Review: Brace Yourself for True Terror with Robert Englund

Are you ready to descend into True Terror with Robert Englund as he recounts history’s horrors? I’ve been ready ever since Travel Channel announced this series was coming.

Each episode features a trilogy of terrifying tales ripped straight from the headlines. Most come from the 1800s or early 1900s.

I had a chance to preview the series. How was it? Here are my thoughts.

Not Freddy

During the press conference call with Robert Englund, he addressed how he’s forever entwined with his Nightmare on Elm Street Freddy Krueger character. But he also made it clear that while he of course brings some element of that with him and can’t ever escape that, he’s presenting as himself, not Freddy.

Although during the call he also said he’s always had an interest in the dark and macabre, so he drew on that, too –and that’s also partly what drew him to this project.

The Monologue

As host of True Terror, Robert Englund provides an overview of the episode at the beginning of each one.

It’s brilliant. He’s brilliant. By far this is the part of each episode I enjoyed most.

The Stories

Even though I liked the monologue best, the stories are very well done too. They’re a combo of three things:

1. Characters re-enacting circumstances that led to whatever incidents ended up making headlines.
2.  Commentary from historians, paranormal investigators and other experts.
3. Robert Englund’s narration.

It makes for a nice blend.

I did have a little bit of an issue with a couple of things, though:

1. I questioned a few things some of the experts had to say. (Like the gentleman in episode 1 who says ghosts can seek revenge. Um, really? I’m not so sure that’s true since ghosts haven’t even technically been proven to exist yet.)
2. Some of the re-enactments are a bit on the over-dramatic side.

This is to be expected, though. You’re combining sensational headlines from the golden era of yellow journalism with modern day television, which thrives on the sensational to make binge-worthy programming.

The History

If you like learning about the past, this is a fun way to do it.

I have a book called The Encyclopedia of American Crime, that I’ve had for years. Decades really. My dad gifted it to me sometime in the 1990s shortly after I graduated from college.

(The link above leads to our Amazon affiliate, btw. As noted in our affiliate policy, if you click through and end up buying anything, we may earn a small commission.)

Anyway, thanks to the encyclopedia, and because I learn my history best when it’s served with a dash of the dark and macabre, I was familiar with a lot of the stories covered in the True Terror series.

A lot. But not all.

Twisted Relationship

The series premieres on Wednesday, March 18 at 10 pm ET with ‘Twisted Relationship.”

It begins with a North Carolina storekeeper who is tormented by a prophetic countdown to his doom. Did he will his own fate, or was there a higher power at play?

Then, a New Orleans teenager finds himself literally trapped inside a waking nightmare, unable to save himself from his horrific fate.

Finally, an Atlanta police station becomes a battleground for a killer…and a vengeful spirit.

The fun thing is that one of the stories has a Nightmare on Elm Street-esque storyline with a character who doesn’t want to fall asleep. But not because a slasher with finger knives is stalking him.

Quotables

Here’s two examples of lines Mr. Englund delivered in the first episode that I loved. This one was part of his narration at the end of the third story in episode one:

Word to the wise: Justice has no expiration date, and no limit to its range. It can reach us anytime, from anywhere –even the grave.

He also delivers a parting monologue at the end of each episode. Here’s what I liked best from the first episode:

Whether you’re tormented by the dead, or marked by death and can’t stop it, or alive but can’t prove it, life and death have a relationship more twisted than you can ever imagine.

Isn’t that the truth?

Comfort Food from the Dark Side

During the conference call, Robert Englund summed up best what True Terror is: comfort food from the dark side.

If you’re a fan of true crime, the Twilight Zone, and Unsolved Mysteries, you’re gonna dig this show. It’s very well done. (I love the opening montage graphics too. Super snazzy.)

And the fact that the Master of Macabre, the man who brought Freddy to life, is the host? It works even better than I hoped!

Check-In

If you watch it, I’d love to know your thoughts!