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Freddy Krueger's Tales of Terror #1
Blind Date
Even though she is the most popular girl in school, Alicia tries to protect nerdy Evan from the abuse of her friends, whom she finds suddenly disappearing. Original.
- GenresHorrorYoung AdultFiction
160 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 23, 2018
Alicia Norris stands up for Evan Walker, the nerdy guy that her boyfriend Scott and friends pick on at school. It puts her offside with her friends. When she and Scott are in a terrible accident, leaving her blind, Evan steps up to help. However, are the rumours that he's violent and dangerous true?
The plot in this YA tale takes a long time to get going, and then rushes into the climax, not really bothering to explain or resolve anything. It's like the author grew tired of what he was writing and wrapped it up as quickly as it could. The book obviously suffers from trying to be its own story, but also having to shoehorn Freddy Krueger into the proceedings, when he doesn't really fit. It may be one of his tales of terror, but he doesn't necessarily have to appear in it, does he?
I'd stick with the Halloween and Friday The 13th 90s YA spin-offs if I were you!
The plot in this YA tale takes a long time to get going, and then rushes into the climax, not really bothering to explain or resolve anything. It's like the author grew tired of what he was writing and wrapped it up as quickly as it could. The book obviously suffers from trying to be its own story, but also having to shoehorn Freddy Krueger into the proceedings, when he doesn't really fit. It may be one of his tales of terror, but he doesn't necessarily have to appear in it, does he?
I'd stick with the Halloween and Friday The 13th 90s YA spin-offs if I were you!
December 30, 2019
Among the slasher film Big Baddies, Freddy has always held a special place in my heart. Combine that with my love for retro YA horror and oh! My eyes were fairly goggling when I finally got this delicious sextet on my hands. I had to metaphorically sweep all of the other books off my TBR table and devour these like so much Christmas ham. Yum!
In this book, I really felt for Evan. The bullying he got on a daily basis seemed so extreme as to almost be unbelievable. But I guess it must exist - just check out the desperate measures some real-life victims take. Mix all that loneliness and pain then add a measure of deep devotion and dollops of hormones and you've got a grenade on your hands. I shan't wonder if his bullies eventually get their just desserts. Since this is a Krueger book, I expect it to be dialed to 11.
The action didn't really get going until the second half, and the murders only started in the last quarter of the book. At no point did the story drag though, and despite what I noted, the pacing was faultless.
Having watched all of the Freddy films, I find his MO here to be very out of character. The ending was also abrupt. I'm sure that he won't let go of his prey that easily but really, what do I know?
It's such a darn sad book. Gonna gobble the next one.
I'm rating this 6.5/10 or 3 stars out of 5.
In this book, I really felt for Evan. The bullying he got on a daily basis seemed so extreme as to almost be unbelievable. But I guess it must exist - just check out the desperate measures some real-life victims take. Mix all that loneliness and pain then add a measure of deep devotion and dollops of hormones and you've got a grenade on your hands. I shan't wonder if his bullies eventually get their just desserts. Since this is a Krueger book, I expect it to be dialed to 11.
The action didn't really get going until the second half, and the murders only started in the last quarter of the book. At no point did the story drag though, and despite what I noted, the pacing was faultless.
Having watched all of the Freddy films, I find his MO here to be very out of character. The ending was also abrupt. I'm sure that he won't let go of his prey that easily but really, what do I know?
It's such a darn sad book. Gonna gobble the next one.
I'm rating this 6.5/10 or 3 stars out of 5.
March 12, 2025
Not so bad than I tought it will be, as I am always reluctant to read novelization of franchise inspired books. It is a nice little horror book where Freddy is just in the background, almost like a host (as he was in his tv show).
You’ll read it in three hours and maybe you’ll be a little scared if you are in good conditions. Good enough for me.
You’ll read it in three hours and maybe you’ll be a little scared if you are in good conditions. Good enough for me.
May 16, 2014
Let me start by saying that I am a huge Freddy Krueger/Nightmare on Elm Street fan. This book is a lot like the 80's TV show, Freddy's Nightmares, in which you see Freddy a few times but it's not all about him. I still enjoyed the book (which is not surprising since I like Freddy's Nightmares). The setting is Elm Street (duh!) and you have the typical popular kids who pick on the weird boy and the one popular girl who feels sorry for him. The story mostly revolves around the latter. Little do they know that Freddy has some influence in their real lives and not just the dream world. It was a quick read and I would recommend it to fellow Freddy fans!
August 27, 2018
Pretty good - very dark for teen fiction!
