Elgin to roll out black carpet for 'Nightmare on Elm Street' release

Nearly 100 extras gathered at the Bluff City Cemetery in Elgin about a year ago to help film a scene for a remake of the 1984 horror movie "Nightmare on Elm Street."

Now, with the film ready to hit theaters April 30, community members are planning an event leading up to a 7 p.m. showing that night to reunite the extras and provide some extra fun for moviegoers.

"I wanted to do a Rocky Horror type-thing where the community could have fun in a dark way," said Judi Brownfield, an Elgin resident and movie extra. "We want people to come in funeral black, high school cool or zombie-licious."

Starting with the black carpet, Brownfield hopes to have Elvira arrive in a hearse about 6:15 p.m. April 30 at the Marcus Theatres, 111 S. Randall Road, Elgin, and conduct interviews in the Marcus atrium.

All the extras have been invited to the show in what Brownfield has playfully dubbed as a "resurrection."

Brownfield, owner of Books At Sunset in Elgin, met a scout for the movie who was looking for the right bookstore to film scenes.

New Line Cinemas eventually chose a Chicago bookstore, but Brownfield convinced the scout to check out the city-owned Bluff City cemetery for another scene.

Officials from New Line Cinemas said last year they chose Bluff City for its hills, mausoleums and mature trees.

In the R-rated movie, Jackie Earle Haley, who played a masked vigilante named Rorschach in "The Watchmen," will reboot the role of infamous killer Freddie Krueger, a knife-fingered villain who kills people in their dreams.

Brownfield said the scene shot at Bluff City was a flashback from the female heroine's past.

She wants extras to give a big cheer when the movie arrives at the graveyard scene.

Brownfield also is looking for local residents to audition at 5:30 p.m. Sunday to portray Elvira or the male character Svengoolie on April 30. For more information, call (847) 888-1860.

Marcus does not have a midnight show planned for April 30, so the actual premiere likely will be a matinee, said Stefanie Bravo, the theater's assistant manager.

The 7 p.m. show will be on the UltraScreen, which seats 488 people, she added.

To buy tickets in advance, visit marcustheatres.com or visit the theater's Elgin box office.