Monster A-Go-Go: Freddy Krueger

Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr/Sr, these are the names of horror. In the great era of black and white screams, there was a lot more depth to the creature on screen than make-up and clever writing. The monsters themselves needed emotion and character, we needed legendary performances in order to creep us out and the stars at the time were more than happy to deliver. in the '80s, the monsters that were being birthed didn't have a whole lot to say, it was less about internalizing the beasts and just accepting them as mindless brutes. While this can and ultimately was a good thing, it meant that most people never knew who was behind the mask and rarely did they need to know. However, there was one creature who consistently had the same actor come back to the stage time and time again, Freddy Krueger.

Unlike Michael Meyers or Jason, Freddy was a villain who talked. Not only that, but he liked a good jibe, pun, and sarcastic quip. He was a campy baddy who ate up the scenery and continued to deliver the laughs alongside the horror no matter who was behind the director's chair or inking the latest script. With such a large ego and super inflated stage presence, the character demanded strong talent to fill his shoes. Thankfully, the world was blessed with the brilliant Robert Englund.

Until recently with this year's remake, Robert Englund has always been Freddy. Overshadowing his peers, Freddy Krueger had the honor of maintaining the same look and personality for around 3 decades of fun filled frights. Sure, maybe he was a little goofy looking and after a few entries in the series it became more about the jokes than anything truly scary, but we still have Mr. Englund to thank for his amazing performance. Freddy was more about making something timeless, a being that would become a piece of historical cinematic art. Freddy is the poster-child for '80s horror and is now the very bottled essence that defined an entire generation of terror.

We all know and love Freddy (Strange considering he's a child molester), and its all due to that quirky personality. He's vile and cruel, but at least he'll make you laugh your way to the grave. Thank you Robert Englund, thank you for reminding us that sometimes its the actor that truly makes the difference.