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Revolution A Brewin’, “Elm Street” Fan Attempts Next Chapter

It was exciting news to hear that a Friday the 13th fan was writing a new film in conjunction with a few of the lead actresses from the original Paramount films.

I remembered that I myself knew someone who was doing attempting to do the same thing for the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise.

It got me thinking.

Is there some kind of revolution about to take place?

The time has finally come when horror fans are ck and tired of their beloved genre being raped by movie studios.

It’s not about the entertainment anymore.

It’s about making a buck.

In doing this, they are destroying the films that we all grew up loving.

Arturo Portillo is a jack of all trades.

He grew up with dere to make films.

Growing up he would act in short home movies that he made with his two older brothers on a family video camera his mother made him.

nce that time back in the early 80s he’s gone on to act in several films, write and direct Not Human and award winning short film, dapple in the art of special effects make-up, and was even Robert Downey, Jr.’s stand-in for the film Due Date.

Portillo has a real love and appreciation for horror films and films in general.

That comes across in ever conversation.

There is pason behind his words.

For about the past ten or fifteen years he has been writing his own Elm Street screenplay from the point-of-view of a die hard fan.

I thought it’d be interesting to t down for an in-depth interview to talk about the screenplay he is writing, remakes and the state of horror movies.



Q:

When was the first time you saw A Nightmare on Elm Street?

A:

The first time that I saw the original A Nightmare on Elm Street was in 1985 or 1986, well, whenever it first appeared on televion is when I saw it.

Sometime in the mid-1980s.

I was x or seven years old.

Q:

What draws you to this particular franchise?

A:

What drew me to A Nightmare on Elm Street was that it REALLY DID scare me.

I mean, I have nightmares; I still do, all because of Fred Krueger.

The fact that film is one of the most original films made is what intrigued me.

It’s a great concept, dying in your sleep and the murderer getting away with it just to do it all over again and there is nothing you can do about it and no one believes you; how scary and original is that?

It worked well because everyone eventually needs to fall asleep.

And to see a character trying NOT to sleep in order to avoid dying is, to me, very scary indeed. I actually could not fall asleep because I was afraid Freddy would get me and I was 6 years old. What also made me love the franchise was the crazy ways Freddy would torture his victims and killed them. He can do almost anything he wants to in the dream world. Wes did a great job approaching that medium very well. He used it to his advantage, especially Tina's death. It left me wondering, "How in the Hell did they do that?"

Q:

What made you decide to take on the task of writing a new Elm Street movie?

A:

What made me want to write my veron of A Nightmare On Elm Street was pure fear. I had a very traumatizing experience one time in the late 1980's and one of those reasons was because of Fred Krueger andd a little vit to the dentist. The gas the dentist gave me knocked me out but it made me start hallucinating for two weeks because of it. I started seeing weird things like people's faces morphing into some hideous creature, their voices slowing down like a record player would and just strange and very, very scary things that I don't even want to think about. I might write a script about that, huh?

I've been told that I should face my fears and those fears will vanish and I wouldn't be tortured. Come to think of it, isn't that what happened in ANOES? Glenn tells Nancy about a Native American ritual in which she needs to turn her back on fear; which is Freddy, and all will be resolved. Something like that? Well, something like that happened to me. So, what I've decided to do was to write about Freddy Krueger. At first, it started with drawing him until I perfected him. It took me some years to learn how to draw well. But, I've finally managed to draw him until I wasn't scared of him anymore. It worked. My next step was to write a screenplay about A Nightmare on Elm Street.



Q:

There are probably tons of people out there that have tried to write the next Freddy movie, what is going to make your screenplay special?

