Ep. 05-30: Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

Reality and fantasy meet in unsettling ways in (Wes Craven’s) New Nightmare (1994), which finds director, Craven, and actors Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund all portraying themselves. As Heather considers making another film with Craven, her son, Dylan (Miko Hughes), falls under the spell of the iconic disfigured villain Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Eventually, Langenkamp must confront Freddy’s demonic spirit to save Dylan’s soul.

Time for a third dip into Wes Craven’s oeuvre, but this one is technically our second film in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. With Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), Craven was coming into his stride as a credible filmmaker which he went on to further prove in his follow-up Scream (1996). Join us as we discuss the good and bad of this very unique film, including the meta-ness of actors playing themselves in a fictional story, fewer one-liners and more horror, and the overall fun of seeing the original team together once again. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys goes to 1990s Los Angeles, where dreams may come true, but earthquakes and familiar nightmares still dwell.

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Ep. 05-27: Galaxy of Terror (1981)

When the spaceship Remus crash-lands on planet Morganthus, the Planet Master of Xerces sends the spacecraft Quest to rescue them… but it crash-lands, too! Baelon (Zalman King) leads the away team, comprising himself, his rival Cabren (Edward Albert), psi-sensitive Alluma (Erin Moran), medic Dameia (Taaffe O’Connell), martial arts fighter Quuhod (Sid Haig), and jittery rookie Cos (Jack Blessing). Finding only brutally murdered bodies aboard the Remus, Quest personnel get brutally slaughtered, one by one, themselves. With their ship still damaged, the team investigates a lifeless alien pyramid, not realizing it is using their own personal fears to kill them.

We’re back in the wonderfully exploitative world of infamous producer/director Roger Corman. Galaxy of Terror (1981) is the perfect storm of a movie so bad it’s a work of art. Join us as we discuss the delicious flaws of this cheesy sci-fi classic, its magnificent cast and crew (including Robert Englund and James Cameron!), and its place in the canon of schlock cinema. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys journeys not only to a somewhat familiar alien planet but also to a lost era of filmmaking where careers were made and rules were often broken.

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Ep. 02-03: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Episode 02-03 “A Nightmare on Elm Street”

Nancy and her friends, Glen, Tina, and Rod, are being stalked in their dreams by a clawed killer named Freddy Krueger. While attempting to decipher how this is possible, Nancy discovers the truth–that in the past her parents were a part of a group of adults that trapped and murdered Krueger, long suspected of child molestation. Now, Nancy and her friends must determine how to survive the burned, razor-fingered stalker as he kills them one-by-one in their dreams.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a towering monument of 1980s horror movies and one of the more prominent jewels in Wes Craven’s (Scream, Last House on the Left) horror movie crown. Join Tim and David as they discuss what jettisoned this low-budget indie into the hallowed halls of horror classics. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys takes you to a nightmare world where the streets are stalked by a scarred and deranged madman named Freddy Krueger.