Freddy's Nightmares

Freddy's Nightmares
File:Freddys Nightmares.jpg
Genre	Horror
Created by	Wes Craven (characters)
Starring	Robert Englund
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	44 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	approx. 45 minutes
Original release
Release	October 8, 1988 – March 12, 1990

Freddy's Nightmares is 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, Tales from the Crypt, or The Twilight Zone. The pilot episode was directed by Tobe Hooper, and begins with Freddy Krueger's acquittal of the child-murdering charges due to his officer's lack of reviewing the Miranda warning at the time of Freddy's arrest. A mob of parents eventually corners Freddy in a power plant (his workplace), leading to him being torched by the police officer, dying and gaining his familiar visage.

Reviews of the series were generally mixed, and it was 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).

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.

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:

• Sarah Buxton
• Morris Chestnut
• Joshua Cox
• Mariska Hargitay
• John Cameron Mitchell
• Lori Petty
• Eva La Rue
• Brad Pitt

DVD release

As of 2008, 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.. Volume 2 (and presumably the rest of the series) was also planned for release later that year, however, sales were so poor, that Warner canceled the release of Volume 2.

There are currently no plans to release Freddy's Nightmares on DVD in the United States.

Current Airings

In 2006, AOL teamed up with distributor Warner Bros. Television to bring Freddy's Nightmares to its new In2TV broadband service.

As of April 2008, NBC Universal's horror-themed cable channel Chiller aired episodes of Freddy's Nightmares.

External links

• Freddy's Nightmares at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show
• Freddy's Nightmares at the Nightmare on Elm Street Companion