Review by Darren Gaskell
Whether you’re a horror movie fan or you’d run a mile rather than watch anything remotely scary, chances are you’ll know the name of Robert Englund, propelled to icon status via his memorable portrayal of knife-gloved, stripey sweater sporting child killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare On Elm Street movies. Of course, there’s more to him that the infamy bestowed upon him courtesy of this most unlikely of fan figures.
Chris Griffiths and Gary Smart, who are also part of the team behind the Hellraiser documentary Leviathan and four-part RoboCop retrospective RoboDoc, draw upon six decades of performances and the reminiscences of a notable array of talking heads from the filmmaking community, all ready to spill the beans on working with the subject. Eschewing voice-over narration, the colourful details of Englund’s formative years and career trajectory are painted by the man himself in an informal, engaging way, clearly enjoying the attention but also ready to cut through his potential ego trip with a welcome streak of self-deprecating humour.
Often the issue with pieces of work which provide a certain level of fan service to genre staples is a reliance on overstating what all around amazing people these folks are, rendering the overall work too sugary and difficult to swallow. In the case of Hollywood Dreams And Nightmares, there’s a predictable dearth of colleagues turning up to stick the boot into Robert Englund but it’s clear that those who know and work with him have a genuine love of the bloke, many of them citing his enthusiasm and generosity on set, especially when it comes to those less experienced co-stars and crew.
Starting with those first forays into the theatre, leading to his first on-screen credit in Daniel Petrie’s drama Buster And Billie, from then on it’s a whistle stop tour of movie highlights – and some lowlights – which will almost certainly elicit the response of “I forgot he was in that” at various points. For me, it was the role of Harry in Gary Sherman’s superb small town chiller Dead And Buried, and Sherman is on hand here to wax lyrical about Englund’s ability to inhabit a character and imbue his dialogue with a naturalistic feel.
There’s vital coverage of his breakthrough as an internationally identifiable star resulting from his role as gentle alien Willie in superior science fiction miniseries V, at which point a certain Wes Craven was about to come calling. Although the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise and the spin-off TV series are given due prominence, that particular juggernaut isn’t allowed to run roughshod over the remainder of the runtime. The final third focuses on Englund’s enduring appeal and a new crop of genre writers and directors with his name at the top of their casting wish lists, allowing him to step into new roles whilst gaining a new generation of fans without ever truly leaving Freddy behind.
Clocking in at two hours and ten minutes, Hollywood Dreams And Nightmares may feel slightly on the long side, but the focus on a career with such longevity demands that a raft of key films (and a few lesser known gems) clamour to be featured, which makes the inclusion of earlier appearances in Stay Hungry, Big Wednesday and Don’t Cry, It’s Only Thunder such pleasing additions to the tale. The latter movie, a low-key, lesser seen but well regarded Vietnam War story, demonstrates Englund’s range and keenness for detail while also allowing for fun, travelogue-style recollections from star Dennis Christopher.
Englund’s parents have sadly passed on and he has no children, leaving all the observations of sharing your life with a horror hero to brief but nonetheless effective contributions from wife Nancy, who is honest about their decision to travel the world and enjoy the ride rather than take the option of the picket fence, the kids and the dog. Why not? The picture is of two people extremely happy with each other for company, and their relationship brings a further lightness to the piece which far outweighs the odd darker moment.
There is, of course, an argument to be made for a much longer and more detailed trawl of Robert Englund’s career but Hollywood Dreams And Nightmares is a carefully curated exhibition of the man’s filmic journey and acquaintances down the years, which should leave horror hounds with a smile on their face and cinema fans with their appetite whetted to track down the work of someone whose considerable talent extends far beyond Freddy Krueger.
Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares (2022) is available to watch on all major streaming platforms now.