September 28, 2021
On paper this series makes a great deal of sense. YA horror was big business for a long time thanks mostly to R.L. Stine who saw a market for this stuff way before Goosebumps so other writers thought they would take a crack at it. What's interesting is that New Line gave the greenloght for the series but the only rule they had was the series couldn't feature Freddy. It may seem like a deal breaker but Blind Date is an interesting start to a series that takes place on Elm Street and yes, things do go horribly wrong. For a teen novel it works surprisingly well while not being all that scary or even creepy. The story does feel a bit disjointed and rushed but it's a book geared toward a teen audience so if you're expecting a lot of character building and plot twists, you're reading the wrong book. There are glimpses of Freddy here because this is Elm Street after all so there's going to be a few nightmares here and there. Richards does a good job creating an interesting story and filling it with characters that are self aborbed and yes, even a little weird. Evan is the kind of character you're supposed to feel sorry for, but if anything, you don't feel nothing at all. When Alicia loses her eyesight she becomes whiney and even more annoying than before the accident. What saves the novel is its ending. You know who's behind the accidents but the big reveal at the end is what makes this worth reading. Sure, it's for a teen audience but it's so simply paced and plotted you can't help but like it. It's a great way to introduce Freddy and even Elm Street to a wider audience but I'm sure everyone has already seen the films so the curiosity factor is in how the books tie in the things that make us fans of Nightmare On Elm Street. Turns out, the book has nothing at all to do with the films but they're still interesting and worth a read.
April 6, 2024
I haven't read this since it came out back in 1994...so...almost 30 years ago...which means I would have been 10. I remember loving it at the time...so it was fun to revisit it now. And there were parts of this that I really enjoyed...specifically the writing in the prologue and epilogue were great. And I actually do like the premise of this story.
Take the basic outline and rewrite it so the characters aren't all absolutely awful people...and you'd really have something special. Unfortunately...they are all really awful people and that took a lot of the fun out of it for me.
Even our main character, Alicia, who we are supposed to sympathize with...the nice girl who tells the bullies to stop picking on the "weird kid"...is incredibly shallow and has thoughts about her friends wishing they would die. Being inside her head is kind of sickening and not in a fun way.
And the other kids...I know they are supposed to be awful and that's the point...but it's to such a ridiculous degree that I want all of them to die. Even the teachers and the principal at the school...they're all just horrible.
I like horror...but there has to be at least one character I can root for...that I can feel bad for when bad things happen.
So this was a mixed bag for me but no way am I ever getting rid of it. Love the cover and THIS is my childhood. Wish I could rate it higher...but I imagine it will improve in my memory the further I get away from it.
Take the basic outline and rewrite it so the characters aren't all absolutely awful people...and you'd really have something special. Unfortunately...they are all really awful people and that took a lot of the fun out of it for me.
Even our main character, Alicia, who we are supposed to sympathize with...the nice girl who tells the bullies to stop picking on the "weird kid"...is incredibly shallow and has thoughts about her friends wishing they would die. Being inside her head is kind of sickening and not in a fun way.
And the other kids...I know they are supposed to be awful and that's the point...but it's to such a ridiculous degree that I want all of them to die. Even the teachers and the principal at the school...they're all just horrible.
I like horror...but there has to be at least one character I can root for...that I can feel bad for when bad things happen.
So this was a mixed bag for me but no way am I ever getting rid of it. Love the cover and THIS is my childhood. Wish I could rate it higher...but I imagine it will improve in my memory the further I get away from it.
August 29, 2017
For a tie-in, this isn't half bad: a group of teens in Springwood get the attention of Krueger and suffer the effects. In this case it's a car wreck that destroys the lead's boyfriend's face and blinds the lead, leaving her under the care of a creepy next door neighbor who may have a way for her to regain her sight.....
This comes off as a really superior episode of the ill-fated and low-budget 'Freddy's Nightmares' TV series and was definitely worth the read. It's a YA novel from the '90s, so expect at least one to two culture drops to show how lame this book isn't (remember Spin Doctors, anybody). Not half bad.
This comes off as a really superior episode of the ill-fated and low-budget 'Freddy's Nightmares' TV series and was definitely worth the read. It's a YA novel from the '90s, so expect at least one to two culture drops to show how lame this book isn't (remember Spin Doctors, anybody). Not half bad.
May 8, 2023
Full review at: https://www.jackreacts.com.au/freddy-...
Snippet: This was a fun read, although the pacing was a bit weird. Alicia and Scott’s crash didn’t happen until 86 pages in, and Boomer and Tiffany’s accident was 40 pages after that. It’s only a 156-page book, too, so I would have preferred if stuff kicked off a lot earlier. On the other hand, the first 86 pages didn’t feel like filler or anything like that because they were beneficial to fleshing out the characters and show us the extent of the bullying Evan suffers...
Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)
Snippet: This was a fun read, although the pacing was a bit weird. Alicia and Scott’s crash didn’t happen until 86 pages in, and Boomer and Tiffany’s accident was 40 pages after that. It’s only a 156-page book, too, so I would have preferred if stuff kicked off a lot earlier. On the other hand, the first 86 pages didn’t feel like filler or anything like that because they were beneficial to fleshing out the characters and show us the extent of the bullying Evan suffers...
Check out my full review linked up top for an in-depth recap :)
September 25, 2021
Easy and quick read of Freddy manipulating and controlling teenagers in both the dream and real world. Teens will be killed, one blinded but as she is getting care to regain her sight Freddy will appear. Making a pact with Freddy can have a devastating affect.
November 23, 2020
Why did this series only last a few books? This was pretty good.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews