2022 Directed by Paige Troxell, Kim Gunzinger
Following several hardcore A Nightmare On Elm Street fans and featuring stories from hundreds of others of all ages across the globe, FredHeads explores just how much fans love the franchise and how it has changed their lives by inspiring them to conquer their fears. Cast, crew, and others involved in the franchise also offer insight into the legacy of A Nightmare On Elm Street.
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Horror Hound Film Festival
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Without question, I am a fan of A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. That said, this documentary will be a nostalgia ride for fans being fans.
This will have a same vibe as Hail to the Deadities (2020) and Wolfman’s Got Nards (2018) with the focus being hardcore fan driven with some added talking heads from celebrities from the franchise.
With this documentary being two hours long, this was truly a hardcore fans documentary made for hardcore fans. So I do not blame some viewers not diving into this.
Overall this was a decent watch for any fan of the franchise.
Fredheads is a documentary made by fans for fans of A Nightmare on Elm Street and examines the impact the series has had on them.
It is important to note right off the bat that this is not a documentary about A Nightmare on Elm Street, this is about the fans of A Nightmare on Elm Street. If you are looking for deep dives into the franchise and interviews with the cast and crew then you should watch Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010) or Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019) because you will not find new information about the films here. Full disclosure, I was an Indiegogo backer of this documentary and therefore knew what…
I had a very emotional response to this movie. Hearing all the stories from fans and what the Elm Street franchise means to them and the things the films have helped them through was vindication that these aren’t “just horror movies”. Going beyond my own personal struggles that A Nightmare on Elm Street and it’s characters have guided me through, it’s amazing to see how many others have been touched by these films the same way, and the community these films have created.
While watching this I laughed and I cried. My eyes were filled with tears throughout the entire runtime, whether from happiness, love, sympathy, or heartache. Each account told touched me on a truly visceral level.
FredHeads reminded me why I love A Nightmare on Elm Street so much, and made me more proud than ever to be a FredHead.
This was a long awaited documentary I've been excited for since I heard of its conception. A documentary MADE for why fans like myself are passionate for A Nightmare on Elm street and how the franchise and its characters touched them.
'Nightmare' was one of the earliest Horror franchises I watched along with friends at a young age and watching this documentary hearing how this series literally saved so many and brought a community together was beautiful. I first watched these movies in 2001 when my childhood friend's mom had the first release box set on VHS, then my grandma bought me the 90's DVD box set which I rewatched over and over.
These movies are so comforting to me,…
I wish this group well. But two hours nineteen and nothing to learn except horror is a community. It doesn’t even go much into what people like about the films.
Watched it on Tubi. Paige Joy did a great job with a labor of love, capturing a cross-section of Freddy fans, with guest appearances by many NOES stars, including Heather Lagenkamp and Mr. Krueger himself, Robert Englund. Diandra Lazor’s story and reaction at the end were my favorite parts!
I've heard of this documentary for some time, and my library finally got a copy not too long ago, so I was the first to get it and have now seen it.
Clearly the gold standard is the NEVER SLEEP AGAIN documentary, and this thing just felt so cheap compared to it. Clearly made on a small budget, but with it's long runtime, it's really nothing more than five friends going around telling their stories about the film and why they became fans.
Some other random fans get little bits here and there, but it's mostly just these five people talking.
They film at various conventions, a few I was even at, just not while they were filming clearly. From…
I will die on the hill that this is the definitive documentary on the Freddy Krueger fandom. Perhaps what is most endearing about this film is the vulnerability of its own filmmakers to showcase their own struggles with depression and suicide. Horror may seem like a strange place to find community or even breakthrough for your mental health. Though, as someone who thrives on the horror genre, I can attest to both of those factors. FredHeads perfectly explores the impact of these very subjects not just among the Nightmare on Elm Street fans but the horror community as a whole.
Full disclosure: I am a FredHead.
Horror movies and the world that surrounds them is an interesting place. For most, it's simply entertainment. For a few, it's escapism. For a lot of us, it's community. Meg Foster said it best to me one time at a convention: "This is our tribe."
A few quick observations: the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series has been around for just shy of of 40 (FORTY!) years now. The "final" official film in the original series was released, at the time of this review, just south of 32 years. At the height of Freddy Mania, there was even a short-lived -- though definitely groundbreaking for its time -- television series of 44 episodes…
I have been obsessed with the Nightmare series since I was about 12 and say New Nightmare at a sleepover. I loved everything about this documentary. I feel seen by these people.
The best fan made documentaries I’ve ever seen. I bought this on DVD and it was worth it. The love from the fans for Freddy is so loud and pure.
Documentaries about films and their impact are a dime a dozen but ones that completely turn the camera on the fans of the film are hard to pull off. This film does that in an outstanding way! The passion and love for the Nightmare series by the creators and how they bring that love in with the folks they interview in a very clear way that is entertaining and engaging.
