Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

by Thommy Hutson

The definitive story of the making of Wes Craven's 1984 classic horror film.

Never Sleep Again is the ultimate chronicle of one of the most important horror films of the 20th century. Hutson takes fans deeper into the boiler room of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street  than they've ever dared go, from exploring what spurred mastermind Craven to craft his watershed film to the beginnings of Robert Shaye's revolutionary New Line Cinema. Never Sleep Again features dozens of exclusive cast and crew interviews, in addition to thoughts from those who worked with Craven and Shaye prior to their Nightmare .

This extensively researched, comprehensive look back is the definitive account of the film that began what many have called the best, most frightening and imaginative horror franchise in motion picture history.

Includes hundreds of black and white photos.

Genres: Horror, Nonfiction, Film, Media Tie In, Biography

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2016

About the author

Thommy Hutson is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, and author.
He has written or produced film and television projects in multiple genres—holiday, thriller, horror, and documentary—that have aired on Netflix, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Lifetime, Hulu, Bio Channel, Starz, Syfy, Shudder, Chiller, and more. As an author, he has worked in holiday romance, YA horror/thriller, and non-fiction.

Entertainment Weekly, Filmmaker Magazine, Fangoria Magazine, Coverfly’s “Red List,” Screencraft’s Cinematic Book Awards, and more have featured him and his work. He also won a Saturn Award, Home Media Magazine’s Reaper Award, a BookFest Gold Medal in Holiday Romance, an International Book Awards Gold Medal in Horror, and a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal in Young Adult Horror. A member of the Producers Guild of America, Horror Writers Association, and The Writers’ Union of Canada, Thommy received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, where he was a teaching assistant.

An aficionado of horror and teen movies from the 80s & 90s and a devotee of Christmas films, Thommy enjoys developing unique and compelling projects across multiple genres for film, television, publishing, and home entertainment.

Reviews

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 4 out of 5]

NEVER SLEEP AGAIN provides a summary of each individual A Nightmare on Elm Street's creation starting with the beginning and leading right up until the end as defined by the people who made it. It's not just the big names but the actors, writers, sound designers, producers, and more that give a top AND bottom look at the effort which went into each film. We get answers to a lot of questions that fans have been wondering for years (Question: Was ANOES 2 deliberately meant to be as homoerotic as it was? Answer: Yes).

We also get the complicated feelings of many creators on how the movies developed as well as what external market pressures influenced their creation as well as how the films' successes changed the lives of the people involved. New Line Cinema is "The House that Freddy Built" as the money from some medium-budget horror films created a media empire that provided a rare amount of creative freedom for its owners. There's also some people who got left behind as Heather Langenkamp talks about how when trying to get in touch with Wes Craven once, she was unrecognized by his secretary.

This is an odd book for me to read because I used to work with Permuted Press and it ended poorly. I also am a huge slasher fan, though, and think this is a wonderful read on the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. So, I'm going to warn readers that my opinion may be biased here. Basically, my argument is that this is an amazing work but you're much better off going to watch the documentary that was adapted from this book under the same title. This makes an excellent coffee table book but the participation of the actors elevates the other just a wee bit more.

Still, probably the definitive work for any fans of the series. It's a shame it's no longer available on Kindle.

[RL Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be warned before tackling this one. Unlike the exhaustive documentry that shares the same, this book only covers the first film. Even the legacy of Freddy and his culturally impact is glossed over. Following the doc, Craven's book, Englund's book, commentaries and interviews on DVDs the majority of fans probably have heard enough.

This isn't to say the book is bad, it's just only for the obsessive. At times Hutson gets so detailed it reads like a textbook. That's probably more what it should be. If you're interested in the film industry this is a good read (although I'd say check out a Lloyd Kauffman book). I've watched the documentry a dozen times and this book just felt dry and dull in tone.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. I chose it because i am working on a Nightmare on Elm Street cross stitch project and wanted something thematic to listen to...and this really was perfect for that. I don't think its a book id recommend if you're NOT a fan of the movies...or at least the first movie as this really is just a lot of details about the making of the first movie and interviews with the cast and crew...but I definitely had a good time listening to it.

I wish there had been more about the rest of the movies in the series...as The Elm Street Legacy seems like it would include at least a little bit about the franchise after the first film...but its OK. What was here was good and a nice way to pass the time.

[Alexandre Willer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trabalho documental primoroso de Hutson sobre um filme que reformulou os filmes de horror e alavancou Craven em sua carreira assim como criou um dos vilões mais icônicos do cinema.

