Horror Movie Icon Robert Englund Honored with Hollywood Walk of Fame Star on Halloween

Horror movie icon Robert Englund, best known for his portrayal of Freddy Krueger, received a star on the Walk of Fame on Friday, which falls in coincidence with Halloween, the spookiest day of the year.

The actor, 78, appeared at the event, where he was honored with speeches from actress Heather Langenkamp and director Eli Roth.

Langenkamp, who starred opposite Englund as heroine Nancy Thompson in the original "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) and "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" (1987), shared her memories of both Englund and his revered horror character, Freddy Krueger.

"They did a lot of months of preparing the special effects makeup that he would wear. They had many weeks of preparing a costume that would bring forth that incredible silhouette of Freddy Krueger that we all know so well. And when I look at this five-pointed star in front of me with Robert's name on it, I think of the five fingers of that oily, dirty glove that he wore on his right hand," she said.

Langenkamp continued: "That glove dreamed up by Wes Craven. He was an unapologetic visionary, telling us how evil evil can be, and on that glove were four knives for fingernails that primal fear we all have of beasts in the wild that can just rip us to pieces when we're not even aware of it. So, these elements all became part of Robert on these very early days of Nightmare on Elm Street."

The actress also recalled hearing Freddy's voice for the first time, noting, "It was Gravelly. It was sneering. There was a little spittle involved. It was incredibly just... it stuck your teeth on edge. The minute Robert took on Freddy's voice, and he married that demented sneer with this wonderful portrayal of the most evil character you can think of."

Of their work together, particularly some intense fight scenes, she continued, "It was Robert who choreographed our fights for the most part, and he always made sure the glove was the third lead in the shot. He always made sure it was just close enough to my face to give me shivers, but not to actually cut me. And so, when I look at those scenes on film, I see the magic of Robert Englund, the classically trained actor, Royal Academy alumni."

She was preceded by Roth, who was a producer and part of the cast of 2001's 2001 "Maniacs," where Englund played an eccentric small-town mayor. Roth recalled getting to know Englund and hearing stories about the theater rather than the horror-movie set.

"It is these experiences that encapsulate a man who truly understands how to find the humanity, even in a monster," he added, pointing out that Freddy Krueger was the first killer to ever speak in a slasher movie.

"Up until then, slashers were silent assassins or a breathers, an avatar is for the unstoppable force of death, but Robert made death fun, just so f---ing fun with such classic one-liners... Suddenly, we weren't afraid of the monster. We were rooting for him, and that was a turning point, not just in horror, but in cinema itself."

Englund also took the opportunity to speak, thanking fans and friends for their support throughout his career, which has seen the actor appear in over 100 films.