Why Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares Isn’t a “Happy Accident”

At the end of Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, Englund says:

“It’s just been a great happy accident to my career. I’m having this great afterlife as an actor within the [horror] genre. And I’m just grateful for that ‘cause it’s just something I never would’ve expected, something I wasn’t planning, something that happened.”

As I watched Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story, I couldn’t help but think of the roundtable interview I participated in ahead of the premiere of True Terror with Robert Englund. That was the first time I realized he was more than just the man who brought Freddy Krueger to life in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. He had a lot going on in that brain of his!

It was also the first time I understood why Freddy was iconic and that it had everything to do with Robert Englund. Sure, just about anyone could’ve played the part. It wasn’t Shakespeare. It was only a horror movie villain, right? Slap on some makeup, recite a few lines, try to be scary. How hard could that be?

Except, “hard” might not be the right word. “Heart” might be the better choice. Like with any of his roles, big or small, lots of lines or very few, Englund poured his into Freddy. That’s what created the iconic character millions of Nightmare fans know and love.

Aptly Named Doc

Using a plethora of first-person interviews with actors, writers, directors, his wife, and of course, Englund himself, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares excels in telling his story.

It covers the ups, including how it was that the road led to the part of Freddy. But Englund is candid about the downs. For a while, at the start of his career, he was estranged from his parents. They disapproved of him becoming an actor. (At first. In time, they came around.) But he endured poverty between jobs and relied on the kindness of friends for both a place to stay and food. Then, even though Freddy made him a star, it also hampered other acting ambitions.

He never set out to be a horror actor. In fact, there was a time he wanted to transition away from it. But when he embraced it, he was able to carve an unexpected path that resulted in him playing roles that allowed him to flex his creativity, pursue varied roles, and further showcase his talents.

Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares was directed by Gary Smart and Christopher Griffiths. They also worked on two other highly acclaimed horror movie-centric documentaries, You’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night and Pennywise: The Story of IT.

They’ve definitely found their niche with such movies, creating incredibly satisfying, infotaining viewing. This latest one is no exception.

The Love Story

Nancy, Robert Englund’s wife of over 30 years, is my hero. She’s so down-to-earth and wise. One of those old souls. Their love story made my heart swoon.

He’s a little older than her, had been married before, and had come out of a ten-year relationship when they met. He confessed his affection, she told him when he had his stuff worked out, let her know. He did, using a line from a movie, “I’m in love for the last time of my life.”

I believe he said it was from a Burt Reynolds/Sally Fields movie, but I’m wondering if he was referring to Best Friends starring Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. It doesn’t really matter. The sentiment is super sweet either way, especially because that’s what happened. They’ve been an inseparable team ever since.

Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares Big Takeaway

The biggest takeaway is that there’s more to Robert Englund than meets the eye. He has so many fascinating connections in roundabout ways to other iconic movies and A-list actors, including Star Wars, Mark Hamill, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and even Quentin Tarantino.

I got a kick out of him explaining how he auditioned for one of the Kill Bill movies. He didn’t get the part obviously, but in a way, he’s still in the movie. Or rather, a line from one of his 70s movies, Eaten Alive, is. The one where Buck the orderly says, “I’m Buck and I like to f**k!” Englund says something very similar as his character “Buck” in Eaten Alive.

In the doc, Englund also mentions some of the great horror actors he admired and studied, like Vincent Price and Klaus Kinski. But other people, like Eli Roth, also name other greats, including Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee. The unanimous consensus is that Robert Englund’s name will be added to that Horror Hall of Fame —if it’s not there already.

But what Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares excels at most is showcasing who Robert Englund really is. Intelligent. Thoughtful. Purposeful. Witty. Kind. Generous. A romantic at heart. Loving. Loved. Beloved really.

In our house, we have a saying: “You get what you give.”

Englund is such a great example of that. Fans adore him, both on the screen and in real life and at horror cons because he gives so much, whether it’s to his roles or the fans.

As both Kane Hodder and Heather Langenkamp (and others) pointed out, he’s present in everything he does. He studies, plans, deliberates and prepares for his roles and how best to bring his characters to life. He makes acting look easy, but he actually pours an incredible amount of contemplation into it. And whether he’s with a fan for 30 seconds or two minutes, he’ll look them in the eye, give them his full attention, and leave them smiling.

I have never met him in person, but that’s exactly what happened during and after the roundtable interview for True Terror: he made me smile. Same with Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares. It’s a bit long, but that’s okay. I wasn’t expecting to find it heartwarming, enlightening, and inspiring too. No question, it’s a five out of five skulls kind of documentary that’s full of laughs, heart, and incredible horror movie-making memories.

Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares Trailer

For More Info

Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story starts streaming on SCREAMBOX on June 6, which also happens to be Englund’s birthday. Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #RobertEnglundDay all day on socials to celebrate.

It looks like it will also be available to buy in SD and HD on Amazon on June 6. It will definitely be available to purchase on Blu-ray on July 25.

Check-In

What are some of your favorite Robert Englund roles or movies?