Talvez peque por pintar um quadro demasiado bucólico da produção a qual deve ter sido recheada de tensões e atritos já que o dinheiro era escasso, os recursos quase inexistentes e as apostas muito altas, se houvesse falhado, teria sepultado a carreira de todos e falido a New Line que acabou virando 'casa' de filmes do gênero.

Bem recheado de extras e fotos, vale a leitura pelo registro.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adoro livros estilo documentário ou “making of”, e esse é meu filme favorito de terror. Tem centenas detalhes que enriquecem muito a experiência.

[Helena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Qualquer fã de A Hora do Pesadelo deveria ler esse livro.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never Sleep Again by Thommy Hutson is a detailed account of the creation of Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street and is similar to books like Chainsaw Confidential by Gunnar Hansen, Wes Craven's Last House on the Left by David Szulkin, On Location in Blairstown: The Making of Friday the 13th by David Grove, and Crystal Lake Memories by Peter Bracke. The book is associated with the Never Sleep Again documentary that discusses all of the Elm Street films, although this book concentrates on the original. The book is full of information straight from the cast and crew, as well as an extensive array of behind-the-scenes photographs. I've read a few books about Wes Craven and have seen numerous documentaries and special features related to A Nightmare on Elm Street, but so much of the content of this book was new to me. The author does a great job of structuring the book, and his writing is very clear and readable without being overly bland. Highly recommended for those interested in the subject matter.

[Diandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an Elm Street fantatic, well-emersed in the A Nightmare on Elm Street community, I thought I knew it all. However, this book proved me wrong. Not only is it filled with detailed behind the scenes history of the film that started the Nightmare phenomenon, it also includes the history behind New Line, which has become known as "The House that Freddy Built." I can not emphasize the level of detail enough as it breaks everything down. While these elements are exciting and eye-opening, the most exhilarating aspect for me was the cast and crew weighing in on all of the long-time rumors and stories surrounding the film - some were true, some were false, and some no one still had the answers to. The book is jam-packed with pictures and information that not even the large hardcover has within its pages.

I recommend this for any lover of film, of horror, and, especially, of the A Nightmare on Elm Street films. Stellar addition to any collection. My only quarrel is I wish it were even longer. That might sound cheesy, but it keeps you wanting more.

[Benjamin Wetmore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Great potential. horrible writing, very labored. no big insights into the film, it felt like the author was slogging through half the book to finish the writing.

the book needed more details on individual scenes and perhaps some criticism of the movie or certain aspects of production. instead it reads like an uncritical fanboy.

watch the documentary of the same name, much better.

[Kristi Gibson · Rating 1 out of 5]

As someone who is undoubtedly a fan of this film, I could not come close to finishing this book.

This is truly a chronicle. It makes no effort to present the information in an engaging or entertaining way, but rather it extensively details the exact events leading up to and following the debut of A Nightmare on Elm Street. It reads like a dictionary - dry and overwhelming (even for a geek).

[A Cesspool · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rare instance the movie is better than the book (it's based on) -- the essential 2010 documentary (of same name) is actually principle architect (á la, both chicken & egg), with this complimentary text (published several years later) merely uncomplicated cash-grab, imo; Offering no new data or supplemental specs (since doc's home video release).

Author, Thommy Hutson’s Elm Street 1 monograph is an abbreviated mess, principally concentrated with heralding cheapskate-grifter distributor (& wannabe-Harvey Weinstein): Robert "Bob" Shaye. Probably Never Sleep's worst offense is commemorating the churlishly greedy (and illegal) property contract Shaye bamboozled Wes Craven into signing, summarizing the entire transaction (and its remarkable fallout) in one, lone, sentence <??>

Fck off!

This book has less to do with the exceptional 2010 documentary, much less, behind-the-scenes of ANOES, and only exists as revisionist-history of Shaye’s needless participation & useless contributions throughout the making of ANOES (1984). Srsly, Shaye's input should have been restricted to Financing & Marketing (especially since Shaye resided in New York throughout Elm Street's West coast production); But the author gifts Shaye an entire chapter, needlessly commemorating biography & background.
The worst thing about Elm Street-ip is everything-Bob Shaye! And you know this.
- - - - - - -
Do yourself a favor, bypass this neutered B-T-S copy-pasta [srsly culled from documentary's English subtitles track] and check out extended supplemental features bundled with Never Sleep Again DVD/BD discs instead. Otherwise, invest your time in real non-fiction: John Connolly’s explosive New Line exposé featured in July 1998 Premiere magazine.

