I'll never forget. The year was 1991, and I was sitting in the principal's office because I wore my Freddy Krueger costume to school. I was no stranger to R-rated characters (I had just seen T2: Judgment Day with my dad that summer, after all), but the principal didn't think Freddy Krueger was appropriate for Catholic school education, so I had to be picked up. True story.
That said, Freddy (along with Jason, Michael Myers, and Chucky) was still current back in ‘91, so it made sense that I wanted to dress up as him. Fast-forward three decades, and my students (I teach when I'm not writing) all know who Freddy, Jason, Michael, and Chucky are, and I think that's pretty weird. Here's why.
Firstly, Jason, Michael, And Chucky Haven't Had New Movies In Quite Some Time
When was the last time there was a Friday the 13th, Child's Play, or Halloween movie in theaters? Well, I guess I’ll get the most recent one out of the way first, as Halloween Ends came out in 2022. That's four whole years ago! The last Child's Play, which was a reboot, came out in 2019! Yes, I’m aware that there was a TV show called Chucky, but that was cancelled in 2024 (and honestly, some people are sort of glad it’s gone). The last Friday the 13th movie came out in 2009 (!), and was a remake.
The Nightmare on Elm Street remake was also around that time in 2010. So, what’s my point? Well, my question is this: Why do my students know these characters when they all go back to the ‘80s? I mean, I get how they can all identify Freddy Fazbear, but Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers? These are all horror icons from MY childhood. So, why, pray tell, do my 7th grade students, who range in age from ages 11-13, know who these characters are?
It’s just really strange to me. It’s not like they know who John McClane or MacGyver is, but they know who Michael Myers is and that he comes from the Halloween series. How?!
I Mean, Seriously. Don't Today's Kids Have Their Own Boogie Men?
I mentioned earlier how my students can easily identify Freddy Fazbear, but I also think there’s a serious lack of boogeymen for Generation Alpha. When I asked some of the horror fans in my classroom what their favorite horror movies were, many of them picked recent ones, like Obsession (Which I love, too) and Backrooms, but I didn't hear many of them mention any specific horror characters, which is interesting.
Yes, some of my students are aware of Art the Clown, Ghostface, and Pennywise, but besides those three, my students all go back to Freddy, Jason, Michael, and Chucky, and I think that says a lot about the state of the horror villain today. While characters such as Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster, and the Wolf Man have persisted for generations, Michael, Jason, and Chucky have felt like the second wave of horror characters for my generation.
So, will today's kids ever get their own Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, or Chucky? Here’s hoping!
In The End, I Think Spirit Halloween And The Internet Have Kept These Characters Alive And Well
I thought I'd ask my students how they knew some of these characters, and the number-one answer I got was Spirit Halloween. And that makes sense. Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees are prominently displayed at the store as life-sized animatronics, and most of my students make trips there every Fall to get their Halloween costumes.
The other most common answer is YouTube, as some of their favorite YouTubers have mentioned the characters in their videos, and this has gone a long way in keeping these characters alive.
So, will this generation get some future horror icons to call their own? It's hard to say, but at least we have a plethora of upcoming horror movies coming up soon.
