Horror streaming service Screambox has officially announced that they have acquired rights to the '80s television spin-off of A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy's Nightmares. All 44 episodes of the horror series will be available to stream exclusively on Screambox starting February 15. This is the first time Freddy's Nightmares has ever been available to stream on any streaming service. The hidden gem Knightriders, directed by George A. Romero and starring Ed Harris and Tom Savini will also be available to stream on the service. Screambox is available to stream on iOS, Android, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Comcast and Screambox.com.
Freddy's Nightmares was produced by New Line Cinema, which also produced the film series, so it contains the soul of the films. Freddy's Nightmares originally aired for two seasons from 1988 to 1990. The series starred Robert Englund as the titular character and featured many young actors who went on to become major A-listers including Brad Pitt, Lori Petty, John Cameron Mitchell and Mariska Hargitay.
The pilot episode of the series, which acts as a sequel to the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie, was helmed by Poltergeist director Tobe Hooper. The series features episodes directed by many other prominent filmmakers of the horror genre including Mick Garris, William Malone, and Tom McLoughlin. The show was told in an anthology format and features Freddy Kruger telling disturbing horror stories that all take place in Springwood, Ohio. Freddy appears as the central villain of only eight of the episodes.
Screambox is teaming up with Bloody Disgusting for a Freddy's Nightmares watch party on February 26 at 5 PM PST. Bloody Disgusting will be live-tweeting throughout the watch party. Although Freddy's Nightmares may have been short-lived, the show still has had an effective legacy. After being canceled in 1990, NBCUniversal's Chiller would air marathons of the series, and Robert Rodriguez's El Ray Network started airing the show in 2015, ensuring Freddy's Nightmares' status as a cult phenomenon. When the show first aired, it was heavily edited for sex and violence.
1981's Knightriders is a strange change of pace for zombie maestro George A. Romero, and the perfect oddity to stream alongside Freddy's Nightmares. Knightriders is a dramatic character study that follows a group of actors for a traveling renaissance fair.