With the release of Crystal Lake almost upon us, its bringing Jason Voorhees and Friday the 13th back into the public consciousness. The A24 and Peacock series is a prequel that tells the story of what happened before the original film. While reviews are still being withheld, the first two episodes screened recently at Beyond Fest in Los Angeles. The new series and a renewed interest in all things Jason begs the question though, which horror icons could benefit from the TV series route? Well it also went well for Chucky with the series going for three seasons from original creator Don Mancini. That show expanded upon the lore and gave us returns from classic characters, all the while not feeling like a cash-grab or nostalgia bait.
So while we’ve got a return and expansion for Jason Voorhees, what other horror icons could get some help from TV?
Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare On Elm Street)
Freddy hasn’t been on our screens since the 2010 remake, and while we do have two announced adaptations of the film coming out, the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. into Skydance might put a damper on those plans. Paramount previously had the rights to just the first movie’s script, and Warner Bros. put another film into development. However, if Freddy’s Nightmares is any indication, our man Freddy can work on TV. There’s already a double feature of episodes that tell the origin story of how he became the monster that he is, but there’s more to expand upon with that story. That’s not all either, we don’t just need to do prequels, a slasher story told over the course of a season would be fascinating.
If Chucky can bring back legacy characters for more, why can’t we see the same with A Nightmare On Elm Street. There’s plenty to work with. Who knows, but the main stumbling block here is what to do with Freddy Krueger. Obviously, Robert Englund is iconic as the character, but he’s said many times that he can’t stand up to the rigors of playing the character physically anymore. So, with the two movies that are in development, they have to get around that first before getting anywhere.
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is really the big one. He made his return in Halloween (2018) and took the box office by storm. The following films Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends were hampered by COVID-19 and other issues. There was talk that whatever comes next for the franchise would be something involving TV. Now, unlike Friday the 13th, I don’t think a prequel involving Michael would benefit anyone. Knowing what makes Michael Myers evil makes it that much less scary. Maybe something about Doctor Loomis or just more of Michael going around stalking teenagers.
This one might require the biggest and best idea because of how the most recent trilogy ended. Do audiences care about Michael Myers? Do they want to see another slasher villain going out and killing teenagers mindlessly? There are plenty of unused and unmade Halloween ideas that have been floated throughout the franchise’s history. Maybe its worth diving back into something that was discarded in the past.
Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
We last saw Leatherface in 2022’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which was a great movie with some beautiful cinematography and kills. It had plenty to say about culture at the time, but what’s next for the franchise? Why would this one benefit from a TV series? Well, the Sawyer family runs pretty deep and it would be interesting to see just how they got the way they did. Some of the movies have gone into this but imagine something about the family outside of Leatherface. That’s the magical spot that wouldn’t break the terror about just why Leatherface is the way he is, but would build out the lore of the series as a whole.
This one is getting a TV series from A24 (the same company as Crystal Lake) but we don’t really have any details about what it could be. We’ll have to wait on details for this one.
Overall, the different horror icons out there are roaring for a comeback. We’ve got Art the Clown, The Grabber, Nikki, and other characters making waves as icons but the old guard hasn’t seen their time to shine once again. TV might be the route for some of them.
What do you think? Leave us a comment.
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