For those of you looking for an alternative viewing option this Valentine’s Day weekend, the El Rey Network has got you covered with their badass “Rip Your Heart Out” Marathon featuring the first five Nightmare on Elm Street films as well as episodes from the late 1980s series, Freddy’s Nightmares.

As someone who has fond memories of growing up watching the short-lived Krueger-themed series, I was ecstatic to get a chance to sit down and chat with the iconic Robert Englund about his involvement with El Rey’s marathon, which begins on Saturday, February 13th at 6:00am ET/PT and runs until Monday, February 15th at 2:00am ET/PT. During the interview, Englund discussed his excitement over Robert Rodriguez’s network bringing Freddy’s Nightmares back to the airwaves as well as some of his experiences he had while the series was in production.

Other topics that came up included how Englund was almost originally cast in Rodriguez’s Spy Kids years ago, the legendary actor’s favorite iteration of Freddy Krueger, and which of the films is his personal favorite (it happens to also be mine as well). He also gives “Rip Your Heart Out” viewers some tips for this weekend’s 45-hour Nightmare marathon, including which film is the best one during which to make your food run.

Check out our exclusive video interview with the always entertaining Englund below and be sure to tune into the El Rey Network all this weekend for the return of Freddy’s Nightmares and all kinds of Nightmare on Elm Street-fueled fun, hosted by none other than the man behind the Springwood Slasher himself.

  • Heather Wixson
    About the Author - Heather Wixson

    Heather A. Wixson was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, until she followed her dreams and moved to Los Angeles in 2009. A 14-year veteran in the world of horror entertainment journalism, Wixson fell in love with genre films at a very early age, and has spent more than a decade as a writer and supporter of preserving the history of horror and science fiction cinema. Throughout her career, Wixson has contributed to several notable websites, including Fangoria, Dread Central, Terror Tube, and FEARnet, and she currently serves as the Managing Editor for Daily Dead, which has been her home since 2013. She's also written for both Fangoria Magazine & ReMind Magazine, and her latest book project, Monsters, Makeup & Effects: Volume One will be released on October 20, 2021.