So, you’ve seen every film in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise – but have you seen every episode of the anthology TV series Freddy’s Nightmares? Night of the Living Tapes author Geoff Turner, filmmaker Henrique Couto, and Couto’s frequent collaborator David Denoyer have, and now they’ve put together a book called Welcome to Primetime: The Unofficial Freddy’s Nightmare Companion! Copies are available for pre-order through Death Cult Press and are expected to ship out the week of April 1st.
Freddy’s Nightmares ran for two seasons, from 1988 to 1990, with a total of 44 episodes. Robert Englund appeared in full Freddy Krueger mode in every episode of the show, in which Freddy, the dream serial killer, hosts an anthology of stories set in Springwood.
Directors who contributed to Freddy’s Nightmares include Tobe Hooper, Mick Garris, Tom McLoughlin, Ken Wiederhorn, William Malone, Gilbert Adler, and Dwight H. Little, and one of the most notable cast members to show up along the way was Brad Pitt, earning one of his earliest screen credits. Hooper directed the pilot episode, No More Mr. Nice Guy, which serves as a prequel to the Elm Street film series.
As for Welcome to Primetime, the companion book features breakdowns of each episode in the series, interviews with the show’s creators and a selected history of the bizarre world of horror anthology television.
At the Death Cult Press website, there are three different Welcome to Primetime bundles up for pre-order. Every bundle features both a print version of the book (signed by the authors) and a digital version. Other items in the bundles include an exclusive bookmark, vintage ad sticker, a button set, and a replica Elm Street sign. So head over there and make your choice!
Are you a fan of the Freddy’s Nightmares TV series, and will you be buying a copy of Welcome to Primetime? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
I have fond memories of watching this show as a very young kid, back when it was first airing. I definitely didn’t see all 44 episodes then, though, and I haven’t caught up with all of them in the decades since, so I should fill in the Freddy’s Nightmares gap in my Freddy knowledge.