Dark Tourism for Horror Fans: Inside a Nightmare on Elm Street Reunion Panel

Hello, spooky cats!

Dark tourism does not always mean walking through cemeteries, sleeping in haunted hotels, or standing on battlefields where thousands of people died.

Sometimes it means spending a weekend surrounded by horror movies, creepy artwork, monsters, special-effects makeup, celebrity guests, and several thousand people who think Freddy Krueger is a perfectly reasonable person to ask for a photograph.

We love horror conventions because they let us step inside the movies we have watched for years. You can meet actors, hear behind-the-scenes stories, buy strange things you absolutely do not need, and sit in a room listening to the people who created horror history tell stories you will probably never hear anywhere else.

During one of our convention adventures, we attended a panel featuring Robert Englund, forever associated with Freddy Krueger, along with performers from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The conversation became much more than the usual celebrity Q&A. They talked about Wes Craven, practical effects, dangerous stunts, alternate endings, lost footage, Freddy's makeup, low-budget filmmaking, and what it was like watching a small horror movie turn into a cultural phenomenon.

For a horror fan, this is my kind of history lesson.

Are Horror Conventions Dark Tourism?

Horror conventions are a little different from the traditional definition of dark tourism.

Nobody is visiting because a tragedy happened inside the convention center—hopefully.

Instead, I think of them as a kind of dark pop-culture tourism.

We travel to experience the places, people, props, artwork, films, and stories associated with horror culture. Instead of visiting Dracula's castle or the filming location from a favorite horror movie, we are meeting the people who helped create those nightmares.

And horror conventions are wonderfully strange places.

Where else can you walk past Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, a seven-foot demon, someone carrying a severed head, and a toddler dressed as Chucky without anyone becoming particularly concerned?

It is one of the few environments where looking completely normal may actually make you stand out.

Meeting the People Behind A Nightmare on Elm Street

The centerpiece of this particular adventure was a panel devoted heavily to A Nightmare on Elm Street.

The original movie arrived in 1984 and introduced audiences to Freddy Krueger, the burned killer who attacks teenagers through their dreams.

It also helped establish writer-director Wes Craven as one of horror's most important filmmakers and turned Robert Englund into one of the genre's most recognizable performers.

Today, Freddy is everywhere.

Costumes.

Toys.

T-shirts.

Collectibles.

Coloring books.

Video games.

Memes.

And, naturally, horror conventions.

It is easy to forget that when the first movie was being made, nobody knew Freddy Krueger was about to become a horror icon.

Listening to the cast talk about those early days was one of the most interesting parts of the panel.

Watching A Nightmare on Elm Street Become a Hit

One of the stories involved seeing the original movie in a theater while it was still becoming successful.

The audience screamed and laughed while apparently rattling bags of Kentucky Fried Chicken they had brought inside from a nearby restaurant.

There is something wonderfully 1980s about that image.

Freddy Krueger terrorizing Nancy Thompson while an entire theater aggressively eats fried chicken.

The cast had hoped the movie would succeed, but there was no guarantee that this strange, low-budget horror film about a killer inside dreams was going to become a franchise.

That is one reason convention panels like this are so much fun.

We already know the ending.

They did not.

We know Freddy becomes one of the most famous horror villains ever created. We know Nightmare on Elm Street becomes a franchise. We know people will still be lining up decades later to meet Robert Englund.

The people making the first movie were simply trying to finish it.

The Original Movie Almost Had Several Different Endings

One of my favorite stories involved the ending of the first Nightmare on Elm Street.

Apparently, multiple endings were filmed.

Anyone who has seen the movie knows the final moments are deliberately strange. Nancy believes Freddy has been defeated, morning arrives, and everything seems normal.

Then things go very wrong again.

According to the panel, several variations were shot while the filmmakers tried to decide exactly how the movie should end.

One involved Johnny Depp's character picking Nancy up.

Another involved different combinations of the characters leaving together.

There was a brighter version with the convertible top down that almost felt suspiciously cheerful for a Freddy Krueger movie.

Robert Englund also remembered filming material in which Johnny Depp's face would transform into Freddy's.

They even filmed variations involving the convertible's top closing with Freddy-inspired details.

Some of those shots may no longer exist.

And that makes my horror-loving heart sad.

Horror Movie Lost Media

The discussion about alternate endings turned into something I had not really considered before: how much material from older horror films may simply be gone.

