So, I may or may not posted this here, but last Halloween, when watching a double feature of Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills at the drive-in, one foggy, cold October night, I came up with, what I thought was, a rather clever idea for an Elm Street legacy sequel (since they seem to be all the rage now-a-days, with Terminator: Dark Fate, Jurassic World: Dominion, and, well, the new Halloweens, case in point).
At any rate, I won't reveal too much about the plot of my Nightmare script (as anyone reading this knows, I am very guarded about my plots and stories), but I will say that it is a direct sequel to Wes Craven's New Nightmare (the first film in the franchise I saw in theaters... saw it twice, actually... dragged my Mom on opening night... then snuck back to see it myself on the hopes that the teenagers working at the theater wouldn't care that I was only 14... they didn't... It was magical), it is very meta and it concerns the legacy cast from the original film.
At any rate, I told my idea to a friend of mine while we were having dinner in Chicago upon leaving Flashback Weekend (a horror con we regularly attend in ChicagoLand/Rosemont at the end of each summer).
I also mentioned that the Craven Estate had regained the rights to the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise and was hearing pitches for new movies. You can read all about it here.
My friend suggested that I make my pitch to Heather Langenkamp, who is typically accessible (meaning she makes times for her many fans) at conventions, and with whom I have had a good rapport each time I’ve approached her at a convention (in 2019 she gave me a private link to a short horror film she directed and posted on Vimeo… she implored me not to share it with anyone (she was only showing it to select people) and asked me to give her a review of it the following day… which I did… it was a hybrid review-analysis… two pages… typed).
I rejected my friend’s idea, citing that I was sure Langenkamp had heard pitches before and that it was a common invasive and annoyingly presumptuous thing aspiring artists do (perhaps automatically) when they meet a celebrity. The “Hey, have I told you my idea for a movie/script/role I’d be great for…” in hopes that the celebrity, however minor, might be able to help them make this dream a reality with whatever ties they may retain to mainstream show business.
I do not want to grovel and present myself as such an individual.
I think I am (and the idea I possess is) better than that.
So my friend had another idea: that I write to Mike and Mia Kerz (the founders and organizers of Flashback) and ask them (through their connections with Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp… as they seem to share a great relationship with both, as both celebs are at their convention repeatedly… also, both celebs must be in good standing with Craven’s Estate, as they were both friends of Craven’s and both are integral to the Nightmare franchise, especially if the next films is to be a legacy sequel) if they could potentially get me an audience (through Englund or Langenkamp) with the Craven Estate to pitch my idea. Part of my proposed script takes place at a horror convention, and my friend suggested that I make the deal beneficial to the Kerz by telling them (truthfully) that I will make it a stipulation of my deal (if my idea is considered and my script is optioned) and that the convention scenes in the film take place at Flashback Weekend. It would be great promotion for their con and would make total sense (because, again, the Elm Street alums are always there!). It would also solidify their con as legendary (as if it weren’t already) as it will have the bragging rights of being the only horror con to appear in an Elm Street movie.
It’s an intriguing prospect.
The worst the Kerz can say is “no”.
Plus, it never hurts to ask.
And if they say “no”, I’ll still attend their con (provided the guest roster is appealing) and it won’t be awkward because, well, I’ll be one of thousands of attendees.
If nothing else I will have tried.
And who knows, I may succeed.
I think both my story idea is good and my friend’s idea for proposing free promotion in return for this opportunity is a good idea.
It just may work.
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