Unveiling Stephen King's Brush with Directing 'Nightmare on Elm Street'

Article Summary

New Line Cinema considered many different concepts and directors for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, including legendary horror author Stephen King.

Stephen King had previously directed Maximum Overdrive, which was an adaptation of his short story "Trucks." However, the film received negative reviews from critics.

Despite its relevant themes and unique atmosphere, The Dream Child suffered from a hasty development process, ultimately resulting in a lackluster movie.

The A Nightmare on Elm Street series had a strong start but ultimately fizzled out. In 1984, horror mastermind Wes Craven created, wrote, and directed the first film, which is considered the pinnacle of the series. However, Craven did not direct the second installment, resulting in a decline. The fourth film, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, directed by Renny Harlin in 1988, managed to keep the story engaging by introducing captivating new characters and bringing back Freddy Krueger as a truly terrifying force. The Dream Master became the highest-grossing film in the series, raking in $49.3M worldwide.

Despite this success, New Line Cinema decided to continue with A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, which was met with criticism from both critics and fans alike. Some argue that it was the sixth film, Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, that ultimately ruined the original series. Regardless, there is a consensus that The Dream Child was the final blow to a franchise that should not have faded so quickly.

Why did a financially successful series flounder while at the peak of its cultural popularity? New Line — affectionately known as "the house that Freddy built" — made the mistake of trying to capitalize on The Dream Master's box office success instead of taking the time to develop a compelling sequel. Even before The Dream Child's chaotic production schedule, finding the right creative talent to oversee Freddy Krueger's fifth adventure was a chaotic process. At one point, New Line Cinema even approached renowned author Stephen King to write and direct.

Image via New Line CinemaA Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

Release Date: August 11, 1989

Director: Stephen Hopkins

Cast: Robert Englund, Lisa Wilcox, Kelly Jo Minter, Danny Hassel, Erika Anderson, Nicholas Mele

Writers: Wes Craven, John Skipp, Craig Spector, Leslie Bohem

Tagline: Now Freddy’s a daddy, he’s killing for two.

Why Was Stephen King Asked to Make a ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ Movie?

The phrase "Stephen King almost directed A Nightmare on Elm Street movie" may capture the attention of horror enthusiasts, but it is essential to consider the historical context surrounding King's near-miss involvement. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child follows the journey of Alice Johnson (played by Lisa Wilcox), a recurring protagonist who faces an unexpected pregnancy, the gruesome demise of her boyfriend Dan Jordan (portrayed by Danny Hassel), and the tormenting return of the nightmare-inflictor Freddy Krueger. In an attempt to regain his former power, the malevolent entity seizes Alice's unborn child, declaring, "It's a boy!" Additionally, Alice experiences visions of Amanda Krueger (portrayed by Beatrice Boepple), a young nun whose spirit holds the secrets to Freddy's origins, as well as a future incarnation of her son Jacob (played by Whit Hertford).

New Line Cinema extensively explored various concepts, scripts, and directors for The Dream Child's accelerated preproduction phase. As detailed in issue #88 of Fangoria magazine, the studio engaged in a broad search, reaching out to renowned figures such as George R. R. Martin, comic legend Frank Miller, Frank Darabont (who went on to direct Stephen King adaptations The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile), Fred Dekker from The Monster Squad, and Stephen King himself. Michael De Luca, the former Vice President of Creative Development at New Line Cinema, disclosed to Fangoria that they did not pursue King's involvement as he had expressed disinterest in directing.

By 1988, Stephen King had already established himself as an extraordinarily prolific author, with numerous bestsellers to his name, including Carrie, The Shining, Pet Sematary, It, and Misery. He had also ventured into the realm of directing with his adaptation of the short story "Trucks," resulting in the polarizing 1986 campy film Maximum Overdrive. Although the movie received overwhelmingly negative reviews and garnered a mere $7.4 million at the box office, it remains King's sole directorial venture to date. Emilio Estevez, the star of Maximum Overdrive, shared in a Vanity Fair interview in 2021 that King had jokingly or sincerely apologized to him about the film, stating, "The few times that I’ve connected with him over the years, he’s like, 'Can you forgive me for that?' I think at one point my mom said, 'Why’d you do that movie?' I said, 'I wanted to work with Stephen King.' And she said, 'Couldn’t you have helped him paint his house?'" In Tony Magistrale's book Hollywood's Stephen King, King revealed, "The problem with [Maximum Overdrive] is that I was coked out of my mind all through its production, and I really didn't know what I was doing [as the director of the film]. I learned a lot from the experience, however, and I would like to try directing again sometime." (An interesting piece of trivia is that the next movie King contemplated directing but ultimately didn't was Gerald's Game.)

