One of the last true horror legends, Robert Englund sits alongside the likes of Karloff, Lugosi, Price, Lee, and Cushing as a bonafide icon of the genre. But much like many of the aforementioned, Englund has a lot more to offer than simple thrills, as he's actually a quite a talented actor who just never seemed to find the right opportunities to show how great he was.
Here, I will be naming my personal favorite performances of Englund's career, and hopefully a few of my mentions here will inspire people to dig a little deeper into his filmography. I won't be reinventing the wheel with this list, but I hope at least a few of these wind up standing out and possibly surprising a few people who are fans of his. If not, sorry to disappoint you. Let's begin.
| 10. | Anti-Pops
in Regular Show |
In the past decade or so, Englund has lended his voice to many animated works, but the one I'm most drawn in by is his recurring role in the final season of Regular Show as the evil version of the incredibly naive Pops. It's a relatively one-note character, but there are a few brief moments where he opens up to being more than just pure malice, and Englund handles all of it perfectly.
| 9. | Erik Lestler
in The Phantom Of The Opera |
There have been far too many adaptations of The Phantom Of The Opera, and of the movie versions I've seen, this one is definitely near the bottom of the list. But Englund's heavily Freddy-inspired take on the character still leaves a pretty strong impression. It's a very dark take on the character, which veers more into the horror genre than most others, and Englund pulls it off exactly as you might expect.
| 8. | Raymond Beaumont
in Wishmaster |
Often relegated to pure evil characters, Englund doesn't often get to show off just how smooth and charming he really is, but this role lets him do just that. A relatively minor supporting role in a film full of showy performances, this is a great showcase for Englund as a more realistic and grounded character -- even if it's still within a silly horror movie.
One of those roles that could have destroyed a career had it not been played so effectively, Buck is a pretty difficult character to root for, as he's pretty much a creep across the board. But with just enough humanity to attempt to save people from a horrific fate, he's able to be somewhat redeemed. Still, this is an effective supporting turn, and one of the best early performances of his career.
| 6. | Mayor George W. Buckham
in 2001 Maniacs |
This is pretty much the peak of self-aware era Englund, at the point in his career where he knew he was starring in total crap, but just went all-out with it to give the most entertainingly over-the-top performances he possibly could. This could easily be argued to be a terrible performance, but there's something about just how wacky this performance was that makes it really work for me. He just looks like he's having a lot of fun here.
In one of his rare good guy roles, this is an against-type character that he never could have gotten following the release of A Nightmare On Elm Street. It's a very sweet and innocent performance that balances corny costuming, fish-out-of-water humor, and genuine goodness. I haven't seen all of V (I stopped watching the show after Ironside left), but he maintained consistent likability throughout what I saw in the series and miniseries'.
| 4. | Doc Halloran
in Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon |
Effectively Robert Englund's chance to play Loomis from Halloween instead of just the bad guy as usual. While the movie itself has some issues (largely with the casting/performance of the lead woman), Englund shines in this supporting role, giving yet another example of why he should never have been so typecast to begin with. It's really a shame that he wasn't given more real acting opportunities in his prime, as he was capable of so much more than what he was frequently restricted to.
| 3. | Bill Gartley
in The Mangler |
Okay, here's another one of those performances that's just as goofy and bad as it is amazing, but if I'm being totally honest, this is one of my favorite things Englund has ever done and I find it genuinely enjoyable and memorable. Caked with tons of makeup, Englund infuses the character with an equally distinct walk and mannerisms to match his odd look, and manages to make the character more entertaining and bizarre than I could've possibly expected.
| 2. | Freddy Krueger
in A Nightmare On Elm Street series |
I know, I know. This is like my Bruce Campbell list all over again. But if I'm being totally honest, outside of some creepy scenes, great one-liners, and the obviously iconic look, the more you see of Freddy the worst he often becomes. Still, this is one of the single most important horror movie characters of all-time, and it wouldn't have been half as memorable had it been a part taken on by anyone else. This is a legendary role, and I love it. But, if I'm going by my favorite performance of his overall?
| 1. | Professor Gordon Crowley
in Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer |
Hey look at me, I'm doing that thing where I come across as disingenuous in my attempts to stand out by not going 100% with the grain! But seriously, as a single performance, I find this to be Robert Englund at his finest. There's a great deal of variety with this one, as he literally transforms over the course of the movie, and watching Englund embody and successfully pull off this change through his mannerisms and speech patterns is pretty great stuff. This is comparable to Vincent D'Onofrio in Men In Black, a performance so great you never stop to question the fact that he's actually a giant alien insect inside a human body suit for one second. This is the same type thing, and Englund's physical comedy is simply perfect. I really enjoy this movie, but I love the performance even more.
