Freddy's Nightmares ran from 1988 to 1990 in syndication and the fact that it ever saw the light of day, using the R-rated film series framing device and antagonist, is a fairly significant accomplishment for that day & age.
Horror anthologies were big business at this point, both in theaters and on TV. While the Creepshows and Cat's Eyes' filled seats at the cinema, Tales from the Darkside and The Hitchiker had come and gone on cable & syndication while paving the way for Monsters ajd pop culture phenomenon, Tales From the Crypt. Both "Tales" shows would crossover to the big screen, the inverse of Freddy's Nightmares.
While Darkside and Monsters were generally found high up on local station dials, Freddy, as due his superstardom, was found late nights on local affiliates of major networks- all of these things- the national syndication, reversing a big screen success to a small screen, and even the accomplishment of landing on major networks all played into its semi-success, and certainly made executives feel they could draw in the numbers of fans who flocked to TV sets and cinemas for "bite-size" horror tales.
FN also offered 2 unique additions; one, that each one hour episode was, generally, two episodes connected, sometimes uniquely, sometimes by the most tenuous of threads, where characters sharing the same time and place would each get their own haunt. Secondly, and most importantly to the "Fred-heads," was that our host, Robert Englund reprising his role as Freddy Krueger, wasn't always there to just introduce each segment and then close it out with his brand of humor, he would, by the end of FN's run, be the antagonist, just as he had in his feature films, a grand total of 8 times.
Episodes ran the gamut, from pretty poor to surprisingly good, ESPECIALLY considering the restrictions put in place by being aired on good old regular TV.
Sets are often the most unwelcoming to first time viewers, but may be both a budget restriction and a stylistic choice, often looking like stage plays or early sitcom TV sets. Once that roadblock is overcome, it's easily seen as a charm rather than a distraction.
The second issue some may encounter, (although, if you're a fan of the films, it's no more an issue here as it is there,) is that when it comes to the Freddy-centered episodes, there's minor to major liberties taken with the backstory. It remains as pliable here as it is in the films, so don't expect any neatness in that regard.
Despite the subjective nature of the quality of the series, objectively, it's a rather important early stepnforward for mature content on local network TV in order to keep up with the burgeoning successes of completely smaller local TV and cable TV in particular.
It also features some great "notes" for movie buffs, like the great Tobe Hooper directing the first episode, "No More Mr. Nice Guy," the Freddy "origin story," that would inject a side story of two sisters, one severely traumatized by Freddy. The sisters would return for a sequel later in the season, marking a near "feature film" length story of Freddy's earliest adventure.
Many recognizable faces appear throughout, whether 80s era stars from film and TV or fresh faces (at the time,) that would go onto bigger careers... look for a young Brad Pitt in an early starring role.
Its a very interesting series in its "feel"- if one would take its contemporaries, Monsters (where its production values most appeared similar, that of low budget,) and Tales From the Crypt, (where, although still early, its Crypt Keeper had gained a cult of personality rivaling Freddy,) you'd end up with Freddy's Nightmares, only one where tye host often ended up starring in episodes along the way ratger than sitting on the sidelines each week.
Is Freddy's Nightmares amongst the greats of anthology horror? Probably not by critics' ratings. But, for fans and those with an interest in TV history, it's often ranked higher than it deserves. Heck, I probably rabk it too high, but Freddy was always my favorite horror icons and I grew up glued to my TV every Friday night, sucked into whatever story would pop on that week, hoping that THIS week, I'd see my horror "hero" be the center of attention.
It really is a shame that the only way to catch these is through links leading to questionable quality recordings, the same off quality bootleg DVDs, or the handful of episodes of great quality episodes included as a bonus in the NOES blu ray complete collection. It's a series ripe for being rediscovered or discovered for the first time and crying for a release by a Shout Factory, with tgeir track record of high quality restorations and creating extras.
With its level of scarcity, if you get the opportunity to see any of the episodes, take a chance. Be aware, a bad episode is almost as likely as a good one, so view any potential opportunity as only a chance to view an episode, not as one to pass judgment on the series as a whole, until you can find more... a way to revisit an old friend in Freddy and oftentimes a little goofy fun.