Today, almost every major movie arrives with behind-the-scenes documentaries, deleted scenes, alternate takes, interviews, digital files, and eventually some enormous collector's edition containing seventeen hours of things someone found in a closet.

That was not always the case.

The first Nightmare on Elm Street was made during the era of film, VHS tapes, mom-and-pop video stores, and much smaller production budgets.

Unused material was not automatically preserved because someone knew fans would want to watch it forty years later.

Englund talked about wondering whether certain shots still existed at all.

Some material may have been discarded.

Some shots may have been created knowing they were likely to be sacrificed to censors.

Other material could simply have disappeared because preserving every alternate take was not considered important.

That is horror history lost in the editing room.

When the Production Nearly Ran Out of Money

Another fascinating part of the discussion was just how close the first movie came to financial trouble.

Englund remembered people connected to the financing arriving during production while they were shooting scenes in Freddy's furnace-room environment.

The production was running short of money.

There was apparently real concern about whether the financing would be available to finish the movie.

Imagine that for a moment.

Today, Freddy Krueger is a merchandising empire.

At the time, the filmmakers were worrying about whether they could complete the thing.

Stories like that make successful horror movies even more interesting to me.

Many famous films did not begin as guaranteed blockbusters created by giant corporations.

Sometimes they were weird ideas held together with practical effects, clever filmmaking, exhausted actors, peanut butter sandwiches, and people desperately trying not to run out of money.

Freddy Krueger's Makeup Was Not Fun

Robert Englund also talked about something horror fans have heard about for years:

The Freddy makeup was miserable.

The process originally took around four hours and was eventually shortened somewhat, but Englund emphasized that he does not brag too much about that anymore because other actors have endured even longer and more complicated transformations.

Still, imagine spending three or four hours before filming simply becoming your character.

And then staying that way.

The prosthetics were built in layers and attached to his face. Removing everything between scenes was not an option.

That meant eating lunch as Freddy.

Waiting around as Freddy.

Sitting under hot lights as Freddy.

And presumably trying not to accidentally terrify the catering staff while asking for mustard.

Why Freddy's Makeup Changed

Englund discussed how the Freddy makeup evolved over the franchise.

David Miller created the original look, while later makeup artist Kevin Yagher refined it.

Those changes mattered to Englund as a performer.

A prosthetic makeup is basically a mask glued to your face. If it is too rigid, the actor has to exaggerate expressions underneath it to make the character appear alive.

Englund felt some later versions allowed him to manipulate his face more naturally.

That is something viewers may never consciously notice.

We simply think:

Yep. Freddy.

But tiny changes in thickness, placement, movement, and texture can affect the entire performance.

Practical Effects Were Sometimes Actually Dangerous

The actors also discussed stunt work and practical effects.

This was long before digital effects could easily erase wires, replace dangerous objects, or manufacture an entire death scene inside a computer.

Some shots involved carefully choreographed movements with real physical elements.

The panel included memories of rehearsing complicated scenes repeatedly so performers knew exactly where they needed to move.

That is one reason horror effects from the 1980s can still be fascinating.

Your brain knows something physical was happening in front of that camera.

Maybe it was latex.

Maybe it was fake blood.

Maybe it was a mechanical effect.

Maybe somebody was being yanked backward through a breakaway door.

But something was actually there.

Being Dragged Through a Door

The discussion returned several times to physical stunt work.

Ronee Blakley, who played Nancy's mother Marge Thompson in the original movie, talked about the excitement—and discomfort—of some of the physical scenes.

Marge's fate near the ending involves one of the movie's strangest visual moments.

Blakley remembered the experience of being physically pulled during filming and how hard some of the effects could hit.

This was not simply an actor standing in front of a green screen while a computer added Freddy later.

People were getting thrown around.

Horror acting is glamorous.

Acting Opposite Something That Is Impossible

One of the more interesting observations from the panel involved the challenge of making supernatural scenes feel emotionally real.

Nobody has actually been attacked by Freddy Krueger inside a dream.

At least nobody who can prove it.

So the actors had to respond honestly to completely impossible situations.

That is harder than it sounds.

If the actor does not believe the situation emotionally, the audience will not either.

The discussion emphasized how Wes Craven created quiet sets during difficult scenes and gave performers space to concentrate.

That kind of directing probably helped keep the supernatural elements grounded.

Freddy can be completely impossible.

