10 Horror Movies Probably Made Out Of Spite

6. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

Halloween Remake
New Line Cinema

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 is a movie that producer Robert Shaye was laser-focussed to make, regardless of whether those who had made the original Elm Street work so well were interested or not.

Of course, Wes Craven had helmed A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Robert Englund had starred as Freddy Krueger. For Shaye, he didn't give a sh*t what either of those men thought when it came to a sequel.

It wasn't spite that initially drove Elm Street 2. As ever, it was the prospect of cold, hard cash. In fact, the only reason the slightly ropey final scene of the original 1984 Elm Street exists, is because Shaye came up with that idea as a way to open the door for a follow-up.

As for Freddy's Revenge, Shaye pushed on with the film after Craven said how stupid the movie's premise was. Even worse, the producer brought in director Jack Sholder and started shooting with an unnamed extra in a plastic Krueger mask - all because Shaye was too arrogant to make a respectful offer to Robert Englund.

Miffed at Craven's disinterest and unwilling to pay Englund what he was worth, Bob Shaye didn't care one jot. Well, until the faux Freddy looked awful, and he was forced to offer more money to bring Englund back.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.