Robert Englund Talks Freddy Krueger, 'Nightmare On Elm Street' Marathon On El Rey! EXCLUSIVE

El Rey Network is bringing slasher Freddy Krueger back from the dead this 2016 Valentine's Day Weekend. In an exclusive interview with MStars News, Robert Englund, Fred Krueger himself, talks about the Nightmare on Elm Street and Freddy's Nightmares marathon.

As we previously mentioned, El Rey Network is holding its third annual "Rip Your Heart Out" Valentine's Day Marathon. This V-Day marathon includes five of the classic Nightmare on Elm Street flicks. Plus bone-chilling episodes from the 1988 series, Freddy's Nightmares, will also be aired. The entire weekend will be hosted by the horror icon of the franchise, the Springwood Slasher who took on Friday the 13th's Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger.

Before the marathon begins on Saturday, February 13, 2016, Englund welcomes us to prime time as he discusses becoming involved in the project, his own dreams about the director's chair, and reminisces about his friend and fellow filmmaker Wes Craven (Scream).

MStars News: Tell me how you became involved with El Rey Network?

Robert Englund: Well you know, they may know that I am a fan. I am a huge fan of Robert Rodriguez and Guillermo del Toro. And I know they have partnered before, but I was approached through my agent and I was just so happy. You know Desperado is one of my favorite all-time movies. I actually auditioned and had a call back for the original Spy Kids. I thought it was between me and Michael McKean from 'Laverne and Shirley', but it turned out, Alan Cumming from Cabaret and The Good Wife, came in and snaked us and he got the role. [laughs]

I just think that when I heard the idea and I had seen and watched some of the director interviews on El Rey with Francis For Coppola, I knew that Robert has a really specific, unique vision of what he likes. And the world that he likes, whether its Kung Fu, action or horror, there is a kind of consistent world there. With his taste and with his friends, people like Tarantino and Guillermo del Toro, people like this contributing, I would just be honored to be invited to be part of it.

MS: The marathon includes five of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies and the television series you appeared in, Freddy's Nightmares.

RE: I love the idea! He understands that now with all the various platforms, people have fun binging, people can binge stuff. There hadn't been many Nightmare marathons and certainly not as extensive as this. They usually only last, about three movies, plus he has managed to get all the rights to the Freddy's Nightmares, the television series and that's been in a kind of legal limbo for years. I know fans all over the world, have been clamoring for access, either on television or DVD and now they can binge it. They can watch it. They can see a young Brad Pitt, teenage Mariska Hargitay, and teenage Lori Petty and all kinds of people showing up. Let alone all the directors that have gone on to direct lots of horror and cult films, the crew and the producers that went on to do Tales from the Crypt.

MS: How does it feel that a whole new generation of fans are going to see Freddy's Nightmares?

RE: I am one of those cult classics that has finally been found and taken out of legal limbo. I am excited to see it on El Rey because I haven't seen that pilot! Mr. Texas Chainsaw Massacre himself, the Tobe Hooper pilot, which is sort of like a backstory prequel to the whole franchise. I haven't seen that since we made it. I am looking forward, to this show and I am just happy to be on board, something as alternative and badass and grindhouse as this is. I share a lot of those fans and I share a lot of that taste! It's fun for me to be a part of that!

MS: You also directed episodes of Freddy's Nightmares, and one of my favorite horror movies 976-Evil. Have you thought about jumping back into the director's chair?

RE: I love directing, and I really have learned to love post production. I'm a little bit behind on some of the technology now but not much. I have worked with digital cameras, but my problem is, all movies take at least a year of your life. What I've learned, directing three movies and some television is that so much of the pre-production, so much of the meetings and stuff is unnecessary.

MS: What were some of things you had to deal with?

RE: People don't really listen to you or they change, things change, especially when your on location. I have also played the game of compromise a lot. What happens is that I was right with actors that I didn't get to use and I should have used, because they have become superstars now.

I have been tweeting a lot, the last couple of years. If you go back and look at my old tweets you'll find actors that I was talking about two years ago, are up for Oscars today. I have been calling actors and talent for a long time, I've got a really good eye and I love actors, I wouldn't be in the business if I didn't love actors and directors. So I probably am too opinionated to direct again because unless it was a horror movie, which I usually have my say in, and that's not necessarily what I do best. If it was something else, if I optioned a New Yorker short story or something that I wanted to do then, I am into this world of compromise again, with people that are producing and or writing.

I'm just getting a little too old for that. It's sort of like 'my way or the highway.' There's very few people that get to work like that in Hollywood, like Woody Allen, is one of those people. But there are very few people that get to do it their way.

MS: If you had the opportunity, what would you direct?

RE: I think if I direct again, it would probably only be on stage, but you know maybe ill direct a really interesting production of Dracula or something on stage, play Van Helsing or something. I don't know. I think I'll just be an actor now, my biological clock is such as an actor now. Its sort of like stamp on me internally.

And its real hard for me to just give up a year of my life to a project. I have had to turn down some theatre recently with Penn and Teller, some other things. I just cant give away a year of my life. If I was in my 40s I would. I would give away a year of my life, but I don't want to do that anymore. I love going away for two weeks or six weeks on a movie.

MS: Like many, I was really saddened by the passing away of Wes Craven, the director of the original, A Nightmare on Elm Street. Could you share an anecdote, like a personal memory please?

RE: I have missed a couple of tributes because I was shooting a movie. And it looks like I'll be missing another tribute in March. The anecdote I've been sharing about Wes is, I was doing a TV series in 1995 with Wes up in Vancouver, Canada. Jack Coleman from Heroes and myself, and Wes, we were all watching Saturday Night Live and we had our couple of beers, I had a couple of Irish whiskeys and we were watching a great sketch, in fact you can Google this sketch, it was called "Head Wound Harry."

And Wes got so silly and so giggly. He is 6'4 and Wes started laughing like a kid and snot was coming out of his nose. He practically fell from my couch in my apartment up in Vancouver, in front of me and my wife and Jack. And Jack had the giggles too! He could not stop laughing, I mean we got the hiccups! We were laughing so hard of this sketch on SNL.

I think back on that moment and I think that was Wes finally letting me know that he could be that way around me. That there was still this big kid alive and it meant that he didn't always have to be the grown-up on the set and the writer, and the director, and the boss. And he let me see him that way, even beyond friendship, he let me see him silly and stupid and giggling like a big kid.

I remember that moment with so much joy! I remember that really well and that's a real private moment but I have been giving it out lately. And its my pleasure to give it to you too.

The marathon on El Rey Network begins with the Freddy's Nightmares episode Black Tickets on Saturday, February 13, 2016, at 6am and concludes with Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child on Monday, February 15th, at 2am.