Freddy's Nightmares: Freddy Krueger's Short-Lived Stint on Television

Undraped in 1988, Freddy's Nightmares was a short-lived TV series that abused Freddy's status as a viable horror luminary. It was an anthology piece that featured the crispy one as a Cryptkeeper-esque host. Most of the episodes dealt with storylines that were independent of Freddy's mythos, but periodically, he would sprout up as a reminder of the show's title. The pilot was such an occasion, acting as an edifying prequel to the first film. I've always been defiantly opposed to the idea of another prequel.

Robert Englund seems to be in favor of doing one, and if there's to be another stand-alone Elm Street chapter before he cogitates hanging up his glove, it will most likely be a look at Mr. Krueger before he was belligerently roasted. My line of defense is that we already know everything there is to know about Freddy, so crafting yet another prequel would only be redundant. Or at least that's how I felt before sitting down to watch "No More Mr. Nice Guy."

Perhaps the NOES saga could benefit from an additional prequel. This one, while fetching overall, ails from stumbling blocks that could be remedied with a lean budget. For starters, it wasn't shot on film. Everything looks incredibly cheap. The special effects are contemptible, the camera tricks aren't terribly tricky, and this show's idea of "atmosphere" is pink lighting and a sapped fog machine.

To be fair, "No More Mr. Nice Guy" is well-staged for a shot-on-video production. As well it should be with Tobe Hooper dictating its execution. Hooper does what he can with limited resources. In keeping with the glittery, burnished sequels, the colors are vibrant. This episode maintains a surreal aura, although the trippy mood is defaced by Troma-level acting.

The cast is abortive. Everyone is laughably over-the-top. Not even the most credible actor here, Robert Englund, shows a fleck of restraint. He's especially sloppy as human Freddy, taking his character's cocky conduct to braying extremes. In char-grilled mode, he's much more composed and possesses an air of devious confidence. The one-liners are unrepressed, but thankfully, they don't interfere with the grave plot.

And it helps matters that they're actually funny ("Tell me when it doesn't hurt."). The only character who is remotely involving is Tim, a cop whose oversight is responsible for the dismissal of Freddy's case. He forgot to recite the Miranda rights upon the arrest, which annuls the seizure. His overwhelming guilt is believably rendered and his motives are sensible. Considering the concise running time of 47 minutes, Tim is a capably developed character.

Elm Street elitists have griped about the revisions made to Freddy's backstory. These minor amendments didn't bother me. For instance, Freddy's dwelling is a power plant in place of a boiler room. Instead of burning down his house, the incensed mob of riled parents set him aflame. Also, the technicalities of Freddy's trial are tampered with, but...who cares? No, the changes weren't justified, but the big picture remains unscathed.

"No More Mr. Nice Guy" ends on a dour-faced note and sets up films 1-6 rather well. Frivolous entertainment, but I'd like to see what this could have amounted to had it not been fraught with the restrictions of television. A few of the Freddy-themed episodes of Freddy's Nightmares are available on VHS. With any luck, someone will cash in on the success of Freddy vs. Jason by releasing both seasons onto DVD.