Summary
Mike Flanagantaking over the reboot ofThe Exorcisthas sparked interest in him rescuing theFriday the 13thfranchise– but there’s another horror franchise from the 1980s that needs Flanagan more. The horror genre has been going through a great run in recent years with adaptations of other works, legacy sequels, and reboots of popular horror franchises. The successful return of franchises likeHalloweenandScreamhas led to the revival of others, though not all of them have had the same success, and others haven’t moved past development.
Among the latest horror franchises to come back to life through legacy sequels/reboots isThe Exorcistwith David Gordon Green’sThe Exorcist: Believer, a direct sequel to William Friedkin’s 1973 classic. Unfortunately,The Exorcist: Believerdidn’t live up to expectations and turned out to be a huge disappointment, leading the studio to rethink their reboot trilogy plans.Mike Flanagan is now in charge of a secondExorcistrebootwith a movie separate fromBeliever, leading to hopes for him to reviveFriday the 13thtoo, but there’s one franchise that needs him the most.
Hey Mike Flanagan, Can You Save Friday The 13th Next?
Now that Mike Flanagan is involved with a renowned movie franchise’s reboot, it is hard not to hope that will someday save Friday the 13th as well.
Mike Flanagan Has Expressed Interest In Directing A Nightmare On Elm Street
Mike Flanagan Is One Of The Modern Masters Of Horror
Flanagan replied to a piece of Freddy Krueger fan art with “a guy can dream”, but that was enough to spark interest in what his take onA Nightmare On Elm Streetcould be like.
Mike Flanagan has earned a spot among the Masters of Horror thanks to movies likeOculus,Hush, andDoctor Sleep, as well as the TV showsThe Haunting of Hill House,Midnight Mass, andThe Fall of the House of Usher.Flanagan’s name is now synonymous with quality and depth in the horror genre, so there’s a lot of anticipation around his projects. Flanagan being in charge ofThe Exorcist’s second reboot is quite promising for the franchise, and withFriday the 13thgoing through issues with its latest project, there’s interest in him taking over it too – but there’s alsoA Nightmare On Elm Street.
Flanagan quoted a postonX(formerlyTwitter) of a piece of fan art featuring Freddy Krueger’s face and the caption “Mike and Freddy”. Flanagan simply wrote “a guy can dream”, but that was enough to spark interest in what his take onA Nightmare On Elm Streetcould be like. TheA Nightmare On Elm Streetfranchisestarted in 1984 with Wes Craven’s movie of the same name, which introduced the world to a one-of-a-kind slasher killer who haunts his victims where they’re most vulnerable: their dreams, and if he kills them there, they die in the real world, too.
The critical and commercial success ofA Nightmare On Elm Streetspawned a franchise with six sequels, a crossover withFriday the 13th, and a remake, as well as a TV show, comic books, a documentary, and more.A Nightmare On Elm Streetis one of the most popular and beloved franchises in the horror genre, and, surprisingly, it hasn’t gotten a legacy sequel yet, but a reboot has been trapped in development hell for a long time now.
A Nightmare On Elm Street’s Reboot Has Been In Development Hell For Years
The Last A Nightmare On Elm Street Movie Was Released In 2010
Since the 2010 remake, the franchise hasn’t seen a new movie, though a reboot has been in development for years.
TheA Nightmare On Elm Streetremake was released in 2010, but it wasn’t a hit with critics nor with general audiences. TheA Nightmare On Elm Streetremake was directed by Samuel Bayer, and it took the premise of Craven’s original movie but made a couple of changes to it that didn’t quite work.A Nightmare On Elm Streetremakewas a commercial success but a critical failure, with critics pointing out its lack of depth, pace, lack of originality, and Jackie Earle Haley’s performance as Freddy Krueger as its weaknesses. Since then, the franchise hasn’t seen a new movie, though a reboot has been in development for years.
In 2015, it was announced that Warner and New Line Cinema were developing a second remake ofA Nightmare On Elm Street, but the following year, producer Brad Fuller said the project was in development hell. Original Freddy Krueger actor, Robert Englund, expressed interest back then in appearing in a cameo role but not reprising his role as Krueger (viaInquisitr), who he last played inFreddy vs Jason, in 2003. In 2018, the project was said to be in development, but the studio was more focused at the time on theConjuringfranchise (viaBloody Disgusting).
Flanagan could be what the franchise needs to succeed again, as his works stand out for how they explore complex themes and for creating unsettling atmospheres.
In 2019,the rights ofA Nightmare On Elm Streethad reverted to Wes Craven’s estate, which began to work on future project pitches for new content for the franchise.TheA Nightmare On Elm Streetreboot hasn’t had anything new to report yet, even with the success of other, similar horror franchises. Flanagan could be what the franchise needs to succeed again, as his works stand out for how they explore complex themes and for creating unsettling atmospheres, which would benefit a franchise that suffered from creative exhaustion and an uneven tone for years.
Mike Flanagan’s The Exorcist Movie Could Make Way For Other Reboots
Mike Flanagan Will Bring New Life To The Exorcist
If Flanagan succeeds with hisExorcistmovie, he could be trusted with reviving other franchises.
Mike Flanagan rescuing other horror franchises might depend on how well hisExorcistmovie performs at the box office and with critics. Flanagan’sExorcistmovie is described as a “radical new take”, completely separate fromThe Exorcist: Believerand what would have been its sequel. Flanagan shared that he will bring “something fresh, bold, and terrifying” to the franchise, so there’s a lot of anticipation and curiosity around it. If Flanagan succeeds with hisExorcistmovie, he could be trusted with reviving other franchises, similar to what happened with David Gordon Green.
Friday the 13thcould surely benefit fromMike Flanagan’s style, creativity, and impeccable track record, but the franchise has many other issues that have kept it from expanding, whileA Nightmare On Elm Streetsimply needs the right approach to finally come back to life.
Sources:Inquisitr,Bloody Disgusting.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street, released in 1984, explores the terror faced by a group of teenagers haunted in their dreams by Fred Krueger, a vengeful spirit. As they confront a series of mysterious deaths, Nancy Thompson uncovers the truth about Krueger’s dark past and seeks to stop him.
