In addition to the weekends I spent glued to channel 48 watching horror flicks provided by the fine folks of Creature Features, I spent a solid amount of my childhood watching fantasy/horror anthology TV shows. The horror anthology was everywhere on TV when I was a kid and they were all incredibly fun to watch. In addition to the standards like Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, there was also Tales From the Darkside, Monsters, Tales from the Crypt, Amazing Stories, Friday the 13th and last but not least Freddy's Nightmares. Probably the least lived of the bunch, Freddy's Nightmares was meant to satisfy the bloodlust that the Freddy fans craved in between sporadic theatrical outings. There's no doubt that Freddy was my favorite horror icon as a kid, my walls were covered with Freddy posters I had picked up at Spencer's Gifts each time a new flick was released. Anticipation was high when Freddy's Nightmares was announced, and the fact that Freddy would actually make appearances in each episode was the icing on the cake (unlike the Jason-less Friday the 13th Series, which was still a great show in it's own right). I hadn't seen these episodes since their original run in '88, 15-years later I was a little cautious as to how they would hold up. No need to worry tho' cause I had a blast with these three episodes, craving even more after all was said and done.

Warner's has given us three classic(?) episodes of Freddy's Nightmares on Region 2 PAL DVD, I really have no idea how many episodes there actually are, but with this disc labeled as Volume 1 we can only hope for future volumes. The first story entitled No More Mr. Nice Guy is all Freddy all the time. The story chronicles Freddy the child murderer as he's let off on a technicality and set free. The parents of "Springwood" (What, no Elm Street?) exact their own brand of vigilante justice as they burn him alive (led by the policeman who was the cause of Freddy's premature release). Well, we all know how the story goes and while most of Freddy's time in the Nightmare flicks is spent following him as he chases after the kids of Elm Street, here Freddy only wants to finish off the policeman who first let him go and then ultimately led the crusade that found Freddy being burned alive.

Story 2 entitled It's a Miserable Life follows a young man named Brian as he works the late shift at his father's hamburger joint, Beefy Boy. There's a late night visit from his girlfriend played by Lar Park Lincoln (I've had a crush on her since Friday the 13th Part 7) along with an unwelcome drive by shooter. Both Brian and his girlfriend experience their own set of nightmares, Brian at home with his parents who won't say no to him running the family business and his girlfriend as she's brought into the hospital after being grazed by a bullet. Story 3, entitled Killer Instinct follows a high school track hopeful who uses a bizarre crystal to knock competitors out of the picture or anyone else who stands in her way. In addition to her own downfall, those around her experience their own brand of nightmares that only Freddy could provide. Gore levels are surprisingly high for a TV series, nothing too graphic but quite a few deaths, some blood spray and really creepy Elm Street-ish visuals.

The basis behind Freddy's Nightmares was that Freddy himself would present a new nightmare scenario each week that he himslef had conjured up. Freddy would introduce each episode as well as appear periodically throughout the episode to provide commentary. While the series never quite reaches the level of fun that sequels like Dream Warriors provided, it came pretty damn close and gave us more Freddy to chew on while the man was still in his prime (still far more entertaining than Nightmares 4 and 5). Each of these episodes features a pretty wicked sense of humor along with some effectively creepy nightmare sequences. The real reason that these episodes succeed lie within their complex character development and clever stories. Let's break it down. Take It's a Miserable Life for example. Not only does the lead character have to deal with the fact that he may or may not have been shot in the head by a drive by shooter (blood drips periodically from his forehead, but mysteriously disappears just as quickly) but he also has to deal with his domineering parents who want him to take over the family business when all he wants to do is go to college (in regular Nightmare fashion he unwittingly steps into bizarre territory including a sitcom like setting with his parents). These are the things that true nightmares are made of, unpredictable with that little twist that only Freddy could deliver. I'm not going to lie to you though, because there is still a whole lotta silly going on here, but still, there's a certain level of depth that you just wouldn't expect to see.

Quality is about what you'd expect from a TV series circa 1988 that probably hasn't been taken care of too well over the years. Colors are a bit muted and there is some minor print damage, I'm assuming that these episodes were shot on 16mm. Audio is presented in a solid mono mix that features clear dialogue and really no evidence of distortion.

Extras are limited to a text essay called The Legacy of Freddy Kruger and two still galleries, one that features promotional toys etc., the other featuring a few random stills of Freddy. Also worth noting is the fact that options include individual episode playback or a "play all" feature. Well, there you have it folks, I'm more than happy with this release and glad that I picked it up when I did. If you have the multi-region capabilities, this disc comes highly recommended to Nightmare fans, if it's been a while, you might just wind up being pleasantly surprised with what you find.

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