The Bobby Bones Show: Movie Mike’s Movie Podcast

Episode: Robert Englund Reveals His Secret To Playing Freddy Krueger + Movie Review: The Smashing Machine…Why did It Bomb? + Trailer Park: Zootopia 2
Date: October 18, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of “Movie Mike’s Movie Podcast” is a Halloween-season special focusing on the legacy of Freddy Krueger and the “Nightmare on Elm Street” franchise, centered around interviews with Robert Englund (Freddy) and directors Jack Sholder and Rachel Talalay. Movie Mike also reviews the biopic “The Smashing Machine,” discussing its box office underperformance and his defense of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s riskier role choice. The episode closes with a deep dive into Disney’s “Zootopia” and excitement for its sequel, highlighting the emotional resonance and social messages in modern animated films.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Enduring Legacy of Freddy Krueger

[02:42 – 05:46]

• Robert Englund’s iconic status: Movie Mike opens by emphasizing how Englund is the irreplaceable heart of the “Nightmare” films, delivering both wit and menace as Freddy.
• Physical media advocacy: With the new 7-film 4K collection, Mike champions owning the franchise to avoid losing it to disappearing streaming rights.

[05:46 – 10:20]

Interview: Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger)

• Discovering Freddy in the Makeup Chair:
  • Process: Robert Englund describes how the tedious and uncomfortable 4-hour daily prosthetics routine—cold glue, crusty brushes, and headbanger music—primed him to embody Freddy.
  • Quote:

    “I was just the guy under pounds of foam, latex and colostomy bag glue… I had to suffer a lot of heavy metal in those early days. Those guys were all headbangers.” — Robert Englund [05:56]

  • Finding the voice: Englund admits slipping into a gruff voice out of annoyance, which became Freddy’s signature sound:

    “Sometimes I would slip into a voice that I would eventually settle on as Freddy’s voice… ‘Damn it, Kevin or David, get that brush out of my face.’ And it just worked. And I knew that I could live in that voice.” — Robert Englund [07:23]

• Physicality of the Role:
  • Freddy’s movements and bold stunts evolved out of the freedom Englund felt wearing the full makeup, making him less inhibited and more physically expressive.
  • Quote:

    “With Freddy, what was fun was when I had that makeup on, it sort of made me more or less inhibited, and I was able to kind of dance him a little more and move… I wasn’t afraid to explore the physicality of the character.” — Robert Englund [09:04]

  • Englund did many of his own stunts except for extreme action sequences.

2. Behind the Scenes: Nightmare on Elm Street Directors

[10:25 – 19:58]

Interview: Jack Sholder (“Freddy’s Revenge” Director)

• Casting Drama:
  • Early in “Nightmare 2,” New Line considered replacing Englund due to a salary dispute—his stand-in was not even a stunt double, which made for a rough start.
  • Quote:

    “He wasn’t a stuntman… This guy had no idea what the fuck he was doing.” — Jack Sholder [11:13]

• Practical Effects Challenges:
  • Special effects relied on a veteran SFX supervisor with outdated tricks. Creatively navigating this resulted in some effect sequences looking "hokey," but Sholder sees that as a nostalgic strength.
  • Quote:

    “Part of the beauty of the film, I think, is that it’s kind of handmade. You can see it wasn’t made out of a factory mold… It’s very imperfect, but maybe for viewers that’s part of the charm of ’80s horror.” — Jack Sholder [13:37]

• Favorite Sequences:
  • Cites the steel mill finale and the inventive shower scene as creative highlights where he exerted the most artistic influence.

Interview: Rachel Talalay (“Freddy’s Dead” Director)

• Trailblazing for Female Directors:
  • Talalay rose from accountant to producer to director within New Line, but faced gender barriers after leaving the company.
  • Quote:

    “Everything I know about making effects… I learned on Nightmare on Elm Street. It was not enough to overcome my chromosomes.” — Rachel Talalay [16:58]

• Studio Relationships:
  • On “Freddy’s Dead” she had trust and creative leeway, despite disagreements with the studio on later edits and on other projects.
  • Trust with Actors:

    “He’s not a man in a hockey mask. He’s a brilliant actor…It allows for the dialogue—how far do we want to push this? How scary, how funny? Giving him a lot of freedom.” — Rachel Talalay [17:48]

• Wildest Promo: Freddy’s Funeral:
  • Describes the Los Angeles "Freddy Krueger Day" and mock funeral as “insane” and “hilarious.”

    “We had a coffin… the concept of this being like this promo funeral thing was… so crazy… L.A. in the crazy, crazy times.” — Rachel Talalay [18:33]

• On Marketing:
  • Had unusually strong input due to her tenure; often directors don’t influence marketing.

