A couple of weeks ago, fans of Robert Englund’s take on Freddy Krueger received some exciting news from an unlikely source, with the star of A Nightmare on Elm Street announced to reprise his most famous role in an upcoming episode of The Goldbergs.
Suffice to say that none of us really saw this coming, though seeing how Freddy is arguably the definitive face of ‘80s horror, it certainly makes a strange kind of sense for this nostalgic sitcom to be the vehicle for his comeback. If you’re wondering how these two worlds could possibly meet, we have a summary for the episode – titled “Mister Knifey-Hands” – which suggests that the dream demon will be crossing paths with the overprotective mother of the Goldberg family.
“Despite Beverly’s wishes, Jackie’s parents allow Adam to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street and a disagreement between the families ensues. But Beverly dreams of facing off with horror icon Freddy Krueger (guest star Robert Englund), which teaches her an important lesson about her son’s relationship with Jackie. Meanwhile, Erica realizes she’s not as popular as she once was as she starts hanging out at William Penn Academy despite the fact she’s no longer a student there.”
For fans of Freddy, this could be the last they’ll get to see of the character for a long time, and perhaps the last they’ll ever see of Englund in the role. After the 2010 remake proved a dud with fans and critics alike, it’s hard to say if and when another Elm Street flick will find its way to cinemas, though Englund himself is still offering new ideas for where the series could go from here.
While the future looks hazy for A Nightmare on Elm Street, there’s surely an audience out there waiting to reconnect with Freddy, whether it’s Englund in the part or some worthy new talent. In the meantime, this Goldbergs episode is set to air on October 24th on ABC, and should at least make for a better crossover than Freddy vs. Jason.