EXCLUSIVE A Nightmare On Elm Street - Jackie Earle Haley interview

A quick chat with the new Freddy. Interview by Neil Macdonald

“Ohhh, I’ll tell you, that’s as good a solution as I’ve heard to all the money problems,” says Jackie Earle Haley, the man who plays the infamous Freddy Kreuger in the new version of A Nightmare on Elm Street . “I’d like to stick Freddy Krueger in a few of the key players’ dreams around the world and see if we can’t fix a little something up. That’d be some fun for sure.”

Of course, if you need a few quid, you could do worse than ask the sharp-fingered one for a loan after the remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street – out on DVD and Blu-ray next Monday – hoovered up millions at the box office. Horror fans virtually sleepwalked into the cinema to see Jackie replace Robert Englund in the famous fedora and striped jumper, but at the same time, many of them were mentally smashing the film-makers through the screen or turning them into fleshy string puppets for daring to lay a razor-gloved hand on the originals.

“I’d definitely do that and I think it would be a good thing,” he says. “I haven’t heard anything yet though, but I guess I’ve read the same rumours as you have. For now I’m filming season two of Human Target in Vancouver. It’s a great gig and I’m having a blast, man. I feel really fortunate to come back into this career and play these iconic roles like Freddy and Rorschach, while it is incredible to work on this show too. It's been five years now, but dude, I’m still pinching myself.

Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.