A:

I didn't want to write a remake or a sequel or a prequel. I wanted to write something totally different than what we've seen before. I started writing screenplays in the mid 1990's and had left ANOES shelved in the back of my brain somewhere in storage. I left it there so I may come back to it when I knew it was time to start it. Another reason I wanted to write an ANOES script, now more than ever, was because I CAN SCARE audiences with my writing. I know that I can. My style of writing is one of my strongest skills. I've won numerous awards for the scripts that I've written and my favorite genre is Horror. I grew up watching the Nightmare films and I've also read Wes' screenplay which helped guide me in the right direction. I believe that the script that I've written will be well-liked by the older fans and newer fans.

Although, I know that there are many countless of fans out there doing the same thing I'm doing and saying the same thing I'm saying; I believe I've created an original concept of A Nightmare On Elm Street. It's going to be violent, it's going to be menacing, it's going to scare, literally scare you and it's going to have elements no one has ever seen and captured on camera, plus the story is well-written and conceived. I've seen the horror films of today and they don't scare me, they rely too much on CGI and jump scares. Jump scares do not and will NEVER scare me. They just startle people and you can see it coming a mile away. There is a difference between scaring and startling and I think you know what I mean? I don't incorporate that in my writings. I use psychological scares that will frighten you. I will give you night terrors if you wish.

Q:

Without giving too much away, what is the general plot for the film you're writing?

A:

The general plot of my script, well, I'm pretty sure it's like every other fan's fan-made script's plot. It's how Fred came to be and why he does what he does but told in a very unique and satisfying way in which it is not forced on us and not boring us with long-winded speeches. Fred kills, he likes it, it's what makes him feel good, it's what drives him. I like to think of Freddy as a painter but instead of ung paint brushes and pencils; his utenl is his crazy invention, his four razor-bladed leather glove in which he takes great pride in. His canvas is the world, his paints are the people he kills and his innovative kills are what intrigues him. Not only that, he likes to see the fear on children's faces. It's what drives him to do it more. His endorphins kick in and he craves it, he craves like someone addicted to cigarettes. I don't want to give too much away, I want to make sure everyone gets to see a fresh take on it and not spoil it.

That's what is wrong with today's movie trailers and televion show promos for the next episode. It SHOWS you what is going to happen. Take for instance the movie Clash of the Titans. It shows you that Perseus kills Medusa and uses her head to kill the Kraken, all in the trailer. Not only that, the poster...THE POSTER! shows Perseus holding up Medusa's head which ends up killing the Kraken. Hello? McFly? Why ruin what you're going to see? Are we that ADD?

Q:

Taking a moment to be imaginative, what is your dream cast?

A:

Whew, my dream cast. Well, obviously Robert Englund as Fred Krueger, an unknown to play Nancy Thompson, Glenn, Tine and Rod, Tony Goldwyn as Lt. Donald Thompson,

and Denise Crosby as Marge Thompson. I think the teenagers should all be unknowns. I believe in bringing fresh faces into films instead of over ung well-known actors. All we get is fans of those actors coming in to see the film just because of them and not because of the film itself.



Arturo also wanted me to mention that he’d love to see the likes of Tuesday Knight (Kristen Parker, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare) return to Elm Street.



Q:

What did you think of the Elm Street remake?

A:

I did not enjoy the remake to A Nightmare On Elm Street. I didn't want to see it, but I had to see what they did to it, so I waited for the rental. To tell you the truth, I didn't feel scared. I felt I was let down. Freddy is supposed to scare the piss off of you right before he kills you. But in this one we only saw Freddy jump scaring many times and saying "BOO! I scared ya!" and then he runs away. I give the crew and cast credit for attempting it. I didn't like the fact that they paid homages to scenes from the series. A few is okay, but one after the other after the other. We get it! You saw the movie too! The script was mediocre, there was too many changes throughout the pre-production. Fans didn't like this, so the writer changed that. The audience didn't like that scene, so the producers asked to re-shoot a different scene. Then there was Jackie Earle Haley's voice in the film. I thought his first try was original, he sounded like his lips were burned and he had a speech impediment because of it. Then, people argued that it was not good. So it was changed and then modified with sound effects, which really hurt the character Jackie was trying to convey. Freddy is a popular villain, if the film is not done well, you're going to get bashed

Q:

A lot of people are saying that the horror genre is dying again, what is your opinion on the state of horror?

