Reign of the Scream Queens: Heather Langenkamp

Scream Queen Impact

Born in 1964, Heather Langenkamp wasted little time making an impact in horror. She had only two acting credits prior to starring as Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984). She appeared in cut scenes for the amazing 1983 film, The Outsiders, and in a 1984 television film called Passions. Her next role was that of Nancy. The film was made for just over one million dollars and ended up raking in nearly sixty million dollars at the box office. It also spawned a franchise that continues to this day and Nancy Thompson’s epic battle against the franchise’s villain, Freddy Krueger, made it all happen.

Langenkamp returned to the franchise twice. The first time was in A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), where Nancy returned as a therapist that helps teens at a psychiatric hospital. The second time that Langenkamp returned to Elm Street was for the 1994 film, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, in which she plays a version of herself along with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, and John Saxon, as well as other producers, cast, and crew from prior Elm Street films. In that film, Craven is working on a new Elm Street film and Freddy manifests into reality, going on the hunt for Heather’s son in the film, Dylan (Miko Hughes).

Outside of A Nightmare On Elm Street, Mrs. Langenkamp had roles in numerous other horror films and horror franchises including Hellraiser: Judgment (2018), Shocker (1989), The Butterfly Room (2012), and Home (2016). Langenkamp has also appeared in films outside of horror including roles in films like Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and 1995’s The Demolitionist.

Mrs. Langenkamp also found quite a bit of success on the small screen. She starred in the popular sitcom Just The Ten Of Us (1988-1990) for its entire run and had guest starring roles on Growing Pains, The New Adventures of Beans Baxter, JAG, and other television programs. She also starred as Nancy Kerrigan in the television film Tony And Nancy: The Inside Story (1994).

Langenkamp is currently starring in the 2022 Netflix series, The Midnight Club. She is also the co-owner of AFX Studio, with her husband. The company has worked on numerous films including The Cabin In The Woods (2011). She also appeared in and executive produced the 2010 documentary, Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy.

I definitely recommend checking out all of Langenkamp’s appearances in the Nightmare franchise. I also recommend her sitcom, Just The Ten Of Us. I haven’t personally seen The Midnight Club yet but it definitely looks like something that I would watch, so I’ll give it a look and recommend that you check it out as well!

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