From the creators of the recent Robocop documentary Robo-Doc comes their latest venture Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story. Englund of course is the man behind horror icon Freddy Krueger, arguably the first horror star to cross into mainstream sensibilities. Wes Craven’s greatest creation defined horror in the eighties, with The Nightmare On Elm Street franchise, first by scaring the wits out of the world with his ex child killer who has the ability to infiltrate your dreams and then by turning him into a wise cracking showman, loved the world over.

But as Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares reminds us, the success of Freddy is mostly down to the wonderful performance by Robert Englund and although his place as a legend in horror is cemented, we are reminded of other aspects of Englund’s career, unveiling a brilliant not to mention classically trained, character actor. Friends and co-stars all chime in about their experience working with Robert as Heather Langenkamp, Eli Roth, Lance Henriksen to name but a few, all make an appearance, giving the impression that he really is one of Hollywood’s good guys and although his rise to fame was not easy, there are so many little anecdotes to relish as Englund himself takes us through his life one movie at a time, in an almost autobiographical style.

Kaleidoscope are fast developing a reputation for producing top tier documentaries. All the main players are present, and when they dive, they dive deep, leaving no stone unturned making for thoroughly interesting viewing. So often overlooked and cast off as a one trick pony, the spotlight is firmly on Englund here, showing a truly misunderstood and highly underrated actor who is so much more than just Freddy Krueger. Essential viewing… Chris Andrews