Freddy's Nightmares
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Freddy's Nightmares | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover |
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| Genre | Horror |
| Creator(s) | Wes Craven (characters) |
| Starring | Robert Englund |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 44 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 min. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Original run | 10/9/1988 – 3/11/1990 |
| Links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Freddy's Nightmares (also known as: " Freddy's Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street The Series") was a late-night television anthology series, which premiered in October 1988 and ran until March 1990. A spin-off from the Nightmare on Elm Street series, each story was introduced by Freddy Krueger (played, as in the movies, by Robert Englund). This format is essentially the same as that employed by Alfred Hitchcock Presents, or Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. The pilot episode was directed by Tobe Hooper.
Reviews of the series are generally mixed, but while many people considered the series to be both scary and entertaining, it was nevertheless cancelled after a relatively short period of time. The series' demise may have been played in part due to complaints concerning the violence in the series, which was featured in many other syndicated shows at the time such as War of the Worlds and Friday the 13th: The Series, both of which, like Freddy's Nightmares, were cancelled in 1990.
The series was produced by New Line Television, producers of the film series. It was originally distributed by Lorimar Television. However, Warner Bros. Television would assume syndication rights after acquiring Lorimar (New Line and Warner Bros. are now part of Time Warner).
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[edit] Premise
Because of the murderous basis of the Freddy Krueger character, New Line Cinema opted to not develop a television series with a regular batch of characters to mix it up with Krueger on a continuous basis—deeming it futile, since he would inevitably kill most of them, and there'd be no one left. Instead the producers created an anthology series, employing a new crop of actors to be used for each episode.
Each week Freddy's Nightmares told a different story, or stories, of a dark rooted and/or grim nature that took place in the fictitious town of Springwood, Ohio (and in particular, Elm Street)—the same setting as the A Nightmare on Elm Street films. Though the Freddy Krueger character would occasionally play a part in the plot, most of the stories did not involve him (it was, however, often hinted that Krueger indirectly influenced the desolate nature of the plotlines.)
Krueger's primary function was to host the series. He was featured in regular bumper segments, where he would offer an ominous or slapstick reaction to the happenings of the episode—culminating in him giving a quick, and usually eerie, epilogue at the end.
One element that makes the series unique is its two-tier story approach. Most of the episodes feature two different stories. However, every second story usually built on a character who played a minor (or supporting) role in first. For instance, in one episode a woman plays in a game show hosted by the devil. In the second part she meets an old woman, who is actually her future self, who tells her she is going to kill her husband.
[edit] Cast
Due to budget restraints, the producers of the series were forced to use unknown actors, rather than some of the stars associated with the series. The only actor from the film series retained for the TV series was Robert Englund, as Freddy Krueger.
Some of the featured actors who went on to later become notable were:
[edit] DVD release
As of 2007, the series still has not been released on Region 1 DVD. Five episodes of the series were released ("No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Lucky Stiff", "It's My Party and You'll Die If I Want You To", "Dreams That Kill" and "Freddy's Tricks and Treats") on VHS through Warner Home Video in the mid-1990s. Those videos are now out of print.
In 1991, Braveworld Ltd. released The Nightmare Begins Again, a direct-to-video movie comprised of two episodes edited together. The film was used to launch Braveworld's collection of Freddy's Nightmares episodes, usually consisting of two episodes per tape. The episodes in the feature were "No More Mr. Nice Guy" (directed by horror legend Tobe Hooper) and "Killer Instinct" (directed by Masters of Horror creator Mick Garris).
In 2003, Volume 1 (the first 3 episodes) was released on Region 2 DVD in Ireland and the UK, by Warner Home Video[1]. Volume 2 (and presumably the rest of the series) was also planned for release later that year, however, sales were so poor, that Warner cancelled the release of Volume 2[2].
[edit] New life for the series
In 2006, AOL has teamed up with distributor Warner Bros. Television to bring Freddy's Nightmares to its new In2TV broadband service.
In 2007 it was announced that on Direct TV's channel: CHILLLER (NBC Universal's all Horror themed Channel) would air the the entire series of Freddy's Nightmares
[edit] External links
- Freddy's Nightmares at the Internet Movie Database
- Freddy's Nightmares at The Nightmare On Elm Street Companion
Categories: 1988 television program debuts | 1980s American television series | 1990s American television series | Television series by Warner Bros. Television | Anthology television series | Horror television series | Television programs based on films | A Nightmare on Elm Street | First-run syndicated television programs
