Growing up, very few things were constant for me. Mac & Cheese and Dr. Pepper would forever be the best, MTV played some great videos, and from October of 1988 through March of 1990, my Saturday evenings would be terrifying, thanks to the A Nightmare on Elm Street Television anthology spin-off, Freddy’s Nightmares. Taking an almost EC Comics-esque vibe and injecting the stories with nightmare fuel, horror’s favorite wiseacre, Freddy Krueger, served as the show’s host, adding a sense of horror familiarity to stories that, for the most part, didn’t have to revolve around the Springwood Slasher every single episode. Instead, it served as an early prototype of television anthology horror of the decade, taking the flamboyant 1980’s and making each segment a blood (and sometimes sex) filled ride. Despite being based on such a major property and featuring early performances from rising stars like Brad Pitt and Mariska Hargitay, the show’s score never received an official physical release, leaving horror fans craving for some Elm Street entertainment. Making its LP debut, Terror Vision Records has released the original broadcast soundtrack for Freddy’s Nightmares: The Series, hand selecting various cues from the show’s two seasons and readers, this release is one to uh…die for.
Having a small handful of composers working on the show, this release highlights the work of composers Nicholas Pike (tracks 1-6, 28), Randy Taco & Junior Homrich (tracks 7-12), and Gary Scott (tracks 13-27). All four display such different but cohesive approaches to the material, making for quite the listening experience. Scoring the show’s pilot, an episode titled, “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” Pike partnered up with the pilot’s director, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre filmmaker Tobe Hooper, to create a series of cues that would serve the episode’s focus on Freddy’s backstory. Here Pike pairs an industrial-heavy approach with metal guitar work, giving listeners an ominous but bouncy set of tracks that can both serve as underscoring and an over-the-top extravaganza. “End of Brian” sounds as if John Carpenter and Psycho crashed into each other, with synth heavy vibes and horror stingers combining to transport you into a hellish tale. Pike understood the assignment well, and his work on the show and the first set of this compilation’s tracks really sets the tone for what’s the come.
When Randy Tico & Junior Homrich arrive for the second set of tracks, the tone shifts to familiar but very experimental territory. Ambient keyboards and electronic descents into madness create some of the most unique horror score work around and add a controlled chaos to this release. The duo’s usage of bells, the sound of literal metal, and circus-like synth work really shine and set their tracks apart from what Pike did without ever feeling like too drastic of a departure.
The real detour (in a good way) comes during tracks 13-27. From “Springwood Confidential” to “Tripping,” Gary Scott takes everything he learned from his time as musical director for Cher (among others) and gives Freddy’s Nightmares more of a complete song-like structure, shifting the score into an ‘80s rock atmosphere. “Freddy’s Juice” is a great example of this transition. Scott knows his way around composing some interesting departures from what we’d expect, and that works well for his contributions to the score.
With three sets of tracks, all with their own unique brand of horror, Freddy’s Nightmares: The Series is a must own for horror fans. The score really stands apart from not only what was coming out at the time, but also from the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. While the TV show might not have made epic waves in the sense of Tales from the Crypt, it really was a unique experience, as the Original Broadcast Soundtrack proves.
TRACKS 1-6, 28: Composed by Nicholas Pike
TRACKS 7-12: Composed by Randy Taco & Junior Homrich
TRACKS 13-27: Composed by Gary Scott
About the Author: Harper Smith is a film composer and journalist from California. When not writing about films and the music found within them, they release instrumental music as RainyDaysForGhosts and their debut book, Faith, Doubt, and Existential Horror (an analytical look at William Peter Blatty’s Faith trilogy) is hitting shelves next year via Bear Manor Publishing.