Freddy Krueger vs Darth Vader: Robert Englund Decides

JustWatch play a game of ‘Freddy Versus’ with horror icon Robert Englund, and the results are surprising. 

Robert Englund has been giving teenagers nightmares for 40 years thanks to his iconic role as Freddy Krueger. The character first appeared in Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street and has gone on to become not only a titan of horror, but also a pop culture figure in his own right. Having starred in seven A Nightmare on Elm Street movies, a spin-off television show, and a crossover movie with fellow movie monster Jason Voorhees, Robert Englund’s Freddy has proven time and again how tough he is to kill. 

WATCH NOW: Freddy Krueger vs Darth Vader: Robert Englund Decides

During an interview with Robert Englund for his new horror role as Cricket in Pinocchio: Unstrung, JustWatch sat down with the legend to talk about his career. Englund was in his usual high spirits and so we decided to play a little game inspired by his crossover movie, Freddy vs. Jason, to find out how Freddy would fare against other infamous movie villains. 

Freddy Versus Darth Vader, Who Wins?

During the quickfire game of ‘Freddy Versus’, Robert Englund found himself tasked with explaining whether Freddy could defeat whoever JustWatch posed. For most, the answer was a resounding yes. When asked about Art the Clown of the Terrifier franchise, Englund immediately responded, “the clown takes a nap, I’m in there”. It was a similar story when asked about Child’s Play icon, Chucky, with the actor replying, “Chucky? I’ll dropkick that little sucker." Stranger Things’ Vecna generated a slight pause, with the actor reminding us, “well you know I’m Vecna’s daddy.”

There was one potential foe that did make Englund baulk, though - iconic Star Wars bad guy, Darth Vader. When Darth Vader’s name was thrown into the ring, Englund was caught on the back foot. He replied: “Darth Vader. God, now you’ve got Freddy in outer space”. After a brief thought, Englund revealed, “I don’t know… I think Darth Vader would get me”. It seems that Freddy is no match for the Force, and with Vader being more machine than man, the chances of him having a nap that Freddy could exploit are slim.

Freddy’s Last Movie Bout Had No Clear Winner

Freddy vs Jason began life during the end credits of Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. Freddy’s glove is seen dragging Jason’s mask off screen - presumably to Hell. The last-minute addition had fans going crazy, but they had to wait a whole ten years before they got to see both horror icons share the screen. Freddy vs. Jason finds a group of Elm Street teens stuck between both killers after Freddy manipulates Jason into murdering some of them. His plan works as the teens begin to remember the previously forgotten dream stalker and he gradually gets enough power to return to his favourite pastime of tormenting teens. 

After Jason realises that Freddy is using him as a pawn, he breaks free of Freddy’s control and the two go to war. The smackdown between the pair never quite attained the heady heights conjured by a decade of fans’ dreams, and ultimately both of them were vanquished by final girl Lori Campbell. The film ends with the pair still at odds with one another in Hell, the battle having ended in a stalemate. 

Robert Englund’s New Villain Is Set To Get Pinocchio Fans Talking

For several years now, director Rhys Frake-Waterfield has been ruining people’s childhoods. His mission started with Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey and has gone on to spawn an entire cinematic universe of distorted versions of beloved children’s stories. Pinocchio: Unstrung is the latest in the series and finds Pinocchio going on a M3GAN-esque murder mission to keep his new friend safe. 

Robert Englund is present as the voice of Cricket, this movie’s version of Jiminy Cricket. Whereas in the Disney cartoon and literary story, Jiminy Cricket acts as Pinocchio’s conscience, constantly trying to steer him towards the right path, Englund’s Cricket does the opposite. He is there to corrupt Pinocchio and encourages him to slaughter in the name of his best friend. It’s a far darker portrayal of the character than audiences have seen before, and there is no one better than Robert Englund to bring the character to life. 

The part of Cricket also opens up the opportunity for a whole new game of ‘Cricket Versus’ as the character will next be seen in Poohniverse: Monster Assemble. The forthcoming film will see characters from all of Frake-Waterfield’s interconnected monster universe films unite, Avengers style, for a showdown of epic proportions. Could Cricket take on Tinkerbell, Bambi, or Piglet? Time will hopefully soon give us an answer.