The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise expanded to television in 1988 with the series Freddy’s Nightmares. The horror anthology show only lasted two seasons and wrapped up in 1990. Robert Englund reprised his role as Freddy Krueger to host the series, a formula which would later be perfected with John Kassir’s Crypt Keeper in Tales from the Crypt. Nevertheless, as always, Robert Englund gave the role his all – and even went beyond hosting to be the antagonist in a few episodes. The rest of the cast, however, was usually made up of unknown actors. But that didn’t stop a few genre icons and soon-to-be Hollywood stars from appearing in Freddy’s Nightmares.
For example, one of the most notable actors to have starred in an episode of Freddy’s Nightmares was none other than Brad Pitt. He starred in the episode Black Tickets, and if that wasn’t enough, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and Devil’s Rejects star Bill Moseley also starred in the same episode! It’s the surprises like those that make this obscure show worth watching even today.
Bill Camp, Kyle Chandler, and John Cameron Mitchell are a few other stars that appeared throughout Freddy’s Nightmares.
If you want other horror icons, there are still a handful of those to be found in Freddy’s Nightmares as well. For example, Jeffrey Combs appears in the episode Love Stinks as a pizza chef who uses human beings in his toppings. It’s an example of how the series managed to break away from Freddy Krueger, placing all sorts of weirdos and monsters in the town of Springwood.
Richard Speight Jr., who fans might recognize as the archangel Gabriel in the hit series Supernatural, actually played in two different Freddy’s Nightmares episodes. Dick Miller, who played in an endless number of films like Piranha, The Howling, The Terminator, and Gremlins to name a few – also appeared in the Freddy’s Nightmares episode The Light at the End of the Tunnel.
And while Nightmare on Elm Street had yet to crossover with Friday the 13th, two Friday the 13th stars did show up throughout Freddy’s Nightmares. Tiffany Helm, who played Violet in Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning, played in the episode Heartbreak Hotel. Meanwhile, Lar Park-Lincoln who played Tina in Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, showed up in the episode It’s a Miserable Life.
What’s more, the show’s very own Springwood High School was actually shot at Torrance High School – the same school used in the series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It goes to show that Freddy’s Nightmares captured quite a bit of history throughout its two year run, and it’s a shame the series has yet to have a proper home video release. There are plenty of other notable actors and actresses than the ones mentioned here – and it’d be great if they could all get their due with a proper re-release of the series.
Until then, however, at least fans can still remember Freddy’s Nightmares for its quirky place in both the horror genre and the franchise it spawned from.