In the past decade or so, Englund has lended his voice to many animated works, but the one I'm most drawn in by is his recurring role in the final season of Regular Show as the evil version of the incredibly naive Pops. It's a relatively one-note character, but there are a few brief moments where he opens up to being more than just pure malice, and Englund handles all of it perfectly. 
There have been far too many adaptations of The Phantom Of The Opera, and of the movie versions I've seen, this one is definitely near the bottom of the list. But Englund's heavily Freddy-inspired take on the character still leaves a pretty strong impression. It's a very dark take on the character, which veers more into the horror genre than most others, and Englund pulls it off exactly as you might expect.
Often relegated to pure evil characters, Englund doesn't often get to show off just how smooth and charming he really is, but this role lets him do just that. A relatively minor supporting role in a film full of showy performances, this is a great showcase for Englund as a more realistic and grounded character -- even if it's still within a silly horror movie.
One of those roles that could have destroyed a career had it not been played so effectively, Buck is a pretty difficult character to root for, as he's pretty much a creep across the board. But with just enough humanity to attempt to save people from a horrific fate, he's able to be somewhat redeemed. Still, this is an effective supporting turn, and one of the best early performances of his career. 
This is pretty much the peak of self-aware era Englund, at the point in his career where he knew he was starring in total crap, but just went all-out with it to give the most entertainingly over-the-top performances he possibly could. This could easily be argued to be a terrible performance, but there's something about just how wacky this performance was that makes it really work for me. He just looks like he's having a lot of fun here.
In one of his rare good guy roles, this is an against-type character that he never could have gotten following the release of A Nightmare On Elm Street. It's a very sweet and innocent performance that balances corny costuming, fish-out-of-water humor, and genuine goodness. I haven't seen all of V (I stopped watching the show after Ironside left), but he maintained consistent likability throughout what I saw in the series and miniseries'.
Effectively Robert Englund's chance to play Loomis from Halloween instead of just the bad guy as usual. While the movie itself has some issues (largely with the casting/performance of the lead woman), Englund shines in this supporting role, giving yet another example of why he should never have been so typecast to begin with. It's really a shame that he wasn't given more real acting opportunities in his prime, as he was capable of so much more than what he was frequently restricted to.
Okay, here's another one of those performances that's just as goofy and bad as it is amazing, but if I'm being totally honest, this is one of my favorite things Englund has ever done and I find it genuinely enjoyable and memorable. Caked with tons of makeup, Englund infuses the character with an equally distinct walk and mannerisms to match his odd look, and manages to make the character more entertaining and bizarre than I could've possibly expected. 
I know, I know. This is like my Bruce Campbell list all over again. But if I'm being totally honest, outside of some creepy scenes, great one-liners, and the obviously iconic look, the more you see of Freddy the worst he often becomes. Still, this is one of the single most important horror movie characters of all-time, and it wouldn't have been half as memorable had it been a part taken on by anyone else. This is a legendary role, and I love it. But, if I'm going by my favorite performance of his overall? 
Hey look at me, I'm doing that thing where I come across as disingenuous in my attempts to stand out by not going 100% with the grain! But seriously, as a single performance, I find this to be Robert Englund at his finest. There's a great deal of variety with this one, as he literally transforms over the course of the movie, and watching Englund embody and successfully pull off this change through his mannerisms and speech patterns is pretty great stuff. This is comparable to Vincent D'Onofrio in Men In Black, a performance so great you never stop to question the fact that he's actually a giant alien insect inside a human body suit for one second. This is the same type thing, and Englund's physical comedy is simply perfect. I really enjoy this movie, but I love the performance even more. 
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