10 Movie Casting Choices That Should've Worked (But Didn't)

1. Jackie Earle Haley As Freddy Krueger - A Nightmare On Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy Krueger 2010 Remake
New Line Cinema

No matter how bad the Nightmare on Elm Street series got, Robert Englund went beyond the call of duty to make Freddy Krueger entertaining. When he was saddled with the worst scripts or the cheesiest dialogue, the horror legend somehow made it work. (He made, "Welcome to Prime Time, bitch!" sound scary, for crying out loud!)

Because Englund was the only actor to portray Freddy in the previous eight films, it was borderline impossible to picture anyone else taking up the fedora and claw.

But when Jackie Earle Haley was cast in the Elm Street reboot, all doubt vanished. After wowing us in Watchmen and his Oscar-nommed performance in Little Children, it felt like no one was better suited for the role. The studio were so certain in Haley's talents, he signed on for two sequels before the reboot's release.

And the final result was... completely forgettable. This Freddy is let down by a weak script, a generic design, but above all, Haley's flat performance. Although you have to commend Haley for doing a more serious take on the role, it lacks the distinctive charm we come to expect from the iconic dream demon.

Jackie Earle Haley may be a wonderful actor but his performance here proved one thing - there is no replacing Robert Englund.

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James Egan has been with Whatculture for five years and prominently works on Horror, Film, and Video Games. He's written over 80 books including 1000 Facts about Horror Movies Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about The Greatest Films Ever Made Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts about Video Games Vol. 1-3 1000 Facts About James Bond 1000 Facts About TV Shows