Should we embrace Freddy?

 Day 249

July 5th, 2024

While watching Freddy vs. Jason, I can't help but question why fans have embraced a character like Freddy Krueger despite his troubling backstory as a child killer and pedophile. I understand that this is all fiction, but it's concerning how many people seem to overlook this aspect of the character. I'm not suggesting that Freddy should be canceled, but I do think it's important to discuss why he has become a pop culture icon despite his dark origins.

As I've followed the Nightmare on Elm Street series, it seems like there's a lot of retconning of Freddy's character. Each new movie seems to change or disregard aspects of his backstory, leading to a lack of clear continuity. I also can't help but feel that corporate greed has influenced the portrayal of Freddy over the years. While the franchise has made some positive changes to the character, the reboot seemed to struggle with capturing the essence of who Freddy originally was. The focus on serializing a character with such a dark past felt unsettling to me, despite the movie having some promising ideas.

I like Freddy because he's so scary and he attacks you when you're sleeping, which is when you're most vulnerable. What sets him apart is that he talks and likes to play mind games with his victims before he moves in for the kill. That's a true villain in my opinion.