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Three playful movie reviewers break down a variety of film franchises by dedicating a podcast to every single sequel, reboot, and spin-off in a series. In-depth conversations cover production history, literary sources, gossip, merchandising, and personal opinion with humor and critical insight. No cinematic universe is too obscure or sacred! Over 1,200 reviews at http://nowplayingpodcast.com
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Nine, ten... Freddy’s back in theaters again.
Now Playing Podcast concludes its Nightmare on Elm Street retrospective with a new Nightmare. This time, Robert Englund and Wes Craven step aside, replaced by Jackie Earle Haley (Watchmen) under the burned makeup and music video director Samuel Bayer behind the camera, delivering a darker, more grounded take on the dream stalker. With a new cast of Springwood teens and a modern horror aesthetic, the reboot aims to reintroduce Freddy Krueger to a generation raised on grittier remakes. Stuart, Arnie, and Brock approach the film from three angles: as a horror fan, a Freddy devotee, and a newcomer to the genre. They compare the reboot to the 1984 original, reflect on the franchise as a whole, and weigh Freddy’s standing among horror’s all-time icons. Does Haley’s interpretation restore the menace and danger some felt had faded over the sequels, or does this reboot prove that some nightmares can’t be recreated? The hosts deliver their final verdict as the Elm Street saga comes to a close.
Having already fallen for the strong silent type during last year’s Friday The 13th retrospective, Now Playing switches teams for the guy with a good sense of humor in this totally new review of Freddy vs Jason. Is this crossover cage match a fitting farewell to Robert England’s Krueger, or are fans of the Nightmare on Elm Street series the real losers in this showdown of the slasher movie icons? Listen in and find out!
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{Friday the 13th Series}
This is a whole new episode of Now Playing. No, really, it is!
The movie so nice we reviewed it twice!
Having already spent time with the strong, silent type during last year’s Friday the 13th retrospective, Now Playing Podcast switches allegiances to the wisecracking dream demon for a fresh look at Freddy vs. Jason. This time the focus is squarely on Freddy Krueger and how this long-awaited crossover fits into the Nightmare on Elm Street legacy. With Robert Englund donning the glove for what would become his final big-screen turn as Freddy, the film pits cunning against brute force in a battle fans had debated for years. But does this clash give Freddy the send-off he deserves, or does sharing the spotlight dilute what made Elm Street special? The hosts examine whether this slasher showdown honors the dream stalker’s legacy or leaves Nightmare fans feeling like the real casualties.
1, 2, Freddy’s coming for you! The reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street hits theaters April. You can start getting ready now with the hosts of Now Playing as we revisit and review all the films in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. A decade after A Nightmare On Elm Street, Freddy was living the dream – he had the souls, the stardom, the house and kids, and most importantly the reputation as one of cinema’s most celebrated killers. But what Kruegar really wants to do is direct! So now The Evil Formerly Known As Freddy (TEFKAF) steps out of the movies to meet his makers. Is Craven’s post-modern reinvention an inspired new direction for the series, or a trail of breadcrumbs leading nowhere? Listen and find out!
{Nightmare on Elm St Series}
Doesn't Wes Craven realize the trail of breadcrumbs got Hansel and Gretel hopelessly lost?
With the reboot of A Nightmare on Elm Street hitting theaters this April, Now Playing Podcast continues its retrospective with Wes Craven's New Nightmare. A decade after the original film launched the franchise, Freddy had become a pop culture icon, complete with catchphrases, sequels, and a merchandising empire. But in this bold reinvention, Wes Craven pulls Freddy out of the movie world and into our own. Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund play versions of themselves as a darker, more primal incarnation of the dream demon begins invading reality. No longer content with sequels, The Evil Formerly Known As Freddy (TEFKAF) wants control. Is Craven's post-modern reinvention an inspired new direction for the series, or a trail of breadcrumbs leading nowhere? Listen and find out!
After audiences threw the baby out with the bad slaughter in their mass rejection of Dream Child, New Line knew the days of turning Freddy into Benjamins was drawing short. The sixth entry in the Nightmare on Elm Street series pulls out all the stops – 3-D special effects, star cameos, and a fully revealed origin story…but is the Final Nightmare a fitting finale or a flaccid funeral? Listen to find out!
{Nightmare on Elm St Series}
Now, wait a minute...hasn't Freddy been dead this entire series?
After the lukewarm response to The Dream Child, New Line knew Freddy’s box office reign might be slipping. So for the sixth entry, they went big. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare promises the ultimate showdown, complete with 3-D gimmicks, celebrity cameos, and a deep dive into Freddy Krueger’s origin story. With the marketing declaring this the definitive end of the dream demon, the film throws everything at the screen in an attempt to close the book on Elm Street. But does piling on spectacle and backstory create a fitting send-off, or does it expose how far the series has drifted from its nightmarish roots? The hosts examine whether this Final Nightmare delivers a proper farewell or feels more like a flashy wake for a once-terrifying icon.
Reigning Dream Master Alice knocked out Kruger the last time, only to find herself knocked up with an unborn son whose prenatal naps mean preternatural nightmares for the teenage baby mama and her graduating Springwood friends. Does this latest chapter deliver a Super Freddy movie or become an unworthy heir to the ongoing Nightmare On Elm Street series? Listen to find out!
{Nightmare on Elm St Series}
Good to see Quato is getting some work
Nine, Ten. Never sleep again.
Freddy returns once again in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, picking up after Alice defeated him in The Dream Master. This time, the dream demon finds a new way in, manipulating the nightmares of Alice’s unborn child and turning prenatal dreams into deadly playgrounds for a fresh group of Springwood teens. Leaning even further into surreal imagery and darker fairy-tale symbolism, The Dream Child pushes the mythology into stranger territory. But does this fifth chapter build on the series’ momentum, or does it stumble under increasingly convoluted ideas and diminishing scares? The hosts step into the nightmare once more to decide whether this sequel earns its place in the franchise legacy.
In 1987 Freddy was the Box Office Master by scaring up more money than he ever had before, and so in 1988, rushed into production despite such obstacles as a writer’s strike, Freddy was back again to face a new crop of Springwood teens. Freddy had a new funny, action-oriented feel, and it became Freddy’s top-grossing solo film, but does box office reflect quality? Listen to find out!
{Nightmare on Elm St Series}
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