Created by Wes Craven and Thomas Baum
Lost somewhere between life and death, the Nightmare Cafe is a sentient, shape-shifting diner, materializing wherever it’s needed. Running this 50’s style joint is the mysterious Blackie (Robert Englund) and Frank (Jack Coleman) and Fay (Lindsay Frost), who are given a second chance at life on one condition: help whoever walks through the door face their worst nightmare, their deepest secret, or their last chance at redemption.
Sanctuary for a Child Episode 5:
A mysterious young boy, Luke (Brandon Quintin Adams), enters the cafe and suddenly Frank finds himself back in his hometown, where he reunites with his long lost high school love, Evelyn Wall (Angela Bassett). They once loved each other desperately, but she was lost to him by the utter determination of his father and the town, to tear them apart because Evelyn is a black woman. After Frank left, she married his best friend, Thomas Wall (Vondie Curtis-Hall), a legendary local athlete. They had Luke who at 12 years old was trying to be the star athlete his father was, so on a dare from his buddies, he entered an abandoned mine. A sudden cave-in trapped Luke under rubble and he never regained consciousness. For a year, Evelyn has kept vigil at his bedside, even though the doctors have declared him braindead. Thomas, unable to deal with his son’s fate, fled, shattering the family. Frank and the Cafe help Luke to bring his parents back together so that he can let go of life in peace.
Written by John Leekley
Starring Angela Bassett, Vondie Curtis-Hall, and Brandon Quintin Adams. Directed by Armand Mastroianni