10 Surprising Horror Movie Cameos
6. Johnny Depp Appears In The Wrong Nightmare Sequel
Actors sometimes pay their respect to their roots, and Johnny Deep is no exception. Receiving his "introducing" credit on the first Nightmare on Elm Street set off a career that started odd, appearing in a John Waters film, to legitimate leading man and back to odd when he started pursuing his own interests. When New Line pretended they were killing off their first cash cow franchise, he was more than happy to make an appearance.
Which explains his uncredited walk-on in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. Depp appears on a television doing a "brain on drugs" PSA, only to be cold-cocked by Freddy with his own frying pan.
A few years later, Wes Craven re-ignited the demon killer in the non-canon, meta Wes Craven's New Nightmare, where actor Nick Corri, John Saxon and Heather Langenkamp all play themselves. He considered approaching Depp, but was too nervous. Years later, when Craven revealed this at a party, Depp told him he would have been delighted, and it certainly would have been a more dignified farewell to his roots.