by Vicky Lawrence
Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares is an in-depth scope into the life of the incredible Robert Englund, from his budding love for theatre at a young age to the legacy he has created with the horror icon that is Freddy Krueger. Made by the Fangoria Chainsaw Award winners Chris Griffiths and Gary Smart (who won best documentary this year with Pennywise: Story of It), it’s a heartwarming feature about the impact Robert has made in the industry and on his army of fans. Throughout this documentary, we learn about Robert’s life, not just as an actor but as a friend and colleague to a multitude of people. We get a beautiful insight into his personal life, from his childhood to his current marriage with Nancy, and simply ends with what is to come from the man who haunted the dreams of thousands.
Throughout the entirety of this documentary, we get a great balance of Robert’s side of the story with the opinions and highlights from his friends and colleagues. The directors choose to format the documentary chronologically, starting from Robert’s childhood and how he got into acting, inevitably ending with the roles he has done today, such as his portrayal of Victor Creel in Season 4 of Stranger Things. Hollywood Dreams and Nightmares boasts an insane cast who have worked and interacted with Robert, such as Mick Garris (director of Critters 2), Heather Langenkamp (Nancy in A Nightmare on Elm Street), Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees in Jason X) and Eli Roth (director of Hostel), just to name a few but the list goes on. They all bring an incredibly personal insight into who Robert is behind the mask, sharing personal stories about how incredibly helpful and caring he is. He’s, in fact, not the monster we see on screen, but a kind and gentle man with a love for the arts.
If you’re a big fan of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and, specifically, a Freddy fan, you will love this documentary. It has a huge amount of behind-the-scenes footage and stories that have all come from the making of the Elm Street films. There is amazing footage of all of the SFX designs that went into all the films, showing how they made some of the prosthetics, for example. You will, however, learn the struggles that Robert endured by being confined to such an iconic role – it’s common knowledge that there is no one that can play Freddy as well as Robert can, but this obviously took a huge toll. But with the ever-growing Freddy fandom, there was only one way to combat this, embrace the monster that everyone fell in love with. Freddy became the poster child for counterculture in the ‘80s/’90s and thus was cemented in pop culture as one of the most iconic faces ever to grace the screen.
The personal stories that are peppered throughout really give this documentary a different dimension. It’s through learning how he met Nancy and other incredible personal moments that we grow to love Robert even more than we did before – he is not just the monster that haunts the dreams of the teens of Elm Street but, in fact, a loving husband and friend. While narrating his life experiences, he doesn’t fail to pay homage to some of the latest and greatest of the industry that he has worked with, such as Sid Haig (Captain Spaulding in House of 1000 Corpses) and, of course, the ingenious Wes Craven, that kicked off Robert’s ascension as an icon. Showing his appreciation to the masters of his craft. On top of all this, you will learn that if it wasn’t for Robert, some of the icons we have in the film world might not have even had the chance to reach the same heights without his help. You’ll learn that many actors, directors, etc., have accredited Robert for their success (but it’s up to you to find out who they are!).
All in all, even if you aren’t a Freddy Krueger fan, this is a must-watch for any enthusiast of film. Robert’s life has spanned such a broad selection of practices that it is so clear he has lived a life any of us would be envious of. With his life winding down, this documentary is a beautiful insight into everything Robert has done and where the legacy of Freddy has taken him – he will always be known as an icon because of the standard he works at. This documentary will leave you feeling incredibly warm inside, almost joyous, because you got to have this incredibly personal observation of Robert’s life. And if you don’t come out of this documentary wanting to watch every single Elm Street film again, then you are missing out. Hats off to the man behind the mask, whose clawed glove and green and red sweatshirt are ingrained in our minds forever.
Love him or hate him, Robert Englund will always haunt your dreams.
HOLLYWOOD DREAMS & NIGHTMARES: THE ROBERT ENGLUND STORY is available to stream on Screambox in the US.
