "Elm Streets." (The irrepressible Lezlie Dean -- and her strangely inanimate "lap friend" -- who was interviewed by our remote crew in Texas, will certainly be one for the record books!)

The stories we have heard are at once thrilling, hilarious and quite often ... heart-rendingly emotional. As far as we are concerned, these truly are the parting words of "The Last of the Elm Street Children," and it is an amazing feeling to see all of them interwoven into an amazing tapestry that brings together the joys, disappointments, frustrations and fears that Freddy Krueger and the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series have delivered for the past 25 years.

Despite its "election year" promise, I can't help but quote the famous "Freddy's Dead" tag line: "We saved the best for last!"

You better believe it!

The Fast and the Furious (and Fantastic!)

2010-02-15T10:19:00.000-08:00

That's the only way to describe the aftermath of production and the post production process on this incredible ride down Elm Street.

It seems like barely yesterday we finalized and filmed our last interviews. Every time we thought we might be "done," another incredible person from the cast and crew became available and wanted to be part of the show. It makes us proud to know that so many people who made the "Nightmare" films possible have been so supportive.

So, with production and interviews wrapped, here we are now, deep in the thick wilderness of post production. I have to say that it can often be one of the most stressful times in a production's life, but this show is proving to be well worth every moment. The cuts we have been seeing have been incredible, interesting, entertaining...there's no real way to sum it up other than to say: this show is going to be spectacular.

Everything we have in terms of interviews (over 100!), footage (some incredible behind the scenes material) and photos (dozens and dozens of never before seen cast pictures) is coming to life in a way that we could have only hoped. Seeing it bit by bit, over and over again has only done one thing: make me want to grab a bowl of popcorn and sit back to enjoy an awesome look back at Elm Street like never before!

And remember: you can follow all the latest Elm Street Legacy goodness on our site: http://www.elmstreetlegacy.com/

Metal Monday!

2010-02-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

I never get star-struck. Living and working in Los Angeles killed all those early fanboy jitters long ago. But walking into a Santa Monica radio station on a Monday morning to meet and interview the legendary Alice Cooper gave me Wayne & Garth sized butterflies. To anyone who grew up a horror-loving rocker (which would be 90% of you), Alice Cooper is like the President, Emperor, and Don Corleone of our world. He’s one of the men who lit the switch for our day-to-day passions. And when it comes to meeting your heroes, there’s always that anxiety that you’ll walk away disappointed. Thankfully, upon instantly meeting the man, all those worries were dashed: Alice Cooper couldn’t be further from the egomaniacal self-important rock-star type. Out of the hundred-something people we’ve interviewed, he was the group favorite; the kind of nice, articulate, down-to-Earth horror fanatic you could geek out with all day.

Mere hours after that interview, we found ourselves at the Sunset Strip’s infamous Rainbow Room with three of the band members from Dokken (Don, Jeff, & George) who were cool enough to appear and discuss their song for Dream Warriors. In a strange twist of fate, we conducted the interview in the rock star VIP balcony area of the bar, called “The Lair of the Hollywood Vampires” where Alice Cooper was listed as President. With others like Keith Moon, Ringo Starr and John Lennon mentioned, one can only imagine the kind of historic rock star debauchery that took place in that room. An employee said that John Belushi was listed as a member, until some random asshole painted their name over it. Fuck you, “Tammy Constable.”

With three rockers in one room, you can imagine the kind of craziness that came out of the Dokken interview and every minute was a blast. The guys sang the original unused version of Dream Warriors, reminisced about shooting the video and even gave the crew stock tips! When they joked about doing a song for the end of the documentary, I had to contain an excited banshee scream. If only…

We’ve gone to the ends of the Earth to try and get as many Elm Street faces as possible, but our final day of rolling cameras on these rock stars proved to be the ultimate dark frosting on this over-sized cake!

The perfect end to an amazing shoot...

--Andrew Kasch (co-director/editor)

Special Thanks On Elm Street

2010-01-26T22:29:00.000-08:00

I have never blogged before. Never really saw a need to, and never really figured that there would be much that I could say that would be of much interest to anyone but the occasional relative or the three people who comprise the "Halloween 6 Fan Club."

