The new Freddy Krueger promises his 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' won't be campy

To say Jacke Earle Haley has come a long way is a bit of an understatement.  The former child star made a name for himself in the '70s with the "Bad News Bears" movies and "Breaking Away," but his career was painfully slow during the '80s and '90s.  But when he had an Oscar-nominated comeback in 2006's "Little Children" his biggest supporters turned out to be genre fans.  Perhaps it was the excitement of his being cast as Rorschach in "Watchmen" or how friendly he's been in publicity appearances, but Haley has become a true fan favorite at conventions such as Comic-Con and WonderCon.  So, it was no surprise that his casting as the new Freddy Krueger in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" reboot was universally cheered among horror and movie fans alike.

Haley received yet another warm welcome this past weekend at San Francisco's WonderCon where he and the cast previewed this month's "Nightmare" reboot in front of a ravenous audience of 3,500.  Afterward, he stopped by to talk to HitFix about how much darker this "Nightmare" will be, his excruciatingly difficult makeup process and how humbled he is by his newfound fandom.

You can watch the clip embedded in this page or for a larger version, click here.

Look for interviews with "Nightmare" stars Katie Cassidy, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara and Thomas Dekker later this weekend on HitFix.

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" opens nationwide on April 30.

Gregory Ellwood
Editor-in-Chief, Co-Founder

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With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios and has written for Variety, MSN and the LA Times. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing hitting 3’s on the basketball court and following his beloved Clippers.