A Nightmare on Elm Streetis celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. That classic slasher film from directorWes Cravenlaunched one of the most beloved pop culture franchises in history, spawning an endless amount of sequels, merchandise, and a TV series. A major reason for its success was due to starRobert Englund, who brought the man of our nightmares, Freddy Krueger, to haunting life. Last year a critically acclaimed documentary based on Englund’s life,Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, scared its way into genre-lovers’ hearts. Now the horror-centric documentary is receiving a retroVHS release.
Distributed by Lunchmeat, this will be aspecial release limited to just 50 copies worldwide. The VHS will feature the documentary’s poster artwork of the many faces of Englund, including Freddy. The film itself is presented in native widescreen format and duplicated in NTSC. Teasing the upcoming release, Lunchmeat’sJosh Schafersaid, “With so many of Englund’s works being seen and familiarized on videotape, it only felt right to offer fans and collectors the opportunity to experience this fantastic doc onVHS. We all know the Freddy movies just feel different on videocassette, and we wanted to bring that feel to this film for those who want it.” The horror genre was a big reason for the home media/VHS boom of the 80s. Freddy Krueger took over for both Michael Myers and Jason Vorhoees as the genre’s most popular character. This was reflected in his franchise’s many VHS releases.EachNightmarefilm received multiple VHS releases throughout the 80s and 90s. It didn’t matter if each passing entry in the franchise dipped in quality, Freddy transcended his niche genre. He made slashers cool again after the original set ofFriday the 13thsequel made the sub-genre run stale.
The Man of Your Nightmares
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmaresreceived a ton of praise when released last year for the amount of effort it took to give us a peak into Englund’s historic career and the man under Freddy’s signature fedora. Featuring interviews with Englund and various of his co-stars over the years, likeLin Shaye,Tony Todd, andHeather Langenkamp, horror fans got a better appreciation for the actor’s lengthy filmography. Besides all theNightmarefilms, Englund has appeared in other horror gems likeWishmaster,Urban Legend,Hatchet, andBehind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. He also recently guest starred inStranger ThingsSeason 4.
When Does ‘Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares’ Release on VHS?
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Storyreleases on VHS on Saturday, April 27at 12 PM EST. It’ll be available for purchase onLunchmeat’s websitefor $30.Hollywood Dreams & Nightmaresis also currently streaming on Screambox and has traditionalBlu-ray. If you want to watchNightmare on Elm Streetas well, it’s currently streaming on Netflix. This is a part of their1984 collection.
