Happy #RobertEnglundDay!
About one third of the 150+ acting credits accumulated over the course of Robert Englund’s 50-year career fall under the horror genre. SCREAMBOX is streaming five of them, along with the all-new documentary, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story.
Here are six Robert Englund movies you can watch on SCREAMBOX now…
Galaxy of Terror
Before moving to Elm Street, Englund went to space for 1981’s Galaxy of Terror, the first of two back-to-back Alien knock-offs produced by Roger Corman. (The other, Forbidden World, is also on SCREAMBOX.) The film follows a ragtag spaceship crew on a rescue mission to a barren planet, where they encounter a deadly creature. In a slight twist on Ridley Scott’s sci-fi/horror classic, Galaxy of Terror uses its victims’ own fears against them — which, incidentally, is similar to Freddy’s modus operandi.
Englund plays the ship’s second technical officer, Ranger, but he’s not the only notable genre name involved in the production: fellow horror icon Sid Haig plays a silent, stoic crew member. A young James Cameron served as second unit director and production designer, employing future frequent collaborator Bill Paxton as an uncredited set dresser.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you own A Nightmare on Elm Street on at least one form of physical media, but if you’re feeling too lazy to bust out the disc, SCREAMBOX has you covered at the push of a button. While Englund had the potential to become a household name regardless, it’s safe to say his career trajectory would be quite different if he hadn’t donned Freddy Krueger’s razor glove in 1984.
Wes Craven’s ingenious twist on the slasher genre introduces an inescapable killer that would soon become a pop culture icon. Englund’s fearless embodiment of Freddy toes the line between menacing and playful, toying with his victims and leaning into the surrealism of the dream world. A classic for a reason, it holds up remarkably well for a movie approaching its 40th anniversary.
Night Terrors
Of the several collaborations between Englund and master of horror Tobe Hooper, Night Terrors is among the most obscure. Cannon Films’ Yoram Globus executive produces the 1993 low-budget erotic thriller in which Englund plays a dual role as sadomasochistic Marquis de Sade and his modern, crazed descendant.
Hooper came on board at the last minute after original director Gerry O’Hara dropped out when the production shifted from Egypt to Israel, which may account for some of the film’s shortcomings. But Hooper’s fingerprints are still on it — including an appearance by William Finley (Eaten Alive, The Funhouse) as a religious archaeologist — and it’s interesting to see him try his hand at Euro-horror sensibilities.
The Mangler
The Mangler may not quite live up to the potential of Tobe Hooper helming a Stephen King adaptation starring Englund and The Silence of the Lambs‘ Ted Levine, but there’s still a good deal of fun to be had with the 1995 film. The brevity of King’s short story — originally published in a 1972 issue of Cavalier magazine and later collected in 1978’s Night Shift — required a significant overhaul in translating it into a feature.
Englund stars as Bill Gartley, the maniacal owner of a haunted laundry press with a taste for human blood. Police officer John Hunton (Levine) and his demonologist brother-in-law Mark (Daniel Matmor) investigate a series of incidents surrounding the machine while Gartley continues to seek victims to satiate the beast. Although it’s far from a top-tier King adaptation, Hooper’s wacky sensibilities coupled with Englund and Levine’s combined scenery chewing make it enjoyable.
The Funhouse Massacre
A more recent effort, 2015’s The Funhouse Massacre not only boasts Englund but also cut icons Clint Howard (Evilspeak) and Courtney Gains (Children of the Corn) as well as TV regulars Jere Burns (Justified) and Scottie Thompson (NCIS). As an added bonus, the film has gory practical effects by Robert Kurtzman (Wishmaster, From Dusk Till Dawn), plus it was shot on location at a working haunted attraction in Ohio.
Englund plays the warden at a top-secret asylum that houses the worst of the worst psychopaths, several of whom escape on Halloween night. They proceed to wreak havoc at a nearby funhouse with attractions based on the escapee’s real-life murder sprees. An underlying sense of humor makes the slashing all the more fun.
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story
The coup de grâce of #RobertEnglundDay, Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story chronicles the horror icon’s life and career. Directors Gary Smart and Christopher Griffiths (Pennywise: The Story of IT, You’re So Cool, Brewster! The Story of Fright Night) show that there’s much more to him than just Freddy.
In the SCREAMBOX Original documentary, the ever-gregarious Englund shares anecdotes from 50 years in the industry, along with his wife Nancy and a bevy of horror favorites: Tony Todd, Kane Hodder, Lance Henriksen, Bill Moseley, Eli Roth, Lin Shaye, Heather Langenkamp, Mick Garris, Andrew Divoff, William Katt, Jeffrey Reddick, Corey Taylor, and more!
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