Robert Englund and John Carpenter Get Their Stars In Hollywood Walk Of Fame

06/30/202408/08/2024 editor

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The Hollywood Hall of Fame is the place to appear if you are a celebrity connected to the global entertainment industry in film, music, radio, television, live performances/theatre, and, since 2023, also sports. But will you find the most prominent names here, including in the world of horror? As of this writing, some massive stars have yet to receive their stars, such as Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Julia Roberts, Leonardo DiCaprio, Denzel Washington, Brad Pitt, and others. Some refused to receive a star for various reasons, while others’ time has yet to come.

Every year, several dozen new stars are added to the boulevard, and as of the time of writing these lines, there are 2,783 stars. The good news for horror fans is that two great icons will join the list of stars eligible for the star in 2025: Robert Englund, the legendary actor who, of course, played Freddy Krueger in most of the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” films, and John Carpenter, the filmmaker who is responsible, among other things, for “Halloween.” So why did these two icons get their stars in Hollywood Walk of Fame, and how did they respond to the exciting news?

Sometimes Dreams Come True: Robert Englund And The Hall Of Fame

The Iconic Freddy Krueger

77-year-old Robert Englund is one of the most recognizable names in the horror world, and it’s not hard to see why. The legendary actor, who started his career in cinema in the movie “Buster and Billy” in 1974, entered the pantheon of our favorite genre thanks to his portrayal of the character of Freddy Krueger. It started in 1984 with Wes Craven’s first “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” which introduced the world to the creepy character of Freddy, the child killer who was burned by the people of the fictional town of Springwood in Ohio and came back to haunt their offspring through their dreams.

Beyond the iconic visual representation of Freddy Krueger, with the burnt face, the black hat, the red-green sweater, and especially the knife nails, Robert Englund managed to create an unforgettable character thanks to the rough voice and the characteristic physical gestures.

Then came quite a few sequels, some great and others not so, all of which starred Robert Englund:

“A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” (1985)
“A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors” (1987)
“A Nightmare on 4 Elm Street: The Dream Child” (1988)
“A Nightmare on 5 Elm Street: The Dream Child” (1989)
“Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare” (1991), which was supposed to be the movie where they finally managed to kill Freddy Krueger (allegedly, yes?)
“Wes Craven’s New Nightmare” (1994), which essentially resurrected Freddy Krueger thanks to the transition to a new dimension
“Freddy vs. Jason” (2003) – the spin-off film that brought together Freddy and another horror icon: Jason Voorhees from the “Friday the 13th” movies)

In fact, Robert Englund didn’t take part in just one A Nightmare on Elm Street movie: the rather unnecessary 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, in which actor Jackie Earle Haley, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006 for his role in “Little Children.”

Here is a short video showing some of Freddy Krueger’s memorable moments:

Freddy And The Rest: More Robert Englund Horror Movies

The list of Robert Englund’s films also includes other horror films. However, arguing that they are good or too famous is difficult. In some of them, he played the character of a doctor, professor, or other respected professional. Among other things, we saw him play in the films:

“Urban Legend” (1998)
the very enjoyable “Hatchet” (2006), featuring Victor Crowly (not played by Englund, of course)
“Zombie Strippers” (2008) alongside porn actress (!) Jenna Jameson
the mediocre “Strippers vs. Werewolves” (2012)
“Lake Placid: The Final Chapter” (2012)
“Fear Clinic” (2014)
“Lake Placid vs. Anaconda” (2015)
“Midnight Man” (2017)
“Natty Knocks” (2023) along with Scream Queen Daniel Harris

Englund has also played himself or Freddy Krueger in several movies, TV series and even video games, such as the Netflix “Choose or Die” from 2022, or one of the versions of the video game “Mortal Kombat.”

Well, after looking at the same list of Robert Englund horror movies, I must admit that he probably got his star because of A Nightmare on Elm Street and not because of his other works. Englund himself responded to the happy news of the star’s acceptance with a rather amusing tweet: “I woke up this morning” (the opening theme of Sopranos) (laughs) to find that I am joining the great company of the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025″, he wrote on Twitter/ “Just hearing my name next to names like Jane Fonda and Prince makes his heart go pit-pat.”

The Journey Of John Carptner To The Hall Of Fame

Another name from the world of horror joining the Avenue of Stars is 76-year-old John Carpenter. You may very well know Carpenter as the director of the first “Halloween,” the film that gave birth to Michael Myers (speaking of famous horror villains) and is considered one of the most influential films in the history of horror cinema: a film that to a significant extent founded the genre of slashers, which also “Nightmare on the Street Elm” belongs to him.

The truth is that John Carpenter is more than a director. He began making short horror films with an 8mm camera at a young age; even before high school, he began to study cinema but dropped out to fulfill his creative dream. His first film as a director, “Dark Star” from 1984, in which various elements influenced “Alien.” Even then, it was possible to see that Carpenter is a multi-tasker when, among other things, he wrote, composed, directed, and produced the film. Even in the excellent “Assault on Precinct 13”, Carpenter showed that he controls several aspects of filmmaking.

The Great Success: Halloween

In 1978 came the first “Halloween,” which made Carpenter history. The original idea of the film’s producer, Irwin Yavlens, was for a movie called “The Babysitter Murders,” which deals with a serial killer who pursues babysitters.

Carpenter liked the general idea but decided to combine it with another concept of Yavlens: that the plot would take place on Halloween. Carpenter not only directed but also composed the film’s famous theme music, inspired by Italian horror master Dario Argento’s Suspiria and the masterful The Exorcist. The film was produced in a relatively meager role of only $320,000 but became a massive hit with around $65 million grossings.

This success spawned quite a few (too many) sequels – 13 in number, as of 2024 – and is ranked 11th among horror franchises in worldwide revenue. Carpenter also took part in many of the following films in the franchise, either as a writer, producer, or composer.

The Thing: Timeless Classic

“The Thing” from 1982 is another of Carpenter’s career peaks. The sci-fi horror thriller, which deals with a parasitic external entity that eats living creatures and imitates them, is today considered one of the genre’s most successful and influential films. The film was produced with a rather large budget of about 15 million dollars but was only an average success at the box office. One of the “culprits” for this, according to Carpenter himself, is another alien named “IT,” which appeared in the cinematic world a few weeks earlier. The critics didn’t like the film either, which, according to them, dealt mainly with special effects and less with the plot, but over time, it became a cult film.

More John Carpenter Horror Movies

John Carpenter is responsible for several other important works, usually as director, co-writer, composer, and even other roles. His filmography mainly includes combinations of horror, action, and science fiction films, such as:

“The Fog” (1980) deals with a mysterious fog that attacks a small town in Northern California. As the mist vengeful spirits of marines killed in a shipwreck. Not to be confused with “The Mist,” based on a book by Stephen King
“Escape from New York” (1981) with Kurt Russell, a dark, low-budget film that became a cult over the years. It spawned a sequel, 1996’s “Escape from Los Angeles,” which didn’t quite do well
“Christine” (1984) is about an ancient vehicle with supernatural powers, based on a book by Stephen King
“They’re Alive” (1988) – a science fiction parody about an alien invasion of Earth
“Vampires” (1998) – horror western starring James Woods
“Ghosts from Mars” (2001) – a futuristic thriller about a group of police officers who receive a mission: to transfer a dangerous prisoner to a guarded prison. The problem is that the destination they reach is a city of ghosts who want to take control of humans
“The Ward” (2011) is a horror thriller starring Amber Heard, about a girl in a mental institution haunted by an evil spirit. This is also one of the first roles of Sidney Sweeney, who played here the younger version of Amber Heard