The evil, sinister
killer of the "Nightmare On Elm Street" movies, Freddy Krueger,
hosts this show, where each week, he shows us a tale of evil and death
about the lives of people who live on Elm Street.
"This one isn't one of your nightmares, this one was mine."
- Freddy Krueger |
Although filmed horror is by no means the exclusive preserve of feature films, the occasions when made for TV horrors succeed are rare indeed. And so it was with more than a little apprehension that I approached Freddy’s Nightmares, the late 80’s TV series spin-off from Nightmare on Elm Street. This series does however have trump card in its pocket, that of Robert Englund’s brilliant performance as Freddy himself. Unfortunately, after being the focus of the pilot, he then becomes merely the host for the later Twilight Zone-esque episodes, popping up every now & then to deliver some related barbed witticism.
Watching these episodes is quite weird, as they feel like pretty cheap TV soaps, both in terms of look & acting quality. Pleasingly, there is the horror mixed in to make it all palatable, & no dull over-involved on-going plot lines. Of course, the violence & nudity levels have had to be toned down quite a bit from the films, but there's still enough nastiness on display to warrant an 18 certificate. Strangely, I would actually say that this is tamer than the R-rated Jason X & Halloween Resurrection, but I’m sure the BBFC know what they’re doing.
The pilot episode is “No More Mr. Nice Guy” directed by Tobe Hooper, which commences with Freddy on trial for the child murders, continuing through his Vigilante death, & ending with him becoming the dream killer we know & love. Whilst in a way it’s disappointing that we still don’t see Freddys initial crimes that kick-started the whole enterprise, this is a surprisingly strong episode. In Salems Lot, Hooper had already made one of the few TV horrors to be any good, & it’s interesting to see his take on the Freddy series. He delivers a couple of nice visual touches, such as not revealing Freddy’s face until he has his signature burns, or the weird Freddy-vision, which borders somewhere between stupid & genius. Apart from the ever-excellent Englund, the acting in this episode is probably the worst of the three on this disc, but Hooper does manage to inject a convincingly off-kilter feel where we’re no longer sure just how much is dream & how much reality. It’s also very pleasing to see an Elm Street horror in which the focus is squarely upon the adults instead of the usual good-looking teens.
The second episode is “It’s a Miserable Life”, directed by Tom McLaughlin, which retains the weird dreamscape feel of the pilot, only turned up to 11. The weak point is the narrative, which is so slight as to be virtually non-existent, telling the rather unlikely story of the kid with dreams of leaving town, who has to man his fathers drive-thru burger joint all night long, entirely alone. On the plus side, this episode displays a pleasingly nihilistic world-view, has a display of bullet-time photography (!), & plays some highly amusing games on the line between reality & dreams. However, too much of it is too blatantly just a dream, meaning it has to work overtime to maintain viewer interest. Nevertheless, surprisingly thought-provoking stuff.
The third episode is also the weakest, from Critters 2 director Mick Garris. “Killer
Instinct” tells the story of a high school running star who regains her winning ability thanks to a weird talisman which helped her mother become champion before her. This is basically just a standard wish fulfillment going awry story, although it does get more interesting as it progresses,
& it features the best gore of the three episodes. Unfortunately, is also has the most clock-watching between the highlights, & the most unintentional comedy. It is worth sticking with for a pretty nice conclusion, though.
I’m not going to argue that any of these episodes are forgotten or underrated classics, but I was quite pleasantly surprised by them. They actually compare quite favorably with many of the cheap DVD titles that are co doubt clogging up the shelves of your local video shop. Whilst that’s not too much of a recommendation, they’re worth having a look at, particularly if you’re an Elm Street fan.
| 1. |
1-1
|
Oct. 9, 1988
|
No More Mr. Nice Guy |
| 2. |
1-2
|
Oct. 16, 1988
|
It's a Miserable Life |
| 3. |
1-3
|
Oct. 23, 1988
|
Killer Instinct |
| 4. |
1-4
|
Oct. 30, 1988
|
Freddy's Tricks and Treats |
| 5. |
1-5
|
Nov. 6, 1988
|
Judy Miller, Come On Down |
| 6. |
1-6
|
Nov. 13, 1988
|
Saturday Night Special |
| 7. |
1-7
|
Nov. 20, 1988
|
Sister's Keeper |
| 8. |
1-8
|
Nov. 27, 1988
|
Mother's Day |
| 9. |
1-9
|
Dec. 11, 1988
|
Rebel Without a Car |
| 10. |
1-10
|
Dec. 18, 1988
|
The Bride Wore Red |
| 11. |
1-11
|
Jan. 8, 1989
|
Do Dreams Bleed |
| 12. |
1-12
|
Jan. 15, 1989
|
The End of the World |
| 13. |
1-13
|
Jan. 29, 1989
|
Deadline |
| 14. |
1-14
|
Feb. 5, 1989
|
Black Tickets |
| 15. |
1-15
|
Feb. 12, 1989
|
School Daze |
| 16. |
1-16
|
Feb. 19, 1989
|
Cabin Fever |
| 17. |
1-17
|
Feb. 26, 1989
|
Love Stinks |
| 18. |
1-18
|
Mar. 12, 1989
|
The Art of Death |
| 19. |
1-19
|
May 7, 1989
|
Missing Persons |
| 20. |
1-20
|
May 14, 1989
|
The Light at the End of the Tunnel |
| 21. |
1-21
|
May 21, 1989
|
Identity Crisis |
| 22. |
1-22
|
May 28, 1989
|
Safe Sex |
| 23. |
2-23
|
Oct. 8, 1989
|
Dream Come True |
| 24. |
2-24
|
Oct. 15, 1989
|
Heartbreak Hotel |
| 25. |
2-25
|
Oct. 22, 1989
|
Welcome to Springwood |
| 26. |
2-26
|
Oct. 29, 1989
|
Photo Finish |
| 27. |
2-27
|
Nov. 5, 1989
|
Memory Overload |
| 28. |
2-28
|
Nov. 12, 1989
|
Lucky Stiff |
| 29. |
2-29
|
Nov. 19, 1989
|
Silence is Golden |
| 30. |
2-30
|
Nov. 26, 1989
|
Bloodlines |
| 31. |
2-31
|
Dec. 3, 1989
|
Monkey Dreams |
| 32. |
2-32
|
Dec. 10, 1989
|
Do You Know Where Your Kids Are? |
| 33. |
2-33
|
Dec. 17, 1989
|
Dreams That Kill |
| 34. |
2-34
|
Dec. 24, 1989
|
It's My Party and You'll Die If I Want You To |
| 35. |
2-35
|
Jan. 7, 1990
|
What You Don't Know Can Kill You |
| 36. |
2-36
|
Jan. 14, 1990
|
Easy Come, Easy Go |
| 37. |
2-37
|
Jan. 21, 1990
|
Prime Cut |
| 38. |
2-38
|
Jan. 28, 1990
|
Interior Loft |
| 39. |
2-39
|
Feb. 4, 1990
|
Interior Loft-Later |
| 40. |
2-40
|
Feb. 11, 1990
|
Funhouse |
| 41. |
2-41
|
Feb. 18, 1990
|
A Family Affair |
| 42. |
2-42
|
Feb. 25, 1990
|
Dust To Dust |
| 43. |
2-43
|
Mar. 4, 1990
|
Prisoner of Love |
| 44. |
2-44
|
Mar. 11, 1990
|
Life Sentence |
|