But now that I am so immersed in this show, and having met all of the amazing and varied cast of characters that our team (led fearlessly and furiously by Thommy Hutson, Annette Slomka and Lito Velasco) have assembled, I'm finding that the task of finding the words to blog about this experience is more difficult than I first thought. As much as it would be tempting to write about the scores of talented actors, artists, writers and directors who have so willingly taken our "hot seat" to reflect on their memories of their first (and, in most cases, last) encounter with Freddy Krueger, I truly feel the need at this point to acknowledge our small but close-knit crew who are (as I write this) toiling endlessly into the night spinning ideas and words and images into magic. At the risk of sounding like some kind of half-assed "acceptance speech," I feel impelled to mention the team that has been instrumental in the creation of this amazing project and who, in the process, make my job, if not easier, then at least all the more gratifying. The professionalism, determination, unfailing work ethic and just plain fun that these people bring to the job every day is nothing less than inspiring, and I want to take this opportunity -- right here in the thick of all this madness -- to thank each of you for what you have done and continue to do:

To the lovely Jenna: You are a godsend, an angel sent to earth with a voice, a blog and a makeup kit! And even though you were blissfully unaware that "eyes are NEVER done first," you have been an amazing addition to this motley little crew. And let's face it: "Reproduction" has never been so fun!

To Lito: the Reigning King of "Team T" and Just About Everything Else: a huge shout-out (even though you say you don't need to be thanked, this one, for me, is an absolute must!).

To Bill: for holing up inside your apartment for days on end scanning hundreds of rare "Nightmare" images -- I hope you don't fall asleep with 300 dpi images of "Freddy" haunting your dreams. To Steve: Even though you haven't physically been present through this process, your warm (and warped) presence has been felt each and every day. Your encouragement and ability to get to the heart of why a show like this is so important keeps us all moving forward -- it's good to have the good guys on our side!

To Don: you don't always have much to say but you're always there to do the job without a whimper, a special request or a complaint. And just when you think you'd have done enough transcriptions to last a lifetime, one more turns up late one night that we never quite expected. You took a truly crazy moment (and person!) and made us laugh. You are an amazing talent and a friend to the end. So Chucky (and RB), eat your hearts out! "Now please, put down that Hershey Bar and leave. Just go. Right now." "Hmmmph!"

To Buz: what to say? Without you, these images would not exist. The words would not be heard. And Thommy still wouldn't know what a reach-around is. Your eye for detail and insane willingness to explore filthy air-conditioning plants, abandoned hospitals (and let's not forget bee-infested barns and ghostly encounters in the heartland of Tennessee) are a testament to your talent and your fearless heart ... and I forever love you for it! You are an inspiration to every DP at any age. When you got it, you got it! (And you got it!)

And finally, to Thommy, Andrew & Annette: Without you guys, where would we be? You've worn so many hats on this show I don't think there's a rack in existence big enough to hold them. You've been the anchors of this show, and never once have you allowed me to forget that the shore is not only reachable ... it is right before my eyes. Thank you is not enough.

Once this experience is over and whether or not the final product is heralded as the "Best" or "Worst" of its kind, the thing I will always remember and be grateful for is the experience -- one that I am honored to be sharing with all of you right here and now. Even though the workload has been insane, the days have been long (and the nights often longer), this experience has been anything but a nightmare. In this game and in life, it's not often that the stars align and you find yourself among the right combination of people, personalities and circumstances. This, I can say honestly, is truly one of those times.

'Til this is over, we may never sleep again. But we are among the luckiest people on earth to be able to share this experience together and make this dream come true.

--Daniel Farrands (co-director/producer)

Piecing Together A Legacy

2010-01-18T14:29:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to another weekly dose of Elm Street. Things have been moving fast and furious on this incredible production, and I am happy to report that the news is all great.

It seems that every day the number -- and caliber -- of people that we are interviewing grows by leaps and bounds. With a tally of over 90 (yes, 90!) interviews that span every film, we are thrilled to be putting together what will absolutely be the most definitive look back at the ELM STREET films. Period. And even though I am in the thick of it with our amazing crew, sometimes when I am reading a quote, or looking at a photo that has never been seen before (don't worry, we have plenty that you'll be getting your eyes on, too!), I find myself thinking on just how cool it is to be doing this project. It's moments like that when I know what we're doing is special.

And it's more than getting to meet all of the incredible people who built the franchise. Some are old friends -- and some will undoubtedly become our friends -- but we quickly realized that each one of them holds a place in their heart for the work they've done. And, boy, have we heard every kind of story and memory there is!

The tales we've been told are unflinchingly honest, oftentimes humorous and, for a few, genuinely heartwarming and emotional. It was while listening to all of these people that I realized they never thought they were making "just another horror movie." They card about the project and one another. And, for some, it changed their lives forever.

And that's why I think these films will always be remembered. Everything they've done, everything that Wes Craven started, has gone down in the annals of movie history. And for good reason.

That we're able to be a part of all of that, bringing it together for each and every fan (ourselves included!) in one place is really just incredible. And I can't wait for you all to see it.

