a Hollywood Monster in Laguna Beach

I was thrilled to receive my own custom signed copy of Robert Englund's new book, Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street with the Man of Your Dreams, with Alan Goldsher as a holiday gift from Jen. The title makes me think of Joe Esterhaus' Hollywood Animal for some reason (kind of a scary character in his own way). Anyway, my copy was beautifully signed by Robert Englund (AKA Freddy Krueger) himself (with a bit of artwork even).

Englund is a well known and loved Laguna Beach resident. According to everyone who meets him, he is very approachable and happy to chat with fans and discuss his work. Perhaps this new book will save him having to repeat some of his many stories (I've heard one tale about some horrific wardrobe malfunctions, including wearing a lice-infested Phantom of the Opera costume. We'll see if he mentions it.)

But talk about being a good neighbor - when my stepmother ordered a couple books from his site (http://www.robertenglund.com/), she found the books custom-signed and hand delivered right onto her doorstep not long after, along with a friendly follow up email from Robert's wife inquiring if she received the books in good condition. Very impressive! Although, such neighborly behavior is typical of Laguna people also. I really miss the town. It was the last place I lived that had a true "town spirit."

I'm just starting to dig into the book, so I'll have to report back with a review. This will be a great reference for my next book that I am working on, SURBURBAN APOCALYPSE: The Debasement of the American Dream in Cinema, with Scott Tapio. I really hope that Robert Englund will consider allowing me to interview him for the section that will cover the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.

I saw the original release of the film in the theater and will definitely never forget the excitement of the discovery at the time. I have a terrible craving to go and re-watch that and all of them in the collection. I do feel very concerned about this new Michael Bay remake of Nightmare coming out. Of course I abhor Michael Bay movies, so it's hard to see what he is going to do to this beloved favorite of horror genre fans. And a Nightmare without the the REAL Freddy....I don't know. I sure hope he doesn't slaughter our favorite slasher it too terribly - but of course he will. He'll probably turn it into a romance. I wonder how Wes Craven feels about the matter. For now, I'm going to long for this DVD set to console myself with later, and watch a different and fun remake of a classic campy horror film featuring Robert Englund - the infamous 2001 MANIACS.

    
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