As the quick-witted, well-toasted, sweater-wearing, child-killing, sharp-clawed Freddy Krueger in the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise, Robert Englund is one scary dude.
But when the 68-year-old actor strolls the glorious backyard of his cottage-style Laguna Beach home, he cuts a less frightening figure.
He points out some plants favored by his wife, Nancy, who is on the board at the Laguna Beach Garden Club. He checks on the fish and a turtle that live in their koi pond. He calms their rescue dog, Maizy, who is going bonkers over some visitors.
The Englunds moved here from Los Angeles in 1989, when they bought their 1920s home from two National Geographic photographers. Though they considered settling down in Italy or La Jolla, or spending more time at their second home in Santa Fe, Englund’s memories of Laguna and the Fourth of July view they now have from their roof swayed their decision.
“I was a Laguna brat,” he said.
THE WATCHER
Born and raised in Glendale, Englund spent his childhood summers in Laguna Beach. His grandfather owned an apartment off Coast Highway and a friend of his grandmother’s owned a place up in the hills.
He’d walk into Cafe Frankenstein, a beatnik jazz hangout on South Coast Highway, where he would often find his mother and her friends.
“Everyone was smoking cigarettes, and there were Chianti bottles everywhere,” he said. “I was young, maybe 8, and I would admire the giant, sort of contemporary graffiti art Frankenstein mural they had there. It was spectacular.”
An older cousin’s boyfriends taught him to surf. When he was old enough, he started hanging at the Rendezvous Ballroom on the Balboa Peninsula, where he built up the nerve to dance with girls and where he first saw surf-guitar legend Dick Dale.
“I was the observer,” he said.
Now, when in town, Englund chills out in a few local bars and restaurants, swapping stories with bartender friends, like a guy named Adam at Sapphire Laguna.
“I sort of live vicariously through Adam,” he said. “He’s just that cool.”
He is recognized, but people in Laguna know him and, he insists, they just don’t care.
When the tourists go home after Labor Day weekend, he enjoys quiet mornings bodyboarding at Pearl Street Beach or Woods Cove. He’s just another local.
He gets a bit of movie star attention when he takes his agent’s kids to Disneyland, where other guests stop him for autographs. Whenever he visits the park, he must get on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride.
He frequents South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, and was a fan of “Three Days of Rain” with actress Patricia Clarkson.
The Englunds also take in matinees at Fashion Island, where they recently saw “Black Mass,” featuring one of Englund’s old costars – Johnny Depp.
“I was the first guy to kill Johnny,” Englund said, referencing Depp’s cinematic debut as Glen Lantz in “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
“Boy, that was a long day in an upside-down room with gushing blood.”
MORE THAN FREDDY
In the B.F. (Before Freddy) era, Englund was a working actor, often cast as a best friend or sidekick.
He was cast as Fly alongside Jan-Michael Vincent in the 1976 surf caper “Big Wednesday,” and as Hold-up Man in the 1975 Burt Reynolds/Catherine Deneuve vehicle “Hustle.”
He threw Charles Bronson down an elevator shaft in “St. Ives” and had a significant role in the 1976 film “Stay Hungry,” with Sally Field, Jeff Bridges and a young Arnold Schwarzenegger.
And, post-Freddy, Englund’s career has been strong, with lead and supporting roles in a variety of domestic and international films. He’s guest-starred on TV shows such as “Criminal Minds,” “Chuck” and “Supernatural,” among others. And he has done voiceover work for “The Spectacular Spider-man,” “Justice League” and “The Batman” cartoons.
“I’ve done close to 80 movies now,” he said.
He’s definitely not sitting in the living room, wearing the glove, and watching soaps.
But, no doubt – and without regret – Englund has owned Freddy.
He started hunting down kids in their dreams in Wes Craven’s 1984 horror classic “A Nightmare on Elm Street.” Englund’s reign of Freddy-ness continued through many more “Nightmare” films and TV specials in the ’80s and into the early 1990s.
Freddy wasn’t on the screen for about a decade, but he came back horrifically strong in “Freddy vs. Jason,” a 2003 mashup of the “Nightmare” and “Friday the 13th” franchises. That movie grossed $110 million worldwide.
And it was the last time Englund was Freddy.
“Believe me, there was once or twice when it was difficult to get out of bed and say ‘yes’ to things. (And) sometimes Freddy cost me a directing gig or maybe a comedy role,” he said.
“But, I could probably count those times on one hand.
“I just don’t think I’d be as busy, or as successful, had I not continued to put on Mr. Krueger’s claw, hat and that stinky sweater.”
STILL ACTING
In last year’s “The Last Showing,” Englund played Stuart, an aging projectionist who seeks some bloody revenge after being demoted. He’s proud of that work.
Englund only recently returned to Laguna after doing a “Nightmare” convention overseas, something he does several times a year.
At the conventions, goth girls still follow him around – that hasn’t changed, he said.
And fans with an artisticbent still send interesting works of art, which he displays in his home office among all sorts of random Freddy memorabilia.
Englund attended the Catalina Film Festival, where he spoke about his friend and director Wes Craven, who died in August at age 76.
He joked that Craven “looked like Don Quixote dressed by Ralph Lauren.”
But he also recalled the filmmaker with reverence.
“Wes taught me to respect the genre,” Englund said.
Though he had plenty of experience with horror, long before Freddy.
“Some of my seminal experiences as a child were like seeing ‘Forbidden Planet’ as a Saturday matinee.
“As a teen, I’d go to the drive-in and Hammer films would play in the background and I’d be in the backseat of the car with some girl … and, oh my God, all of those hormones. It was so confusing.”
Englund said Craven reminded him what it was like to be a horror fanboy.
“That was what I was doing as Freddy; that’s what I was doing for these fans,” he said.
“I had become that thing for them, that key to their imaginations.”
Internet rumors pop up that Englund might again star in a new version of “Nightmare.”
Englund says it’s unlikely.
“No, I’m too old to do the stunts,” he said. “I could do them once, but they’d have to put me in Spanx.
Still, Englund isn’t done with Freddy. As he wanders the garden, he turns to a visitor and whispers one of Freddy’s greatest lines:
“I should warn you, princess, the first time tends to get a little … messy.”
Then he wiggles his ungloved hand in your direction.
And, with that, Englund is a scary dude again.
Contact the writer: 714-796-3570 or kfadroski@ocregister.com
The man behind the makeup
Stomping grounds: Robert Englund was born and raised in Glendale, but frequently visited Orange County in his youth. He and his wife bought a home in Laguna Beach in 1989.
The big break: After he was passed over for a leading role in “Star Wars,” Englund appeared in the 1978 surfing saga “Big Wednesday” with Jan-Michael Vincent and Gary Busey.
Being Freddy: The first “A Nightmare on Elm Street” cost $1.8 million to make and took in
$25 million at the box office – meaning there would be many sequels.
Souvenirs: Englund has a large trove of “Nightmare” memorabilia, but not Freddy’s trademark bladed glove. He had one but gave it to his agent.
Related stories
Horror master Wes Craven dies at 76
Comic-Con: O.C.’s Robert Englund, aka Freddy Krueger, set to scare again
