| A Nightmare on Elm Street | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Created by | Wes Craven |
| Original work | A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) |
| Owners | Estate of Wes Craven New Line Cinema (Warner Bros. Entertainment) |
| Years | 1984–present |
| Print publications | |
| Book(s) | Behind the Screams (2018) |
| Novel(s) |
|
| Comics | A Nightmare on Elm Street in comics |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
| Television series | Freddy's Nightmares (1988–1990) |
| Direct-to-video | Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010) |
| Games | |
| Video game(s) | A Nightmare on Elm Street (1990) |
| Audio | |
| Soundtrack(s) |
|
| Original music | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Character(s) | List of characters |
A Nightmare on Elm Street is an Americansupernaturalslashermedia franchise consisting of nine films, a television series, novels,comic books, and various other media. The franchise began with the filmA Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), written and directed byWes Craven. The overall plot of the franchise centers around the fictional characterFreddy Krueger, theapparition of a former child killer who was burned alive by the vengeful parents of his victims, who returns from the grave to terrorize and kill the teenage residents of the fictional Springwood, Ohio in their dreams. Craven returned to the franchise to co-script the second sequel,A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), and to write and directWes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). The films collectively grossed $472 million at the box office worldwide.
The original film was released in 1984. A series of sequels produced by the independent film companyNew Line Cinema followed. New Line often attributes the growth of their company to the success of theNightmare series.[1] The film series as a whole has received mixed reviews by critics, but has been a financial success at the box office. When comparing the United States box office grosses of other American horror film series,A Nightmare on Elm Street is the third highest grossing series in adjusted US dollars.[2] In 1988,a television series was produced with Freddy as the host. The pilot episode focused on the night Freddy was burned alive by the angry parents of the children he had killed, though the rest of the series featured episodes withindependent plots. Twelve novels, separate from the adaptations of the films, and multiplecomic book series were published featuring Freddy Krueger, as well as acrossover film featuring fellow horror iconJason Voorhees from theFriday the 13th franchise. Aremake of the 1984 film was released in 2010.[3][4][5]
The original film, written and directed by Wes Craven and titledA Nightmare on Elm Street, was released in 1984. The story focuses on Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) attackingNancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends in their dreams, successfully killing all but Nancy, in fictional Springwood,Ohio. Krueger's backstory is revealed by Nancy's mother, Marge, who explains that he was a child murderer. The parents of Springwood killed Krueger after he was acquitted on a technicality. Nancy defeats Freddy by pulling him from the dream world and stripping him of his powers when she stops being afraid of him.[6]
Freddy returns to possess the body of Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton), the new teenager living in Nancy Thompson's house, in 1985'sA Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. Jesse is temporarily saved by his girlfriend Lisa (Kim Myers), who helps him exorcise Krueger's spirit.[7]
Wes Craven returned to writeA Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, released in 1987. In the second sequel, Freddy is systematically killing the last of the Elm Street children. The few remaining children have been placed in the Westin Hills Mental Institution for allegedly attempting suicide. Nancy Thompson arrives at Westin Hills as a new intern, and realizes the children are being killed by Freddy. With the help of Dr. Neil Gordon (Craig Wasson), Nancy helpsKristen Parker (Patricia Arquette), Joey (Rodney Eastman), Taryn (Jennifer Rubin), Kincaid (Ken Sagoes), and Will (Ira Heiden) find their dream powers, so they can kill Freddy once and for all. Neil, unknowingly until the end, meets the spirit of Freddy's mother,Amanda Krueger (Nan Martin), who instructs him to bury Freddy's remains in hallowed ground in order to stop him for good. Neil completes his task, but not before Freddy kills Nancy.[8]
The story of Kristen Parker would continue with 1988'sA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. This time, Kristen (Tuesday Knight) unwittingly releases Freddy, who immediately kills Kincaid and Joey. Before Freddy can kill Kristen, she transfers her dream powers toAlice Johnson (Lisa Wilcox), a friend from school. Alice begins inadvertently providing victims for Freddy when she begins pulling people into her dreams while she sleeps. Alice, who begins taking on traits of the friends who were murdered, confronts Freddy. She uses the power of the Dream Master to release all the souls Freddy has taken; they subsequently rip themselves from Freddy's body, killing him in the process.[9]
