From the makers ofYou’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Nightand the upcoming widely-anticipated moviesRoboDoc: The Creation of RoboCopandPennywise: The Story of ITcomes an all-new documentary celebrating the legacy and career of the legendary Robert Englund. CalledICON: The Robert Englund Story, the movie will document the iconic actor’s phenomenal career, beginning with his early days working as a young actor and going through his rise as one of the most beloved horror genre stars of all time. Along with Englund himself, many of the star’s co-workers from various projects will be interviewed for the feature, including cast and crew fromUrban Legend,2001 Maniacs,976-EVIL,Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon,Wishmaster,V,Dead and Buried,Phantom of the Opera, and, of course, theNightmare on Elm Streetmovies.
“If anyone deserves this sort of recognition, then it’sRobert Englund,” says writer, producer, and co-director Gary Smart. He adds: “He has been a mainstay of horror cinema for nearly 40-years and without question has risen to the ranks in horror alongside Vincent Price, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. All of us at Cult Screenings are so excited to be celebrating this icon’s career.” Indeed, Englund has undoubtedly achieved the cult status of each one of those iconic legends to come before him, but he’s in good company as well. In addition to touching on Englund’s horror legacy,ICONwill also touch on the passionate fandom of other major horror icons like Kane Hodder, Doug Bradley, Nick Casle, Jeffrey Dombs, Brad Dourif, Tony Todd, and others.
Of course, Englund’s standout role is that ofFreddy Krueger, whom he portrayed in Wes Craven’s 1984 movieA Nightmare on Elm Streetand its sequels. It can easily be argued that the character would not have become the pop culture phenomenon that it had if any other actor had been in the role. However, big fans of Englund appreciate him from a variety of other classic movies as well. An extremely talented and versatile actor, Englund has never turned in a lazy performance, and the best part ofICONwill be that it will highlight some of the horror star’s other great work which may have been missed by some of his fans.
This is not the only documentary in the works to dive into the legacy of Robert Englund. Long after retiring as Freddy Krueger, Englund decided to take a seat in the makeup chair one more time for the movieNightmares in the Makeup Chair, focusing specifically on the behind-the-scenes process Robert Kurtzman transforming Englund into Freddy. Another upcoming doc,FredHeads, highlights Englund’s biggest fans by exploring the fandom that is theNightmare on Elm Streetcommunity. Both movies have previously released teaser trailers, but there’s no word yet on when these docs will become widely available for all of us to watch.
We can expect to see plenty of Englund’s fellow horror legends in the movie as well, as Kane Hodder has already been confirmed to appear. We’ll likely find out more information when the crowdfunding campaign goes live. According to the press release, the Indiegogo campaign for the doc will be go for 30 days, launching on June 1. SupportIcon: The Robert Englund Story at Indiegogo.
