Courtesy of Make-A-Wish Illinois,Freddy Kruegeractor Robert Englund has granted the wish of one of his biggest fans. After a referral from Advocate Children’s Hospital, Englund was made aware of a young man identified as an 18-year-old named Henry who watchedA Nightmare on Elm Streetwhile coping with a rare disease. Henry had said he wanted to meet his “favorite horror icon” when given the opportunity to ask for a wish, and Englund apparently wasted no time in making it happen. In an image posted to the Make-A-Wish Illinois Twitter account, Henry is clad in Freddy attire while posing with Englund in the best photo you’ll see all week.
Robert Englundfirst began portraying the role of Freddy Krueger back in 1984, starring alongside Heather Langenkamp inA Nightmare on Elm Street. Written and directed by Wes Craven, the movie tells the story of a child murderer burned to death by a vigilante mob, only to resurrect as a dream demon seeking vengeance by targeting his killers' children in their dreams. Given his unique portrayal of Freddy, Englund’s performance certainly helped make the movie, instantly making the character one of the horror genre’s most fearsome villains.A Nightmare on Elm Streetwould ultimately evolve into one of the most well-known and popular horror franchises of all time, bringing about five sequels, aFriday the 13thcrossover movie, and a 2010 reboot with Jackie Earle Haley taking over the role of Freddy.
The last time Englund has been seen on the big screen as Freddy Krueger was with the 2003 release of the crossover movieFreddy vs. Jason. However,A Nightmare on Elm Streetfans are still holding out hope Englund will don the fedora one last time. Just last year, Englund reprised the role for a special guest appearance onThe Goldbergs, and the cameo shows the actor still looks amazing in the makeup. He has since expressed his interest in coming back for one lastNightmaremovie before all is said, saying that while a new series of movies is out of the question, he would be on board for one final go as the Springwood Slasher.
Of course, theMake-A-Wishorganization has been and continues to provide wishes like Henry’s for other children suffering from life-changing critical illnesses. Recently, we also reported on the story of Keanu Reeves granting a wish for one of his biggest fans through Make-A-Wish. When a teenage girl connected with him through the organization, Reeves personally invited her and her mother to the set ofBill & Ted Face the Musicso they could watch him film a key scene in the sequel. Photos posted online showed the ecstatic girl hanging out with Reeves and co-star Alex Winter in front of their characters' Wyld Stallyns tour van.
Englund might portray some of the most dastardly and sinister characters any of us have ever seen on screen, but in reality, he clearly couldn’t be any more amazing. Best wishes to Henry, and bless Make-A-Wish for their part in making his dream come true. This news comes to us fromMake-A-Wish Illinois on Twitter.
