Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street with the Man of Your Dreams [Hardcover]

Robert Englund (Author), Alan Goldsher (Author), Wes Craven (Introduction), Tobe Hooper (Introduction)

Book Description

Release date: October 13, 2009

ONE...TWO...FREDDY'S COMING FOR YOU....

You've seen him in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series -- and in your darkest dreams. The sadistic killer with the flame-charred face. The knife-blade claws. The razor-sharp wit. Freddy...But you've never seen him like this. Unflinching. Uncensored. Unmasked.

Meet Robert Englund, the award-winning actor best known for his role as Freddy Krueger -- the legendary horror icon featured on the American Film Institute's "100 Greatest Heroes and Villains" roster -- a character as unforgettable and enduring as Bela Lugosi's Dracula and Boris Karloff's Frankenstein. Now, for the first time, the man behind the latex mask tells his story in this captivating new memoir, published to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first A Nightmare on Elm Street film.

You see, Robert Englund is no monster at all, but a deeply funny, charming Hollywood veteran. Packed with Robert's hilarious stories, playful self-deprecation, and a generous helping of never-before-revealed A Nightmare on Elm Street trivia, Hollywood Monster offers an unparalleled look at the beloved film icon. With insider savvy and gallows humor, Robert recounts his audition for Wes Craven, the inspiration for Freddy's character, the grueling makeup sessions, his soon-to-be-famous costars, the often disastrous on-set blunders, and the wave of popularity that propelled this humble California surfer kid all the way to the top.

Of course, fame and fortune as Freddy came years after the young actor shared a trailer with screen legend Henry Fonda, was punched in the face by Richard Gere, took down Burt Reynolds, and muscled his way between Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sally Field, and Jeff Bridges.

But soon after his high-profile stint in the groundbreaking TV miniseries V, Robert Englund took on the most celebrated role of his career -- the macabre and wisecracking killer who quickly became a household name. From the moment Freddy Krueger dragged his claws across a rusty pipe in the opening dream sequence, a legend had been unleashed -- and a star was born. This is his story.

"Welcome to prime time, bitch."

-- Frederick Charles Krueger, bastard son of a hundred maniacs

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The actor behind A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger recounts his early years in theater and Hollywood before hitting it big as the razor-fingered killer. Intent on pursuing a stage career, California native Englund went to Cal State and Michigan's Academy of Dramatic Arts, where he studied classical theater. After being inspired by Martin Scorsese's debut film, Boxcar Bertha, Englund headed to Hollywood and soon landed small roles alongside stars like Henry Fonda, Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. But it wasn't until Wes Craven offered the role of Freddy Krueger, a sadistic murderer who haunted victims' dreams, that Englund broke into cult stardom. He recalls in vivid detail the hundreds of hours spent in the makeup chair for the film and its six sequels, most recently 2004's hit Freddy vs. Jason, where Krueger is resurrected from hell and battles Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th franchise. Englund also appeared in the acclaimed 1984 miniseries V and 1995's The Mangler, from Tobe Hooper, director of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. While readers who didn't grow up with the Elm Street films may be a bit lost, Englund's memoir will appeal to those who still can't shake Freddy from their nightmares.
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Review

"Monstrously entertaining! Robert proves as gifted and versatile on the page as on the screen. Irreverent, uproarious, revealing!" -- Mark Hamill, star of the original Star Wars trilogy

"If you've ever wondered what goes into the creation of a screen icon like Freddy, you should read this book. With wit and candor, Robert Englund gives you the recipe: talent mixed with life lived to the full, served up with boundless energy and a rich imagination seasoned with unswerving respect for his audience, and a passionate dedication to his craft as an actor." -- Doug Bradley, star of Clive Barker's Hellraiser movies

" 'Six degrees of Kevin Bacon?' Ha! Try 'Three Degrees of Robert Englund!' The Boris Karloff of our generation has worked with just about everybody and lived to tell the nightmare! Great read!" -- Dee Snider, host of Fangoria Radio on Sirius/XM, front man for Twisted Sister

"Reading Robert Englund's journey through the ups and downs of a Hollywood career is a fun, funny, and eye-opening blast. His life has been no 'nightmare,' but rather an entertaining romp! Take a read...if you dare!" -- Star Price, award-winning producer of Penn & Teller: Bullshit!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 298 pages
• Publisher: Pocket Books; First Edition edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439150486
• ISBN-13: 978-1439150481
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #746,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From Surfer to Hollywood Monster December 18, 2009

By Chad Kenneth Bell

Format:Hardcover

Coming in at 298 pages the book is a quick read. But this hasn't been a quick life for Robert Englund. The anecdotes on things that have occurred in his life tend to lack some details; however, they do range from the star studded to the hilarious. For a man who is currently considered an amazing character actor in horror films, he is possibly one of the most recognizable stars in the genre since Vincent Price. The book starts off with his young acting career (to get girls) and follows his life through to the top of becoming the horror icon Freddy Krueger.