Nancy still needs to look terrified.

The Difficult Kitchen Scene

Blakley also talked about the emotionally difficult scene between Marge and Nancy.

Physical actions such as slapping another actor had to be carefully choreographed.

Movie fights are basically dances.

One performer throws the movement while the other reacts at precisely the right time and angle to sell the illusion.

Nobody should actually be getting punched.

Ideally.

Blakley described how uncomfortable some of those moments could be emotionally, particularly because violence can connect with real memories from an actor's life.

Those are the kinds of stories you rarely think about while watching a horror movie.

A scene lasting seconds may require technical rehearsals, emotional preparation, lighting adjustments, camera changes, and several people worrying about whether somebody is going to get hurt.

Robert Englund's Favorite Freddy Moments

Naturally, someone asked Englund about favorite scenes.

He mentioned enjoying his performance in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and particularly liked a schoolroom sequence leading toward one of Freddy's memorable lines.

He also talked fondly about Freddy's entrance in Wes Craven's New Nightmare, when the character emerges in a darker, more threatening form.

That movie is interesting because Craven transformed Freddy from a fictional killer inside the movies into something closer to an ancient evil using the Freddy character as a doorway into reality.

It was meta-horror before everyone started calling everything meta.

Then Craven went and made Scream.

Apparently, regular horror movies were becoming too easy.

How Much of Freddy Was Improvised?

Another audience question asked about improvisation.

The answer surprised me.

Not much.

Englund emphasized how strongly he respected the writers and how carefully scripted the Nightmare movies generally were.

People sometimes assume Freddy's constant one-liners were Robert Englund making things up on set.

Most were written.

Englund remembered only a few moments where he was given more freedom to improvise.

That says something about how important writing was to Freddy's personality.

He was not simply a monster wearing makeup.

The jokes, rhythms, threats, and wordplay were part of the character.

Protecting Freddy Krueger

Robert Englund also talked about being careful with Freddy appearances outside the films.

Once a character becomes famous, everyone wants to use him.

Commercials.

Television shows.

Comedy sketches.

Cameos.

Englund said he had turned down opportunities over the years because he wanted to protect the character.

Eventually, however, he agreed to appear as Freddy on The Goldbergs.

And that actually made sense.

The television series was built around nostalgia for the 1980s—the same era when Freddy exploded into popular culture.

By then, Freddy had become bigger than horror.

He had entered American pop culture.

People who had never watched a complete Nightmare on Elm Street movie still knew the glove.

When a Horror Villain Becomes Vocabulary

This part of the discussion fascinated me.

Englund talked about recognizing that Freddy had become part of the cultural vocabulary.

The character gets referenced in cartoons, comedy, television, jokes, comics, and other movies.

You do not need to explain who Freddy is.

Show someone a striped sweater, burned face, fedora, and bladed glove.

They know.

Very few horror characters reach that level.

Dracula.

Frankenstein's monster.

Michael Myers.

Jason Voorhees.

Freddy Krueger.

At that point, the character becomes something almost separate from the actor, the movie, or even the original creator.

That is probably a strange experience for the person underneath the makeup.

Wes Craven's Connection to Elm Street

One especially thoughtful moment involved the name Elm Street itself.

Englund discussed how Wes Craven understood the cultural weight of the name.

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while his motorcade traveled through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, including Elm Street.

For Craven's generation, the assassination represented a profound loss of innocence.

That concept—the loss of innocence—also runs through A Nightmare on Elm Street.

The adults have committed terrible actions.

The children inherit the consequences.

Parents cannot completely protect their children.

Home is not safe.

Sleep is not safe.

Even dreams are not safe.

That is much darker than simply:

Guy with knife fingers kills teenagers.

Good horror usually has something hiding underneath the monster.

Remembering Wes Craven

Some of my favorite moments in the panel were not actually about Freddy.

They were about Wes Craven.

Englund described Craven as intelligent, demanding, creative, and initially somewhat intimidating.

Craven came from a very conservative religious upbringing and had been sheltered from much of popular culture while growing up.

As an adult, he seemed determined to catch up.

Englund remembered visiting him and discovering new books, music, films, art, tattoos, jazz, rock, biographies, and other things Craven had recently become fascinated with.

That curiosity probably explains part of why his horror movies changed so much over the years.

He kept learning.

When Wes Craven Became Just Another Goof

Englund shared a particularly sweet story from years later.