A:

The horror genre IS NOT DYING. It is not and it is in full swing. The problem lies with CGI. Okay, we have CGI, but do we really need it to make a film? NO! It makes everything look flat. It forces the actors to think about their environments or the non-existent creature in front of them. How the Hell are they going to know what that creature looks like if it's not there? Yes, I know that they probably saw a sketch or concept of how that creature will look like, it's not the same. How are they supposed to look and feel scared? I think that if there is an environment created with practical effects, the actors would feel their characters develop further instead of imagining what the Hell the green screen in front of them is. You know what I mean? Real is better than blankness. If the genre is dying, Hell, I'll bring it back to life just like Dr. Frankenstein did to his damned Monster. Again, don't rely on CGI to bail you out, don't rely on tits and ass to do the same thing and blood and guts, too. You need a good story, you need good actors to make those characters come to life and you need a good director with vion to make those scenes come to life. Don't half-ass it either, take your damn time. Sorry, I got a little emotional there.

Q: I have this idea that the power is finally going to shift and horror fans are going to take over the genre, what do you think about this?

A:

Well, I'd like to think that the fans taking control of the horror genre is happening, but unfortunately, we can't get noticed. I've been trying to get noticed myself and damn it, it's tough. So, I tried the film festival circuit in the hopes of winning a few awards here and there and getting recognition that way. I've won a few awards for my writing and my short film, but I still haven't gotten that call yet. You know which I'm talking about? I believe that fans are tired of how the horror genre is being treated and they have every right to. I'm with them and I hope to quench their thirst for a good horror film with my take on A Nightmare On Elm Street.

Q:

Once the script is done, then what? What do you plan to do with it?

A:

Once I’m done with the script I'd like to send it to Wes Craven's agent and Robert Englund's too. Show it around, submit it to script festivals. But because it's fan made, I won't have any luck except receive feedback from fans. I need to market the script like you would a movie to get people's interest in it.

I need to either make a trailer or comic book out of it without making a profit nce it's copyrighted. It's going to be tough. Internet and self-published comic book would be the way to go.

I want to thank Arturo Portillo for taking the time to answer all the questions I had for him in such great detail.

I’ll be sure to keep everyone posted on how the script is coming along.

For more information about Mr. Portillo, please, check out his IMDB or find him on Facebook.

I’ll be posting the links for that information below.

IMDB:

dakotathomas Saturday 4/30/2011 at 02:16 PM | 75276
OMG that is Funny i just started writing my own take on a Nightmare move a couple of weeks ago
maxthue Sunday 5/01/2011 at 09:29 AM | 75320
Well if it does happen hopefully it'll be as good as he makes it sound. The guy seems like he has enough pason and seems right about alot of stuff. I think if it was eaer to get noticed and what not fans would be able to bring original and creative ideas back. I enjoyed the originals alot, but the remake did suck imo...
kizzle Sunday 5/01/2011 at 06:06 PM | 75334
I fully support this.

It is becoming very necessary if we want to keep the horror icons we love alive.

Check out this fan made Friday the 13th clip.http://youtu.be/-yKasy-dOVA
strayl1ght Sunday 5/01/2011 at 11:30 PM | 75341
Arturo, good luck on the script buddy! You have my support!~!!! ////

Freddy-Fingers Monday 5/02/2011 at 05:57 PM | 75390
Thank you, everyone. I will hope to bring something very new to the table and scare audiences again. I want to add psychological scares combined, with of course, what we love from A Nightmare On Elm Street. When I say it's going to be a dark story, I really mean it. I just don't say it and then we get nothing. I like to challenge myself and go one step further. I hope to finish my script soon.

Arturo
enigmawriter Wednesday 5/04/2011 at 06:32 AM | 75514