A Nightmare on Elm Street: Protégé

Protégé

Company type	Novel
Industry	Publishing
Founded	2005
Founder	Tim Waggoner
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Horror novel

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Protégé is a 2005 horror novel from the United Kingdom written by Tim Waggoner and released through Black Flame. Serving as a tie-in to the Nightmare on Elm Street movie series, it represents the third installment out of five novels produced by Black Flame. The narrative follows a teenager named Jerome Starkey as he battles against the supernatural menace of the infamous killer Freddy Krueger.

Plot

Joanna Larkin, an expectant young woman, falls asleep while driving and experiences a nightmare involving Freddy Krueger, a child murderer who was burned alive by angry parents and now terrorizes the inhabitants of Springwood, Ohio. Before causing her fatal crash, Freddy corrupts Joanna’s unborn child with his malevolent essence. The child, Jerome, is subsequently raised by his father Don Starkey and stepmother Lynn. Jerome is shielded from Freddy’s influence by a dreamcatcher, gifted by Joanna’s twin sister Rebecca—a tarot reader who received it from a celestial being in New Mexico. Jerome exhibits violent behavior, including injuring his pet gerbil and assaulting both Lynn and a school bully.

When Jerome breaks the dreamcatcher, he begins to suffer from nightmares featuring Freddy. This unleashes an evil alternate personality that dominates him during sleep, gaining strength by murdering the bully Patrick Cottril and his associates. Rebecca attempts to rescue Jerome by fixing the dreamcatcher with assistance from Joanna’s spirit during a journey into the Astral plane. However, Jerome’s dark persona destroys the dreamcatcher and kills Rebecca. Filled with hopelessness, Jerome tries to take his own life but becomes possessed by "Dark Jerome," who initiates a series of murders targeting school staff, video store owners, and Jerome’s close friend Ellery Belasco while Jerome’s true self remains trapped in the Dream World alongside Freddy.

With guidance from Rebecca’s spirit, Jerome escapes Freddy’s grasp and prevents Dark Jerome from killing Lynn and his stepsiblings but is unable to save Don. Dark Jerome abducts Jerome’s girlfriend Cheryl Garringer and brings her to Freddy’s deserted house at 1428 Elm Street—the site where Freddy wields his greatest power in the real world. Acting as a conduit, Dark Jerome allows Freddy to manifest physically and attempt to kill Cheryl. Jerome regains control, confronts Freddy, and exchanges places with Dark Jerome, who is then slain by Freddy. Now existing as a spirit, Jerome forces Freddy back into the Dream World before saying goodbye to Cheryl. At Jerome’s funeral, Cheryl laments that although Dark Jerome has been destroyed—cutting off Freddy’s agent—the deaths of twelve individuals and the blame placed on Jerome have created an atmosphere of fear that Freddy can exploit to continue haunting Springwood.

Publication

Author Tim Waggoner initially proposed a Nightmare on Elm Street tie-in novel to Black Flame centered on Freddy Krueger becoming mortal and reclaiming his power within the Dream World. However, New Line Cinema, the franchise owner, rejected this idea due to concerns it suggested Freddy had been a child molester or murderer during his lifetime. Waggoner then developed an alternative outline for Protégé, which received approval from New Line. To promote the release, he presented the book’s opening chapter at the World Horror Convention held in New York City in April 2005.

In 2006, Black Flame reissued Protégé as part of Ripped From a Dream: A Nightmare on Elm Street Omnibus, a collection that also includes Suffer the Children and Dreamspawn, two earlier novels tied to the franchise published by Black Flame.

Reception

The novel Protégé received acclaim from critics who commended its distinctive narrative style within the series. In a review for Chronicle, Don D'Ammassa referred to it as "very well composed." Reece Goodall, writing for The Boar, emphasized the engaging protagonist, effective horror components, and a captivating storyline that set it apart from earlier entries like Suffer the Children and Dreamspawn.

External links

• Interview with Tim Waggoner on the Nightmare on Elm Street Companion website