3. Movie Review: The Smashing Machine

[24:55 – 36:33]

• Film Overview:
  • Stars Dwayne Johnson as real-life MMA fighter Mark Kerr; written/directed by Ben Safdie, co-starring Emily Blunt.
• Mark Kerr’s Characterization:
  • The film toggles between Kerr’s gentle, relatable side and his violent alter-ego in and out of the ring, but Mike feels the narrative fails to fully flesh him out for audiences unfamiliar with him.
• Mike’s Critique:
  • The script jumps around too much and lacks a clear, emotional climax.
  • Praises Emily Blunt’s performance as the best in the film and notes Johnson’s effort at depth, but finds it falls short of Oscar-level.
• On The Rock:
  • Mike surprisingly defends The Rock, celebrating his risk-taking:

    “This is the most three dimensional character The Rock has played in years… I commend The Rock for taking this role, for wanting to show people a different side of him.” — Movie Mike [28:41]

  • Laments Rock’s “no-lose clause” legacy from action franchises, but believes that here he was allowed to be more vulnerable and authentic.
  • Ponders why Johnson’s massive online following didn’t translate to ticket sales, likening it to “the most popular kid in school has a birthday party and nobody shows up.”
• Technical Praise:
  • The movie’s use of handheld 16mm film and some IMAX footage created visceral, raw fight scenes.
• Final Verdict:
  • Enjoyable, but not as impactful as hoped.

    “Even though it didn’t really drive home that emotional moment… still found the movie enjoyable… I give it four out of five blows to the head.” — Movie Mike [36:25]

4. Trailer Park: Zootopia 2

[41:22 – 51:14]

• Zootopia’s Emotional Impact:
  • Mike reflects on how the original “Zootopia” taught lessons on friendship, prejudice, systemic bias, and inclusion wrapped in a kid-friendly adventure.
  • He plays and analyzes a key, emotional scene between Nick (Jason Bateman) and Judy (Ginnifer Goodwin), noting the power of showing prejudice and trust:

    “Just with that line, ‘You’re not like them,’ that line said so much to me… It was such a powerful scene.” — Movie Mike [44:04]

• Hopes for the Sequel:
  • Expresses optimism that “Zootopia 2” will carry forward the nuanced handling of real-world issues (fear, exclusion, diversity) via a new snake character.
  • Discusses how animation (especially Disney) can teach profound real-life lessons to both kids and adults, citing "The Lion King’s" Mufasa scene as formative.
  • Celebrates Zootopia’s fun (the DMV sloths) and substance, arguing films with emotional stakes and message last longer in culture.
  • Quote:

    “I have always been a big fan of movies that can teach kids complex ideas… When I was a kid I learned so much from movies—ideas and things my parents couldn’t teach me.” — Movie Mike [47:54]

• Excitement for Zootopia 2:
  • The animation looks fantastic, the story promises to be bigger, and the themes of unity and empathy remain at the forefront.
  • Mike pledges to see the film even if he’s the only adult without kids in the theater.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Suffering for Art:

  “I had to suffer a lot of heavy metal in those early days. Those guys were all headbangers. So there was a lot of heavy metal in the makeup trailer.”
  – Robert Englund [05:56]

• On Freddy’s Uniqueness:

  “When he walks across the room, you could feel the room shake.”
  – Jack Sholder on Robert Englund as Freddy [12:09]

• On 80s Practical Effects:

  “It’s very imperfect, but maybe for viewers that’s part of the charm of the ‘80s horror films.”
  – Jack Sholder [13:54]

• On Breaking Barriers:

  “Everything I know about making effects and stuff… I learned on Nightmare on Elm Street. It was not enough to overcome my chromosomes.”
  – Rachel Talalay [16:58]

• On The Rock’s Vulnerability:

  “This almost feels like the most popular kid in school has a birthday party and nobody shows up… I commend the Rock for taking this role, for wanting to show people a different side of him.”
  – Movie Mike [28:41]

• On Animated Movies & Life Lessons:

  “I learned about life, I learned about death… about good and evil… by watching a lot of Disney movies. And I think to make great art, you have to include things that might be a little bit uncomfortable.”
  – Movie Mike [48:37]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:42] – Introduction to Freddy Krueger, “Nightmare” franchise relevance
• [05:46] – Interview with Robert Englund: Makeup rituals and creating Freddy
• [10:25] – Jack Sholder: Near-recasting Freddy; practical effects challenges
• [16:06] – Rachel Talalay: Directing “Freddy’s Dead”, Hollywood obstacles
• [24:55] – Movie review: “The Smashing Machine” (The Rock, biopic, box office)
• [41:22] – Zootopia 1 & 2: Emotional lessons and trailer breakdown

Tone & Style

The tone throughout is enthusiastic and conversational, with Movie Mike’s reverence for horror and animation shining through. The interviews are relaxed but insightful, delivering lots of behind-the-scenes trivia and candor from Englund, Sholder, and Talalay.

Takeaways

• The “Nightmare” franchise’s magic is inseparable from Robert Englund’s inventive, embodied performance.
• Directors Jack Sholder and Rachel Talalay overcame wild production constraints and, in Talalay’s case, real barriers as a female director, to leave a unique stamp on the franchise.
• “The Smashing Machine” is a rare dramatic turn for The Rock, but Mike argues its scattered focus and undercooked character development led to a disappointing box office and “Oscar miss”—even as he defends the star’s risk-taking.
• Modern animated films like “Zootopia” can still deliver life lessons with emotional authenticity, and Mike is optimistic that Zootopia 2 will live up to its legacy.