No Nightmare Repeat: Englund Back to Directing

Robert Englund, un-Freddied. 

Forget the Freddie redux–as it turns out, Robert Englund just wants to direct.

According to Variety, Robert Englund, best known as Freddie Kruger, has signed on to direct The Vij, a horror movie starring…Christopher Lee!!

(I am officially declaring the phrase, “horror movie starring Christopher Lee” one of the greatest guilty pleasure signifiers in the entire English language.)

Based on a novel by 19th century Russian literary star Nikolai Gogol, The Vij is about “an evil genie who conditions the actions of a young priest, leading him to commit murder and fall in love with an old witch who is actually not what she seems.”

Englund is acting in the movie as well, though, it’s not listed which part he’ll be playing. Lee is playing a God type figure called, “The Father.” Russian actress Olga Schuvalova will play the female lead; the role of the young priest is still up for grabs. The production is filming in Italy.

Englund previously directed 976 Evil and Killer Pad. Otherwise he’s been keeping busy starring in a number of horror movies (his IMDB page has three 2008 credits listed). I’m sure he didn’t go to his first audition for something like Henry IV, Part I, dreaming of someday being the go-to guy for low-budget horror flicks, but the man never stops working, and most actors don’t get a sniff of anything tha can be called a career. So enjoy the ride, Mr. Englund–and brush up on that Russian and Italian!