Horror anthologies were big business at this point, both in theaters and on TV. While the Creepshows and Cat's Eyes' filled seats at the cinema, Tales from the Darkside and The Hitchiker had come and gone on cable & syndication while paving the way for Monsters ajd pop culture phenomenon, Tales From the Crypt. Both "Tales" shows would crossover to the big screen, the inverse of Freddy's Nightmares.
While Darkside and Monsters were generally found high up on local station dials, Freddy, as due his superstardom, was found late nights on local affiliates of major networks- all of these things- the national syndication, reversing a big screen success to a small screen, and even the accomplishment of landing on major networks all played into its semi-success, and certainly made executives feel they could draw in the numbers of fans who flocked to TV sets and cinemas for "bite-size" horror tales.
FN also offered 2 unique additions; one, that each one hour episode was, generally, two episodes connected, sometimes uniquely, sometimes by the most tenuous of threads, where characters sharing the same time and place would each get their own haunt. Secondly, and most importantly to the "Fred-heads," was that our host, Robert Englund reprising his role as Freddy Krueger, wasn't always there to just introduce each segment and then close it out with his brand of humor, he would, by the end of FN's run, be the antagonist, just as he had in his feature films, a grand total of 8 times.
Episodes ran the gamut, from pretty poor to surprisingly good, ESPECIALLY considering the restrictions put in place by being aired on good old regular TV.
Sets are often the most unwelcoming to first time viewers, but may be both a budget restriction and a stylistic choice, often looking like stage plays or early sitcom TV sets. Once that roadblock is overcome, it's easily seen as a charm rather than a distraction.
The second issue some may encounter, (although, if you're a fan of the films, it's no more an issue here as it is there,) is that when it comes to the Freddy-centered episodes, there's minor to major liberties taken with the backstory. It remains as pliable here as it is in the films, so don't expect any neatness in that regard.
Despite the subjective nature of the quality of the series, objectively, it's a rather important early stepnforward for mature content on local network TV in order to keep up with the burgeoning successes of completely smaller local TV and cable TV in particular.
It also features some great "notes" for movie buffs, like the great Tobe Hooper directing the first episode, "No More Mr. Nice Guy," the Freddy "origin story," that would inject a side story of two sisters, one severely traumatized by Freddy. The sisters would return for a sequel later in the season, marking a near "feature film" length story of Freddy's earliest adventure.
Many recognizable faces appear throughout, whether 80s era stars from film and TV or fresh faces (at the time,) that would go onto bigger careers... look for a young Brad Pitt in an early starring role.
Its a very interesting series in its "feel"- if one would take its contemporaries, Monsters (where its production values most appeared similar, that of low budget,) and Tales From the Crypt, (where, although still early, its Crypt Keeper had gained a cult of personality rivaling Freddy,) you'd end up with Freddy's Nightmares, only one where tye host often ended up starring in episodes along the way ratger than sitting on the sidelines each week.
Is Freddy's Nightmares amongst the greats of anthology horror? Probably not by critics' ratings. But, for fans and those with an interest in TV history, it's often ranked higher than it deserves. Heck, I probably rabk it too high, but Freddy was always my favorite horror icons and I grew up glued to my TV every Friday night, sucked into whatever story would pop on that week, hoping that THIS week, I'd see my horror "hero" be the center of attention.
It really is a shame that the only way to catch these is through links leading to questionable quality recordings, the same off quality bootleg DVDs, or the handful of episodes of great quality episodes included as a bonus in the NOES blu ray complete collection. It's a series ripe for being rediscovered or discovered for the first time and crying for a release by a Shout Factory, with tgeir track record of high quality restorations and creating extras.
With its level of scarcity, if you get the opportunity to see any of the episodes, take a chance. Be aware, a bad episode is almost as likely as a good one, so view any potential opportunity as only a chance to view an episode, not as one to pass judgment on the series as a whole, until you can find more... a way to revisit an old friend in Freddy and oftentimes a little goofy fun.