Maika Monroe has been busy establishing herself as one of horror’s most prominent scream queens ever since her breakthrough in 2014’s It Follows. Now that the little horror movie that could, Longlegs, has opened to over $20 million, her clout has risen considerably and cemented the idea that the horror movies she stars in can be hugely successful both critically and financially. With this in mind, there’s one major, long-dormant horror franchise she would love the chance to resurrect.
It Follows, The Guest, Greta, Villains, Watcher, and Longlegs are all originals, and all have achieved either critical success, financial success, or a mixture of the two. And, now, Monroe hopes to see the same happen with A Nightmare on Elm Street. And Monroe is sure that Nightmare is the one for her, because when asked by Collider what her dream franchise would be, she said:
“A Nightmare on Elm Street. Definitely. I saw that at probably too young of an age, and I think because the movie is about when you fall asleep, s**t hits the fan. I didn’t want to sleep, and that’s, like, the most terrifying thing in the world. I was obsessed, so I would love to be a part of that.”
Monroe is not the only current iconic scream queen who wants to take on Freddy Krueger, as Ready or Not star Samara Weaving has also shown interest in the IP. Collider brought up this fact when speaking with Monroe, revealing to her that Weaving had the same, well, dream project. And Monroe’s answer was encouragingly enthusiastic…
“Let’s go! We gotta get this out there. We gotta start pitching this.”
What’s Going on With the Nightmare on Elm Street Franchise?
So, why not make the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot right now? The simple explanation is the rights are a mess. There was a rumor that Blumhouse had won that particular behind-the-scenes battle, but that turned out not to be the case. New Line Cinema has released every installment of the franchise, including the much-maligned 2010 remake, but New Line has since gone under and been purchased by Warner Bros. As of late 2023, the rights were owned by the late Wes Craven’s estate, so it probably comes down to whether they want the auteur’s most iconic creation continued.
And that’s tricky, considering the last time the franchise tried to get off the ground once again it quickly came plummeting back to Earth. Even including Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, the 2010 reimagining is undoubtedly the worst installment of the franchise. In other words, for the IP to continue, the script would have to be something truly special.
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Considering this, Monroe’s participation could help make that the case, as could the involvement of Oculus, Gerald’s Game, and The Fall of the House of Usher‘s Mike Flanagan as director. Like Weaving and Monroe, Flanagan has shown a lot of interest in the property. He’s even gone so far as to have conversations with original franchise star Heather Langenkamp, but the talks have not yet led to any momentum. In the wake of the success found by David Gordon Green’s Halloween trilogy, there’s surely no time like the present to bring Freddy Krueger back to the big screen.