‘A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child’ Was a Rushed Production

The possibility exists, although purely speculative, that King's dissatisfaction with Maximum Overdrive may have been the reason for his lack of interest in New Line's offer to write and direct A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. In an alternate reality where King had accepted the opportunity, it is intriguing to imagine what The Dream Child could have achieved under his guidance. Would New Line have entrusted someone as influential as Stephen King with the freedom to blend his creative vision with Wes Craven's concept and style, or would they have steered the franchise in a new direction aligned with King's preferences? Alternatively, would King have been constrained by the same unfavorable circumstances that ultimately led to the failure of The Dream Child? Unfortunately, that seems to be the paradoxical fate that The Dream Child was doomed to suffer: destined for failure from the beginning.

In the 2010 documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, it was revealed that New Line Cinema released an open call for horror writers to pitch ideas for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. Initially, John Skipp and Craig Spector were approved by the studio but were later let go because their script resembled a Nightmare on Elm Street movie as if it was directed by Stanley Kubrick. Executive producer Sara Risher and co-writer Leslie Bohem contributed to the concept of "Freddy has a baby," with Bohem's idea originally being pitched for Dream Warriors and Risher finding inspiration from her own pregnancy. Risher explained in the documentary that her new role as a mother influenced her story idea, as she felt consumed by her child, who she believed could possibly be evil. Production supervisor Kool Marder appreciated the concept for its relevance, considering that A Nightmare on Elm Street fans were growing older alongside the films. Marder explained that the original target audience was teenagers, and exploring themes such as teen pregnancy, abortion, and parenthood would address relatable issues while also tapping into creative possibilities.

However, the challenge lay in translating this potential into a complete script. The participants of the Never Sleep Again documentary unanimously agreed that despite their dedicated efforts, they had insufficient time to fully develop the movie. Director Stephen Hopkins was hired by New Line Cinema on February 14th, 1989, and The Dream Child was released in theaters in August of that same year. Marder mentioned that they only had four weeks for preparation. Actor Robert Englund, known for his portrayal of Freddy Krueger, described the process as rushed. Erika Anderson and Joe Seely, who played the characters Greta Gibson and Mark Gray, respectively, confirmed that the script underwent numerous changes, leading Seely to stop trying to memorize scenes because he knew they would be different the next day.

How 'Dream Child' Marks the 'Nightmare on Elm Street's Downward Spiral

Image via New Line Cinema

Despite A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child being considered a downturn in the franchise, Freddy Krueger's penultimate canonical installment still holds some value. Even in the "worst" films, there are usually redeeming qualities, and The Dream Child manages to avoid being irredeemable. The movie showcases some impressively creative kills that are brought to life through cutting-edge special effects. The highlight of the film is undoubtedly the animation sequence, particularly since we now know from Never Sleep Again that Stephen Hopkins painstakingly hand-drew and animated each frame using in-camera effects. Regrettably, other death scenes, like Dan's motorcycle ride, were extensively cut down by the MPA, which fails to do justice to the dedicated work of the VFX and makeup artists. Despite the tight deadline, the production of The Dream Child managed to incorporate gothic influences and a visually stunning M. C. Escher-inspired production design, setting it apart from any other film in the Nightmare series.

The Dream Child did not live up to The Dream Master's explosive success, resulting in it being considered a financial disappointment. With only $22M in box office earnings, it became the lowest-grossing film in the franchise. By the time Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare was released in 1991, it had a better reception with $34.8M in earnings, prompting New Line Cinema founder Bob Shaye to decide it was time to move on from the burned-faced man in the Christmas-colored sweater. Wes Craven's New Nightmare followed in 1994, and Freddy vs. Jason set a series record with $116M in revenue. However, when a reboot failed to succeed in 2010, it marked the end of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. While it cannot be definitively proven that The Dream Child caused the downfall of the series, its disappointing performance serves as a reminder that rushing for monetary gains rarely results in the best outcomes. Even Stephen King's consistently excellent ideas may not have been able to save The Dream Child from its shortcomings. Nonetheless, the prospect of combining King's creativity with that of Freddy Krueger is undoubtedly intriguing. Dreams have the power to make anything possible. A Nightmare on Elm Street: Dream Child can now be streamed exclusively on Max in the U.S.

Editor's P/S

As a Gen Z netizen, I have mixed feelings about Stephen King almost directing a Nightmare on Elm Street film. On the one hand, I think it would have been really cool to see what King would have done with the franchise. He's such a talented writer and director, and I think he could have brought a lot of new and interesting ideas to the series. On the other hand, I'm also glad that he didn't end up directing it. The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise was already starting to decline in quality by the time the fifth movie came out, and I think King's involvement could have made it even worse.

I think the biggest problem with the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise is that it just kept going on for too long. The first movie was a classic, but the sequels just kept getting worse and worse. By the time the fifth movie came out, the franchise was just a shell of its former self. I think it would have been better if they had just stopped making movies after the third or fourth one.