Dream or “Nightmare?” A Famous Movie House Hits the Market In Time For Halloween
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Just in time for Halloween, our favorite horror film villain has a new gig. That’s Freddy Krueger (in the flesh) hanging out in the newly-listed 1428 N. Genesee Avenue—aka the house where tormented teen Nancy Thompson lived in the 1984 classic “ A Nightmare on Elm Street.”
In fact, you have until midnight on October 31st to get in your bid. The 2,700-square-foot residence is listed for a spine-tingling $3.25 million.
Kudos to Douglas Elliman agents Heather T. Roy and Learka Bosnak for enlisting the infamous knife-fingered villain as their unlikely—but apropos—ally. Notoriety aside, at $1200 per square foot, it’s going to take some inspired marketing to get buyers to bite (pun intended!).
Let’s start with some cinematic history. Writer and director Wes Craven, legendary for choosing idyllic suburban settings for his ghoulish tales, offered this on the film’s historic Spaulding Square locale:
“There’s a wonderful little street called Genesee that, when you pull onto it, it’s like you’re in the Midwest. It just has beautiful overarching trees.”
Craven dubbed his fictional landscape “Elm Street,” a nod to the main thoroughfare in Potsdam, New York where he taught before becoming a horror film maven—not to mention, the Dallas street where President Kennedy was shot in 1963.
As for the property itself, the original 1919 dwelling was massively renovated in 2007. According to the “A Nightmare on Elm Street” blog, “the year-long renovation completely gutted the old interior and rear of the house, leaving only the framework and a portion of the front outer shell intact.”
Among the things that didn’t change: the home’s instantly recognizable exterior, which looks surprisingly the same as it did in the cult classic movie.
Today, the interior of the Dutch Colonial residence couldn’t be more un-Freddy-Krueger-like. The open, natural light-filled home features stunning walnut floors, custom built-ins, and dramatic archways. Living spaces include a welcoming family room, formal dining area, and retro-modern kitchen.
Upstairs, a comfortable primary suite features a huge walk-in closet and spacious spa-like bath. There are also two additional bedrooms, each with en suite baths, plus multiple work-from-home options.
The grounds are equally impressive. A detached guest house sports a pergola-covered patio.
According to the listing: “Blue pool, green grass, and fragrant citrus trees draw you out and make this an effortless example of the best of indoor-outdoor Southern California living.”
In addition to “Nightmare,” the house also appeared in several of the film’s seven sequels including “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” and “New Nightmare.” Fans of the franchise will note that in the latter, a crimson red front door replaced the cobalt blue one featured in the original.
The neighborhood has definitely changed since Nancy and her long-suffering mother Marge lived there over 35 years ago.
Today, Spaulding Square is home to Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, Enigma Coffee, and, we’re guessing to Freddy’s chagrin, a Laugh Factory.
