Nightmare Cafe (1992– )

Frank Nolan and Fay Peronivic find themselves in a mysterious all-night cafe following a brush with death - but they soon learn that they did, in fact, die, and have been brought back to ... See full summary »

Creators:

Thomas Baum, Wes Craven

Stars:

Jack Coleman, Robert Englund, Lindsay Frost

Cast

Series cast summary:
Jack Coleman	...	Frank Nolan (6 episodes, 1992)
Robert Englund	...	Blackie (6 episodes, 1992)
Lindsay Frost	...	Fay Peronivic (6 episodes, 1992)

Storyline

Frank Nolan and Fay Peronivic find themselves in a mysterious all-night cafe following a brush with death - but they soon learn that they did, in fact, die, and have been brought back to life by the cafe. Frank and Fay are given the opportunity to correct something in their lives that went wrong the first time, and upon their success, they stay on as the cafe's new cook and waitress. With the aid of Blackie, the enigmatic owner of the cafe, Frank and Fay find themselves dispensing hot coffee, daily specials, justice and second chances to the many imperiled and troubled souls that the cafe is somehow able to attract as it travels from place to place.

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Plot Keywords:

anthology | penance | ghost | diner

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le bar de l'angoisse

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

MGM Television, Wes Craven Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (6 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[opening sequence for all but first episode]
Blackie: Touch that remote and you die!
[image jumps three times as if someone changing channels, but it's the same show]
Blackie: Now that I've got your attention, here's the deal. See those two people? That's Frank, and that's Fay. Strangers when they met, turns out they've got a lot in common. Both died on the same night, both ended up in the same body of water, and both took refuge in the same all-night cafe. Me, I run the place. Name's Blackie. Been here from the ...

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror V (1994)

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Soundtracks

"Where or When"
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Performed by Sue Raney
Arranged by Peter Matz
Published by Chappel & Co

User Reviews

Possibilities unrealized

I first saw Nightmare Cafe when NBC had a special Wednesday "sneak preview" some weeks before it premiered in its fatal timeslot in the graveyard of shows, Friday nights. The pilot seemed stylish and imaginative, although the effects were less than state-of-the-art even for that time. Taking place all in the span of a single night, it had a very closed-in feeling. The two leads were convincing and capable, but Robert Englund seemed just a bit too smarmy, trying too hard to distance himself from his infamous Freddy Krueger role. Still, it was a fine beginning for a fantasy show, or as one reviewer termed it, the flipside of Fantasy Island.

The remaining five episodes were uneven in quality, but it's unfair to expect a new show to find its voice in only weeks. "The Heart of the Mystery" was one of the better ones. But by the end, the show had abandoned the night setting and the mysterious waterfront the cafe was on. It just didn't feel right to have a "nightmare" show taking place in broad daylight.

Overall, it was a set of intriguing possibilities mostly left unexplored. I have the pilot on tape, and it's a good reminder of what could have been.