This is great fun and a quick read. The appendix contains some fun filled favorite lists: music, movies, and kills. The lists depict Englund's tastes and well Freddy's morsals.

Hollywood Monster is a must read biography for actors, horror fans, and folks wanting to experience a large part of cinema history. Who knew the scariest man in cinema is the nicest, humblest, and sincerest man in hollywood for 4 decades.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what you would want in a Robert Englund bio January 9, 2010

By Todd Jones

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My only complaint about this book is that it is such a quick and enjoyable read that I finished it almost as soon as I got it lol. Being an actor with a particular interest in the horror genre, I had been waiting for this book for a long time. I was not disappointed. Englund kept a perfect balance in writing about his pre and post Freddy Krueger life. He obviously realized what a person reading a Robert Englund bio would want to read about and did not load the book with a bunch of boring crap from his life, which was very nice after trudging through page after page of golf stories in Christopher Lee's Lord Of Misrule (yeah, I said it). For my fellow actors reading this, it's a nice insight into an actor's life who has achieved what most of us are trying to achieve. Englund seems to have totally embraced being a horror icon, and he fully acknowledges how fortunate he's been. Another interesting point for me as an actor is that he also states several times that even as famous as he is, he is still to this day a "working stiff" and will usually take any job offered to him. Food for thought for those of you just getting into the business with stars in your eyes.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Anything But A Nightmare January 22, 2012

By Barry

Format:Hardcover

Lon Chaney. Vincent Price. Boris Karloff. Bela Lugosi. Lon Chaney, Jr. Peter Cushing. Christopher Lee. Donald Pleasance. Robert Englund. Horror/monster movie stars. It's a small club. No doubt each one of them have led rich, interesting lives. The biggest star of this field of the last 30 years or so is, without a doubt, Robert Englund. Now, Englund shares with us his life, his story, his career, and a certain character by the name of Freddy Krueger. Read on....

After reading this book, you will find that Englund's life and career has been no nightmare. In fact, Englund seems to of been blessed with a wonderful existence. Sometimes a blue collar, hard working character actor like himself is much better to be than a leading man Hollywood star. Things just seem to be so much more interesting. He talks of working with the likes of Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Henry Fonda, and others, and writes like he is taking you on a backstage journey through trying to make it as an actor and what goes on behind the scenes. For anyone that knows how Englund is, the book, like himself, is written in the same jovial, interesting, ball of energy way that he is himself in interviews and what others always say about him. So much of the book you can actually hear him saying and talking about, and it makes for a fun, enjoyable read. While there is no real dirt or gossip, or horrible childhood memories, the book is filled with wonderful Hollywood talk and taking you inside the life of a working actor. While Englund has done a lot of work over the years, he will always be known as Freddy Krueger. The one and only! He devotes a fair amount of the book to Krueger and his 'Nightmare On Elm Street' films, although some may be disappointed that it doesn't appear to dig too deep, and has some things that any die hard fan will probably already know. Still, it's a man's first hand account of playing one of the most iconic screen villains of all time.

If there is anything wrong with "Hollywood Monster", it's that Englund doesn't seem to stay focused too long on any one thing. Most things he talks about are over and done like that! He doesn't dwell too long and it doesn't really delve too deep. For the most part, Englund seems to of lived a charmed, wonderful life, and maybe it would of benfitted if the book was a bit longer and more in depth in certain areas of his career.

In the end, "Hollywood Monster" is a must for any fan, or just anyone who is a fan of the ins and outs of a career of talented, hard working, character actors. It has a nice section of colored photos as well. Englund writes in a fun, easy, breezy way, and that's how the book goes down. It's light reading, really, and will leave you not having nightmares at all. In fact, it will probably leave you thinking of how cool it would be to be Robert Englund.