He and Craven were working together on another television project in Vancouver.

One Saturday, people gathered at Englund's apartment to drink, relax, and watch Saturday Night Live.

A Dana Carvey sketch called “Head Wound Harry” came on.

Craven completely lost it.

He was laughing, falling around, nearly knocking things over.

Englund said that was one of the moments when Wes stopped being his mentor, boss, director, or “Doctor Frankenstein.”

He became his buddy.

Just another big kid laughing at ridiculous black comedy.

I love stories like that.

We tend to turn famous filmmakers into statues.

Convention panels turn them back into people.

Why Horror Conventions Matter

That is probably my favorite thing about horror conventions.

Yes, the autographs are fun.

The photo ops are fun.

The vendors are dangerous to my bank account.

Seeing someone dressed as an eight-foot demon buying nachos is always entertaining.

But panels preserve oral horror history.

Actors remember things that never made it into documentaries.

They remember almost falling during stunts.

They remember bad craft-service food.

They remember alternate endings.

They remember directors losing their minds laughing at television sketches.

They remember being scared that the movie would run out of money.

Eventually, those people will not be around to tell these stories.

The convention becomes a temporary little archive.

Except this archive contains beer and people dressed as Ghostface.

Horror Conventions Let Fans Enter the Story

There is also something strangely satisfying about sitting in the same room as someone who scared you through a television screen when you were younger.

Freddy Krueger is terrifying.

Robert Englund is funny, thoughtful, knowledgeable, and apparently capable of telling stories indefinitely.

That contrast removes the movie magic while somehow making you appreciate the movie more.

You see the work behind the monster.

The makeup.

The script.

The lighting.

The stunt coordinators.

The actors.

The exhausted crew.

The director wondering whether the financing will survive another week.

The monster becomes more interesting once you understand how many ordinary humans were required to create him.

Planning a Horror Convention Trip

If you have never attended a horror convention, I definitely recommend trying one.

Check the guest list before buying tickets because conventions vary dramatically from year to year.

Some focus heavily on classic slashers.

Others feature modern horror, paranormal celebrities, special-effects artists, authors, filmmakers, wrestlers, tattoo artists, and horror vendors.

Expect celebrity autographs and photo opportunities to cost extra.

Popular guests can develop very long lines.

Wear comfortable shoes.

Bring cash.

Set a shopping budget before entering the vendor room.

Then immediately ignore the shopping budget when you find a creepy handmade item that obviously needs to live in your house.

This is the natural convention cycle.

Make Time for the Panels

Do not spend the entire convention standing in autograph lines.

Panels can end up being the best part of the weekend.

They are usually included with admission and give you much more time with the actors than a quick autograph interaction.

You might hear stories about:

• Deleted scenes
• Alternate endings
• Special effects
• Stunts
• Makeup
• Casting
• Directors
• Other actors
• Production disasters
• Lost footage
• Favorite scenes
• Things that went horribly wrong

You also get audience questions, which range from genuinely fascinating to wonderfully strange.

That unpredictability is part of the fun.

Horror Fans Are Keeping These Movies Alive

One thing became obvious during this panel.

The actors were happy people still cared.

Several of them talked about returning to conventions after being away and wondering whether fans would remember them.

They did.

A movie that was once a relatively small production now has generations of fans.

People who watched Freddy on VHS introduced him to their children.

Those children discovered the movies on DVD.

Another generation discovered them through streaming.

Now everyone is standing in the same convention hall wearing striped sweaters.

Horror is strangely good at immortality.

Our Final Thoughts on Horror Conventions

For us, horror conventions fit perfectly into our dark-tourism adventures.

They celebrate monsters, murder mysteries, supernatural stories, special effects, gothic art, and the strange history of horror entertainment.

But the best moments are often surprisingly human.

Listening to Robert Englund talk about the painful Freddy makeup is interesting.

Hearing about alternate endings is fascinating.

Learning that the original movie nearly ran out of money is incredible.

But hearing him remember the day Wes Craven stopped feeling like his intimidating director and became a friend?

That is the sort of story you remember after the convention is over.

Horror conventions give us the opportunity to visit the people behind our nightmares.

And sometimes discovering what happened behind the camera makes the movie even better.

We will definitely keep going.

There are still too many horror actors to meet, too many panels to attend, too many strange objects to buy, and far too many monsters waiting for photographs.

Stay spooky, cats!