- - - - - - - -
Fun Fact: Shaye’s most swaggering Elm Street anecdotal -- a hamfisted triumph-over-adversity mythology -- how Elm Street's principal investor backed out, two weeks before production-start date (or on the eve starting principal photography, Shaye's previously cited variable dates ...actually on-the-record, no less!) ...is total Horse shit.
What Really Happened: Bob Shaye just didn’t want to finance Elm Street’s PRE-production (any longer). As reported elsewhere, ANOES was the mini-major distributor's first, legit, fully mostly-financed studio feature (with catered meals, actual honeywagon and for-real grips, albeit still, all, non-union) -- Shaye was initially on-board: Elm Street would be more Orion Pictures [utilizing guild members on non-union show], than Roger Corman [all college kids, unpaid PAs, with one professional (European) cameraman]; but after a few weeks of keeping a [growing] staff on payroll '...for work the audience will never see...,' Shaye pulled-the-plug; Rather, he allegedly concocted this fantastic fable about his overseas investor [Smart Egg’s George Zecevic] clawing-back their Elm Street investment. Nope.
FYI: Shaye can’t keep his own bullshit narratives straight… He's actually alternated [née: blamed] other ANOES investors when reselling this fiction; More recently substituting Joe Wolf's production investment.

[Benji's Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

You never forget your first R-Rated movie. Wes Craven's a Nightmare on Elm Street was mine and I remember it perfectly.

It felt wrong, but my dad was in a good mood and put the vhs in and it was supposed to be our father/son bonding time. I was still in elementary school and had this red blanket with a white snowflake design on each corner of the blanket and whenever my dad told me to cover up during one of the mature scenes, I would. But little did he know, below one of the snowflakes, was a tiny hole I would look out of to see what the film wanted me to see.

I regret every second.

However, years later, I became a really big fan of classic films and finding out all the things about how they were made. With my Dad being a movie/television prop-replica-builder, it makes sense.

2016 rolls around and I find myself walking around BAM: Books A Million, the store known for taking over the now out-of-business Borders, another book store. I was just starting high school and did not have a job at the time, but there it was: NEVER SLEEP AGAIN: the Elm Street Legacy by Thommy Hutson. The glorious paperback with a print-size so small it scared me then, almost as much as it does now. Not only that, but [probably] hundreds of black and white never-before-seen production photos and a new color painting right when you open the cover to the first page.

"Next time, baby," I said to myself as I closed the book and placed it back on the shelf.

I never saw that book again.

That is, until March of 2023. Finally, the out-of-print book I've been searching for for seven years had found its way into my eBay shopping cart, after someone put it up for sale for a much more reasonable price than what the book usually goes for. Every now and then you get lucky getting a rare book (or any find for that matter).

This book was incredible. It was actually my second "Making of" book, after FUTURE NOIR: the Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon. And boy, do I not regret searching for this book for as long as I did. The amount of work that was put into this was astounding. The author even got the editor and poster artist's thoughts and stories of working on the film.

It starts out with a forward and introduction of course, but after that, somewhat of a biography of Wes Craven leading up to how he found himself writing Nightmare. And from there, to production and releasing the film, until finally (though believe me, I didnt want it to end), everyone interviewed, looking back on the...dare I say it? The...Elm Street Legacy (that's the name of the book! I did a thing!)

I cannot recommend this enough if you are a fan of Horror, filmmaking or just a Nightmare on Elm Street fanatic in general. Not to mention that if you had the strength to read up to this point, you obviously want the book, so just get it---at a reasonable price of course.

Though if I'm being honest, that was a well-spent $50.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder* · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've become more intrigued by some movie books about my favorite movies. The rock star remains the Crystal Lake interviews and controveries for the Friday the 13th movies as the shining star, and the audiobook for Leave the gun, Take the Cannoli for the first Godfather movie. Nightmare on Elm Street (original) has always been my favorite horror movie, so this one sounded fun.

I will say there's a small lag to get into the actual movie and why I picked it up. Part of the issue is it takes 20% or so to get to the actual movie. Now, we would not have a movie without a director and producer, but that does not mean when reading a book about a movie that I want a chapter about each of their lives and childhoods. Really this just has nothing at all to do with the movie. We even get childhood photos. Next time you run into a big fan of the movie and they start talking about trivia and behind the scenes stuff, you can turn to them and say, Yes, but did YOU know that Robert Shaye played football in high school?

I am happy to say the book covered the case that started Craven's interest in the idea, the real life death of the boy who fell asleep and died in his sleep after worrying this would happen.