--Thommy Hutson (producer/writer)

Slashing -- er, Cutting -- Our Way Through

2010-01-10T21:19:00.000-08:00

Once again, welcome to another entry in the self-congratulatory NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY production blog! Because of the overwhelming response to our lil’ documentary, we figured these weekly rants would help keep fans up to date -- as well as our sanity in check -- during those late night coffee-induced work sessions.

With around 90-interviews (!) in the can, we wrapped our last official day at Pro HD Studios on Friday and I’ve retired to the editing room where I don’t expect to see daylight for two months. Meanwhile, the rest of the team is focused on getting pick-up interviews with those few remaining Nightmare people, many whom are scattered across the globe. Stef Hutchinson, director of HALLOWEEN: 25 YEARS OF TERROR, is about to roll cameras on Stephen Hopkins this week in London (big PREDATOR 2 fan here!) and we’re setting up a few more interviews in New York, Texas and even Hong Kong. We’ve literally gone to the ends of the Earth to get as many ELM STREET faces as possible!

Meanwhile, our pal Sean Clark has been off and rolling on a new episode of HORROR’S HALLOWED GROUNDS – a little featurette for the bonus disc that shows off all the NIGHTMARE 1 filming locations. We shot some pretty fun material all over town with many of the original cast members along for the ride (as well as a few other cameos I won’t spoil). It’s a testament to how great and supportive Heather Langenkamp and the cast & crew of the ELM STREET movies have been during the making of this project.

Right now, the phrase “never sleep again” is definitely apt. In every major project, time is always your worst enemy. My editing bay is beginning to look a lot like Nancy’s room (minus the bars on the windows), but we know that all these long hours will be worth it.

I’ve spent the past week living in the world of repressed homosexual angst and exploding parakeets (a.k.a. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 2). I think FREDDY’S REVENGE is shaping up to be my favorite part of the doc based on the wild production stories, bizarre (and most claim, unintentional) homoerotic overtones and rampant fan criticism. The stories are so honest and entertaining and they really cut to the core of how filmmaking and business intermingle – both for better and worse. Furthermore, I’m developing huge respect and awe for Bob Shaye’s New Line as we make this. The insider stories of how he created a self-made empire and broke all the rules along the way are just damn inspiring – and I think it will be the overall arc of this documentary. It makes me really sad thinking how that era of New Line has passed…

I’ve worked alongside Dan Farrands and this team on a multitude of projects for almost two years straight and they’re the best partners I could ever imagine. The only problem was, most of our projects ended up getting severely compromised in some way or another. What’s great about NEVER SLEEP AGAIN is that this project is 100% indie. It may be tougher, but damn it’s liberating!

I also want to clarify one thing: Contrary to those early press reports, this will NOT be a 90-minute documentary. I’m not sure how we got it in our heads that we could adequately tell the story of a franchise (consisting of 8 films and a freagin’ TV series!) in that amount of time. Luckily, we came to our senses and decided that NEVER SLEEP AGAIN will be as long as it needs to be to deliver the most definitive doc possible. We don’t want to short-change a thing. That might mean a 3-4 hour film, but it’ll be a well-paced and entertaining one.
Now it’s back to the editing room. This thing ain’t gonna cut itself…

--Andrew Kasch (co-director, editor)

The Year of Freddy Krueger has Begun!

2010-01-01T09:00:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

2010 is poised to be the year of Freddy Krueger, and we'll be ringing it in by prepping for a slew of new, fantastic interviews.

More to come soon!

Holiday Wishes from ELM STREET

2009-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

Hey Freddy Fans!

Everyone here at NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY hopes you have a fantastic -- and nightmare free! -- holiday.

Stay tuned for more Freddy goodness.

Welcome to the Official Blog for NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: THE ELM STREET LEGACY

2009-12-13T12:47:00.000-08:00

Child murderer. Dream demon. The bastard son of a hundred maniacs. Any way you slice it, there can only be one man, one monster, who epitomizes those words:

Freddy Krueger.

For decades, Freddy has slashed his way through the dreams of countless youngsters, scaring up over half a billion dollars at the box office across eight terrifying, spectacular films. What's more, it has become evident that Freddy may never rest in peace.

In this thrilling retrospective, fans will enter the world of Freddy Krueger and A Nightmare On Elm Street like never before: exploring what spurred mastermind Wes Craven to craft the first groundbreaking film; delving deep behind the scenes of the original and all of its sequels; learning how the cast and crew brought their worst nightmares to life; and finally, understanding the impact the series and its mythos have had on modern pop culture and the horror genre.

Narrated by and starring Heather Langenkamp, featuring interviews with the cast and crew spanning every film, and loaded with clips, photographs, storyboards, conceptual art, publicity materials, archival documents and behind-the-scenes footage, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy is the definitive account of what many have called the best, most frightening and imaginative horror franchise in motion picture history.