Nobody is ready for Halloween quite like ABC's The Goldbergs. The 1980s-embracing sitcom has pulled out the stops for a magnificently nightmarish cameo from Freddy Krueger himself. Below, you'll see the first shots from Robert Englund's big return as the Bastard Son of 100 Maniacs. Run, Beverly, run!
This truly is the most magical time of year...for horror fans. While Robert Englund had previously claimed he was getting too old to get back into the Freddy makeup, that hasn't proven true. Of course, The Goldbergs likely won't make him go through any physically taxing stunts during the episode "Mister Knifey-Hands." No cartwheels and handstands for this guy.
In the episode, Adam is allowed to watch Nightmare on Elm Street by Jackie' parents, despite Beverly having qualms against it. It leads to a tiff between the families, but it's Beverly who gets plagued by nightmares of Springwood, Ohio's finest.
Is it just me, or does it look like he's rocking the face someone makes when they've just farted and they don't want you walking behind them? It's very much a "You do NOT want to go in there, trust me." Granted, because it's Freddy, it might be a pile of corpses rather than fart gas. But the face still implies something is up.
Freddy has always been at home in suburbia, given that's where most of his victims lived in the original flicks. But maybe don't expect to see other familiar locations like the boiler rooms that Freddy loves to creep around in. But maybe do expect to see him out standing in a field?
If Freddy was going after the Children of the Corn, that might be a fun tie-in to one of the lesser-appreciated Stephen King stories and film adaptations. Or maybe not.
According to the episode synopsis, Beverly's nightmare will teach her an important lesson about Adam and Jackie's relationship. It doesn't say, however, whether or not she actually survives her encounter with Freddy. She's in images for the following episodes, though, so...spoilers, I guess.
Robert Englund hasn't appeared in an Elm Street-related film as Freddy Krueger since 2003's Freddy vs. Jason. However, he did don the makeup again for the documentary Nightmares in the Makeup Chair, which was due to release this year. And in case anyone wondered who he'd like to see take the mantle as Freddy, his vote goes to Kevin Bacon taking on the iconic role.
_Head to the next page to see more images from the upcoming Goldbergs episode, including one pic of some familiar jump-roping youths. _
1, 2, Freddy's coming for you, Beverly. 3, 4, better lock your door, Beverly. Okay, you guys get the point. That's my way of introducing this shot of the creepy as hell children known for their jump-roping and singing in the Elm Street series.
As awesome as it is to see Robert Englund back as Freddy, I am so impressed that The Goldbergs also pulled those girls into the episode. It's not like it's a deep-cut reference, but it's a great touch. Now if Barry could just turn into a cockroach to mimic the scene in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, that would be perfect.
This final shot could possibly be setting up a gag where it's actually Freddy who is having the nightmare. (A joke that was actually used in Dokken's "Dream Warriors" music video.) Unless Beverly wakes up next to Freddy in bed, rather than next to Murray. Which could be a good or a bad thing, depending on the morning.
The Goldbergs will air "Mister Knifey-Hands" on Wednesday, October 24, at 8:00 p.m ET. And you can find it airing on ABC every Wednesday night in the same time slot. You can check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see all the other spooky and dreamlike shows coming to the small screen.