An uneplained mystery to this day.Apparently there is a scientific name in different languages for this, which all translate to "Nightmare death." Scary, right?

Casting was especially interesting section. Had no idea Charlie Sheen turned down the part of Glen!

When this book takes off about the actual movie, it's in-depth to the extreme and anything you'd want. Casting choices and history, tension with director and producer and money, all the special effects and limitations, each important scene, quotes from cast and crew, makeup decisions and application, the wonderful composer and they money that almost wasn't, the reception, the first viewing by cast (or not due to the fire dept...), the conception art, the dreams, and the success. And of course the wars over the ending of the movie and why that one part is perhaps the weakest of the film and feels so weird.

And a lot of pictures. Great pictures. Scene, cast, hanging out, movie still shots, artwork, it's all there in glorious detail.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a biography of the low-budget film, A Nightmare on Elm Street. It begins with Wes Craven's idea for this film and follows this idea as he develops it into a screenplay and a script and works with industry professionals to bring his story to life. The author writes about the actors that were cast, and a couple that weren't cast, and then he follows the story of the movie from idea to pre-production, to actual filming, post-production editing, and finally marketing. Ever wonder how they got the bed to digest a teenager, then vomit blood? That's in here. And how they got Freddie Krueger to have impossibly long arms, in the days before CGI? That's also in here. The author goes scene by scene and tells the reader exactly how they set up the shot, how they got the special effects to work, little errors that you never knew were errors, and why a character was wearing a specific costume or another. It's all in here.

I just really liked this book. It was a lot of fun for me to read about the pre-production process and everything they had to do to bring the story to the screen. It was especially interesting because the movie had almost a non-existent budget. Some of the special effects were made with less than $10 of various parts of things that might be lying around your house. The author really worked to make the story a very vivid one and at times I felt like an extra hanging around a set. This was a lot of fun. I would recommend having a copy of Nightmare on Elm Street handy to refer to.

[Pedro Moreno · Rating 3 out of 5]

"A luva me afetou porque ela é pesada, e quando eu a coloquei o ombro abaixou um pouco."

A Dark Side fez um ótimo trabalho com essa edição de luxo. A capa é interessante e a jaqueta faz um complemento divertido servindo de agasalho do Freddy Krueger. O livro é recheado de material complementar, como fotos da produção, cartazes, detalhes dos efeitos especiais e trechos de reportagens e roteiros. Só pecou por ser totalmente em branco e preto, o que tira muito valor de materiais relacionados a cinema de terror.

Composto de relatos do diretor, produtor, atores e equipe de produção do primeiro filme da franquia A Hora do Pesadelo, nos capítulos iniciais, o livro relata como Wes Craven foi criando o roteiro ao longo de sua carreira de diretor e essa é a parte mais interessante.

"O efeito especial custou cinco dólares. Era apenas um telefone de princesa e uma língua, que colocamos em uma pequena alavanca, e bastava apertá-la que ela saía do telefone. Isso chocou muito as pessoas."

Never Sleep Again torna-se depois bastante enfadonho com diversos relatos redundantes de diversos membros da produção sobre os mesmos fatos, recapitulando o filme inteiro de cena a cena. A divisão dos capítulos peca em criar trechos muito longos, cheios de subtítulos desconexos, o que deixa a leitura cansativa.

Trata-se de um item essencial para colecionadores. Curiosos não devem tirar muito proveito das mais de 500 páginas em PB e o tema impede o uso decorativo, especialmente em ambientes com crianças pequenas.

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

...in loving memory, Wes Craven, 1939~2015

TO BE DEAD IS OK, BUT TO BE FORGOTTEN IS A REAL BITCH!

As far as I can grope into the vast sea of my recollection, A Nightmare on Elm Street was the first horror movie I've ever seen. Now I can still remember a lot of details, such as Freddy goes thru a wall and leaves the wall on fire, Freddy's face moves behind the mural space right above the headboard, Freddy's arms so long that they're trying to hug me, oh, Depp was sucked into his bed and thrown up again in a fountain of blood, blah blah blah. And yeah! That rope jumping nursery rhyme :D

Actually the movies never scare me even if they're scary, I just love them for the innovations, the perseverance and the coolness and all

While reading this book, I realized my eyes were watery and there was a lump in my throat, I just felt I'd grown up with Freddy on Elm Street, Springwood, Ohio. It has much rare details and never-before-seen materials, they graphically portray the birth of this legendary, classical horror movie series...and stuff like how Wes created Freddy, Why he named Freddy as Freddy Krueger, Why he chose Depp not Charlie Sheen to be Glen, etc. Definitely a must read for a Freddy buff like me

The book is so cool, Freddy is so cool, the crew was so cool, Wes was so cool, but not that cool the moment Freddy spoke Shanghainese to me when he visited me in my dream after I'd seen the movie on VCR in 1990

Welcome, be my guest, fuckers!!

