Freddy's Nightmares

Freddy's Nightmares

Title sequence
Also known as Freddy's Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series
Genre Horror anthology
Created by Wes Craven (characters)
Presented by Robert Englund
Theme music composer Nicholas Pike
Composer(s) Peter Bernstein
Junior Homrich
Gary S. Scott
Randy Tico
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 44 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Jeff Freilich
Robert Shaye
Scott A. Stone
Producer(s) Gilbert Adler
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 45–48 minutes
Production company(s) Stone Television
New Line Television
Distributor Lorimar-Telepictures (1988–1989)
Warner Bros. Television Distribution (1989–present)
Release
Original network Syndication
Original release October 8, 1988 (1988-10-08) – March 12, 1990 (1990-03-12)

Freddy's Nightmares (full title: Freddy's Nightmares: A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series) is an American horror anthology series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990.[1] 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). The pilot episode was directed by Tobe Hooper, and begins with Freddy Krueger's prosecution on child-murdering charges ending in a mistrial due to the discovery that his arresting officer did not read Freddy his Miranda rights. A mob of parents eventually corners Freddy in a boiler room (his workplace), leading to him being torched by the police officer, dying and gaining his familiar visage.

The series was produced by New Line Television, producers of the film series, and Stone Television. It was originally distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures. Afterwards, Warner Bros. Television would assume syndication rights after acquiring Lorimar-Telepictures in 1989. On October 2, 2015, the El Rey Network announced that it would begin airing the series toward the end of the year, and on November 3, 2015, the series began airing on the network.

Premise

Due to the murderous basis of Freddy Krueger, 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 would 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 of a dark rooted and/or grim nature that took place in the fictitious town of Springwood, Ohio, and in particular, on 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 that each take up the first and second halves. Every second story, however, usually built on a character who played a minor (or supporting) role in the first.

Cast

A few actors from the Elm Street series appeared in Freddy's Nightmares. Among them were Robert Englund, as Freddy Krueger. Others included Lezlie Deane, Burr DeBenning, Don Maxwell and Clayton Landey.

Due to budget restraints, the producers of the series were forced to use unknown actors, rather than some of the stars associated with the theatrical franchise. 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:

Other notable guest stars featured in the series were:

Home video releases

VHS

In the USA, five VHS tapes were released by Warner Home Video in September 1991. Each tape featured one episode. The episodes released were:[2]

In the UK, eight VHS tapes were released by Braveworld Ltd. in 1993. Each tape features two episodes. The tapes released were:[2]

DVD

In 2003, Volume 1 (the first 3 episodes) was released on Region 2 DVD in Ireland and the UK, by Warner Home Video.[3] Volume 2 was also planned for release later that year, however, Warner canceled the release due to poor sales.[4]

In 2011, a Blu-ray collection of the original seven A Nightmare on Elm Street films was released in the US. The set included a DVD with special features, which included two episodes of the show ("It's a Miserable Life" and "Killer Instinct").[5]

Current airings

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

NBC Universal's horror and suspense-themed cable channel Chiller previously aired Freddy's Nightmares with marathons once a month. Season one and two were shown one after another, with commercial breaks, however, the channel stopped broadcasting the show on April 1, 2011, with the last episode shown on March 31, 2011.

In the UK, Sky and Virgin Media customers could watch the entire first series, one episode per night, at 8pm on Zone Horror, starting Monday, 8 June 2009.

In Sweden TV4 Guld was airing the show every week from 2010-2012.

In 2015 the El Rey Network acquired the rights to air the series.

References

  1. ↑ "Epi-Log #8 (July 1991) - Freddy's Nightmares". Star Tech. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  2. 1 2 "Freddy's Nightmares — Home Video | Nightmare on Elm Street Companion — Ultimate Online Resource to Horror Series A Nightmare on Elm Street". Nightmareonelmstreetfilms.com. Retrieved 2013-07-15.
  3. ↑ amazon.co.uk listing of Volume 1
  4. ↑ amazon.co.uk listing of Volume 2. Note how, despite showing a release in 2003, it shows "Classification: To be announced"
  5. ↑ RL Shaffer 23 Oct 2012 (2012-10-23). "A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection Blu-ray Review". IGN. Retrieved 2013-07-15.

External links

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