‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Star Wrote Prequel Treatment Featuring Charles Manson

Fans haven’t seen a new chapter in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series for the better part of a decade, though a curious bit of franchise lore has been uncovered on eBay. As highlighted by Bloody Disgusting, one user recently sold a copy of franchise star John Saxon’s treatment for an unmade prequel film that explored the origins of Freddy Krueger, which included a connection to Charles Manson.

Saxon played Donald Thompson, the father of protagonist Nancy, in the original 1984 film and in 1987’s A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. In the year of that film’s release, Saxon crafted a treatment for How the Nightmare on Elm Street All Began, which took place in 1969.

The treatment followed a similar narrative to what would ultimately be Krueger’s origin story, with the character being determined as the one responsible for a series of child deaths in the small community, with the parents of many children taking justice into their own hands by attacking and killing the criminal. In Saxon’s treatment, however, he explores the idea that Krueger was innocent of these crimes and that Charles Manson was the mastermind of the string of murders.

The reveal that Krueger wasn’t guilty would have drastically changed the direction of the franchise, as he potentially would have been considered the hero of the series, seeking revenge on the children of those who killed him for their mistakes. This idea was briefly explored in the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, though the events of that film ultimately explored a different route.

Sadly, there has been no word on a new installment in the series moving forward, though Lights Out director David F. Sandberg has previously voiced his interest in tackling the project.

When asked about reviving a series on Reddit last year, Sandberg shared, “I don’t know. I’ve been thinking about what fun franchises New Line has like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Critters. Might be fun if you took something like that in a different direction from previous installments. Like instead of remaking Nightmare you do some continuation of it in the same world kind of thing.”

Sandberg’s next film, the DC Extended Universe’s Shazam!, could end up being the blockbuster that would allow the director to tackle any project he’d like, including A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Stay tuned for details on the future of the A Nightmare on Elm Street series.

Do you think this would have been a storyline worth exploring? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Bloody Disgusting]