(less)

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are an Elm Street fan then you will love this, and luckily for me, I am a huge Elm Street fan.

If you have seen the film once or twice then you may find this a little boring, there are plenty of pages that I can see people having to slog through it, if like me you have seen the film countless times and love Freddy Krueger (even the terrible films) then this really is the book for you.

I already knew lots of the little behind the scenes stories and knew the tricks behind the special effects but it was nice to hear the cast actually telling their side of the story, it really does sound like everyone had a blast whilst they were filming this despite the budgetary constraints.

One thing to be aware of before going into this book is that it isn't an overview of all of the films it only details the first one, not that that should bother anyone as it really is the best and was groundbreaking when it first came out.

A must read for any fan.

[Ethan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an in depth exploration of the first Nightmare on Elm Street film with some real fascinating insights.

My main complaint is the lack of acknowledgment towards the sequels. I get that this book is just about the first film but when you have Englund and Langenkamp talking about how far they got to develop their characters it would have been nice to hear about them revisiting them, which they both did, (even revisiting them as themselves at one point in the series) but sadly they kind of just brush over the sequels in favour of praising Wes Craven’s original film which is nice but I wanted a little more. Not to mention that Rachel Talalay went on to director a film in the franchise also.

TBH now that I’ve said it, I’d just like the author to write a book for each film.

Stunning little love letter to the original and Wes Craven, with some great pictures as well.

[lincë · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esse livro é incrível pra quem é muito fã de horror (como eu) e que ama saber bastidores e histórias de como tudo foi criado e desenvolvido (como eu também). Conta sobre a carreira do Wes Craven (descanse em paz) e sobre o processo de criação tanto do vilão Freddy Krueger tanto quanto o do roteiro do filme e também conta e explica todo o contexto da New Line Cinema e como "A Hora do Pesadelo" a salvou da falência. Tem fotos dos bastidores, tem história de seleção dos atores, tem detalhes de como o Johnny Depp foi parar no filme, esse livro tem TUDO.

Eu ganhei de presente de aniversário e foi a melhor coisa do mundo. A edição é maravilhosa, padrão Darkside, tem fotos MARAVILHOSAS. É realmente um prato cheio pra quem é muito fã e/ou estuda audiovisual... Como eu. :)

[Johnathon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent chronicle of the making of "A Nightmare On Elm Street" that gets everyone involved, from the actors, director, producers and visual effects people. Hutson does a great job covering every angle, and even gets some of involved to remark on moments they weren't fond of (for example, the visual effects crew openly admits to the bad death at the end). The writing is paired with some excellent production art and photos, making an all encompassing read for fans of the classic horror movie, along with a perfect companion for the documentary of the same name.

[Kia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing! Everything you could possibly ever hope to know about Nightmare on Elm Street including a background into Wes Craven, Bob Shaye, and the entire movie-making process from casting through marketing and release. This book is extremely detailed with great behind-the-scenes stories and photos from the people who were actually involved. Makes me miss Wes Craven even more! A must-read for any Nightmare on Elm Street fan!

[CA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exhaustive research with mostly interviews specifically for this book (there’s a bit of farming to other sources, which is to be expected). I loved the depth and character sketches of everyone involved. Granted, Hutson had the advantage of profiling a more recent movie and could talk to many of the folks that made it, but this is an impressive dive into the original NOES.

[Joanna Maharaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any horror or pop culture fan will enjoy seeing how New Line Cinema became " The House that Freddy Built". From the conception of the iconic Freddy Kreuger to interviews with cast and crew. It's a great read that will make you miss Wes Craven even more.

[Michael Goth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and very detailed look into one of the greatest films ever made. Includes interviews with Wes Craven, Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp. A must read for fans of the landmark horror movie.

[Nicholas Kopsian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book on what it took to get A Nightmare on Elm Street made. I would recommend it only if you are a big fan of the movie, otherwise you won't care.

[Anna Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

De um momento de puro terror segundo uma mente infantil ao sucesso que chegou até hoje...

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cannot recommend this book enough! Very thorough and well-written book all about Elm Street.

[Sergio · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little retrospective and companion to the superior Never Sleep Again documentary.