Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street with the Man of Your Dreams
ONE...TWO...FREDDY'S COMING FOR YOU...
The actor behind A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger recounts his early years in theater and Hollywood before hitting it big as the razor-fingered killer. Intent on pursuing a stage career, California native Englund went to Cal State and Michigan's Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he studied classical theater. After being inspired by Martin Scorsese's debut film, Boxcar Bertha, Englund headed to Hollywood and soon landed small roles alongside stars like Henry Fonda, Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. But it wasn't until Wes Craven offered the role of Freddy Krueger, a sadistic murderer who haunted victims' dreams, that Englund broke into cult stardom. He recalls in vivid detail the hundreds of hours spent in the makeup chair for the film and its six sequels, most recently 2004's hit Freddy vs. Jason, where Krueger is resurrected from hell and battles Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise. Englund also appeared in the acclaimed 1984 miniseries V and 1995's The Mangler, from Tobe Hooper, director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While readers who didn't grow up with the Elm Street films may be a bit lost, Englund's memoir will appeal to those who still can't shake Freddy from their nightmares.
"Monstrously entertaining! Robert proves as gifted and versatile on the page as on the screen. Irreverent, uproarious, revealing!" - Mark Hamill, star of the original Star Wars trilogy.
"If you've ever wondered what goes into the creation of a screen icon like Freddy, you should read this book. With wit and candor, Robert Englund gives you the recipe: talent mixed with life lived to the full, served up with boundless energy and a rich imagination seasoned with unswerving respect for his audience, and a passionate dedication to his craft as an actor." - Doug Bradley, star of Clive Barker's Hellraiser movies.
"'Six degrees of Kevin Bacon?' Ha! Try 'Three Degrees of Robert Englund!' The Boris Karloff of our generation has worked with just about everybody and lived to tell the nightmare! Great read!" - Dee Snider, host of Fangoria Radio on Sirius/XM, front man for Twisted Sister.
"Reading Robert Englund's journey through the ups and downs of a Hollywood career is a fun, funny, and eye-opening blast. His life has been no 'nightmare,' but rather an entertaining romp! Take a read...if you dare!" - Star Price, award-winning producer of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
"[Robert] saw the role, and the script as a whole, pretty much as I saw it, as some kind of black comedy, and as the telling of a story about iconic figures locked in the eternal human struggle between good and evil - a modern myth, disguised as a scare-the-pants-off-you horror movie. Robert got it. And he got the role." - Wes Craven, in his introduction to Hollywood Monster.
By Robert Englund. Published by Pocket Books. 298 pages. Hardcover.
FREE SHIPPING!
The actor behind A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger recounts his early years in theater and Hollywood before hitting it big as the razor-fingered killer. Intent on pursuing a stage career, California native Englund went to Cal State and Michigan's Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he studied classical theater. After being inspired by Martin Scorsese's debut film, Boxcar Bertha, Englund headed to Hollywood and soon landed small roles alongside stars like Henry Fonda, Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. But it wasn't until Wes Craven offered the role of Freddy Krueger, a sadistic murderer who haunted victims' dreams, that Englund broke into cult stardom. He recalls in vivid detail the hundreds of hours spent in the makeup chair for the film and its six sequels, most recently 2004's hit Freddy vs. Jason, where Krueger is resurrected from hell and battles Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise. Englund also appeared in the acclaimed 1984 miniseries V and 1995's The Mangler, from Tobe Hooper, director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. While readers who didn't grow up with the Elm Street films may be a bit lost, Englund's memoir will appeal to those who still can't shake Freddy from their nightmares.
"Monstrously entertaining! Robert proves as gifted and versatile on the page as on the screen. Irreverent, uproarious, revealing!" - Mark Hamill, star of the original Star Wars trilogy.
"If you've ever wondered what goes into the creation of a screen icon like Freddy, you should read this book. With wit and candor, Robert Englund gives you the recipe: talent mixed with life lived to the full, served up with boundless energy and a rich imagination seasoned with unswerving respect for his audience, and a passionate dedication to his craft as an actor." - Doug Bradley, star of Clive Barker's Hellraiser movies.
"'Six degrees of Kevin Bacon?' Ha! Try 'Three Degrees of Robert Englund!' The Boris Karloff of our generation has worked with just about everybody and lived to tell the nightmare! Great read!" - Dee Snider, host of Fangoria Radio on Sirius/XM, front man for Twisted Sister.
"Reading Robert Englund's journey through the ups and downs of a Hollywood career is a fun, funny, and eye-opening blast. His life has been no 'nightmare,' but rather an entertaining romp! Take a read...if you dare!" - Star Price, award-winning producer of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!
"[Robert] saw the role, and the script as a whole, pretty much as I saw it, as some kind of black comedy, and as the telling of a story about iconic figures locked in the eternal human struggle between good and evil - a modern myth, disguised as a scare-the-pants-off-you horror movie. Robert got it. And he got the role." - Wes Craven, in his introduction to Hollywood Monster.
By Robert Englund. Published by Pocket Books. 298 pages. Hardcover.
FREE SHIPPING!