Picking up shortly after the events ofThe Dream Master,A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child involves Freddy using Alice's unborn child, Jacob (Whitby Hertford), to resurrect himself and find new victims. The spirit of Amanda Krueger (Beatrice Boepple) returns, revealing that Freddy was conceived when she, a nun working in a mental asylum, was accidentally locked in a room with "100 maniacs" and raped "hundreds of times". Amanda Krueger convinces Jacob to use the powers he was given by Freddy against him, which gives her the chance to subdue Freddy long enough for Alice and Jacob to escape the dream world.[10]
Two years later, 1991'sFreddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare followed the exploits of "John Doe" (Shon Greenblatt), an amnesiac teenager from Springwood, who was sent out to find Freddy's daughter Maggie (Lisa Zane), who he needs to leave Springwood. Freddy's goal is to create new "Elm Streets", and begin a new killing spree after having killed all of the children in Springwood. Maggie, utilizing new dream techniques, uncovers Krueger's past, which include: being taunted by schoolmates for being the "son of 100 maniacs", being cruel to animals, beaten by his stepfather, the murder of his own wife when she discovers he has been killing children, and the moment when theDream Demons arrive in his boiler room to make him the offer of eternal life. Eventually, Maggie pulls Freddy out of the dream world, and uses apipe bomb to blow him up.[11]
Wes Craven returned to theNightmare series a third time withNew Nightmare in 1994. This film focuses on a fictional "reality", where Craven, Langenkamp, and Englund all play themselves, and where the character of Freddy Krueger is really an evil entity that has been trapped in the realm of fiction by all the movies that have been made. Since the movies have stopped, the entity, which likes being Freddy Krueger, is trying to escape into the real world. The only person in its way is Heather Langenkamp, who the entity sees as "Nancy" – the first person who defeated him. Craven explains to Langenkamp the only way to keep the entity contained is for her to "play Nancy one last time". Langenkamp pursues "Krueger", who has kidnapped her son, into the dream world as "Nancy". There, she and her son trap Krueger in a furnace until he is finally destroyed.[12]
In 2003, New Line pittedFriday the 13th'sJason Voorhees against Freddy Krueger. The film,Freddy vs. Jason, explains that Freddy Krueger has grown weak as people in Springwood, his home, have suppressed their fear of him. Freddy, who is impersonatingPamela Voorhees, the mother of Jason Voorhees, sends Jason (Ken Kirzinger) to Springwood to cause panic and fear. Jason accomplishes this, but refuses to stop killing. A battle ensues in both the dream world and Crystal Lake between the two villains. The winner is left ambiguous, as Jason surfaces from the lake holding Freddy's severed head, which winks and laughs.[13]
In 2010,a remake of the originalNightmare on Elm Street was released. Here, Freddy (Jackie Earle Haley) stalks the dreams of Nancy Holbrook (Rooney Mara) and her friends as they discover that they all share a common link from their childhood; they were all molested by Freddy before he was murdered by their vengeful parents. Now a supernatural force in their dreams, Freddy kills off the children that alerted the parents about his transgressions. Freddy slowly works his way to Nancy, his favorite of the children, and manipulates her into going without sleep long enough that her body falls into a coma, resulting in permanent sleep and life with Freddy forever. Nancy is awakened when her friend Quentin (Kyle Gallner) injectsadrenaline into her and pulls Freddy out of the dreamworld, where she and Quentin kill him and burn the remains of his body.[14]
The basis for the originalNightmare on Elm Street has been said to have been inspired by several newspaper articles printed in theLA Times in the 1970s on a group ofKhmer refugees, who, after fleeing to America from theKhmer Rouge Genocide in Cambodia, were suffering disturbing nightmares after which they refused to sleep. Some of the men died in their sleep soon after. Medical authorities called the phenomenon "Asian Death Syndrome". The condition itself afflicted only men between the ages of 19-57 and is believed to besudden unexplained death syndrome and/orBrugada syndrome.[15] The 1970spop song "Dream Weaver" byGary Wright sealed the story for Craven, giving him not only an artistic setting to "jump off" from, but asynthesizer riff from theElm Street soundtrack as well.[16] It has also been stated that he drew some inspiration after studyingEastern religions.[17]
Initially, Fred Krueger was intended to be achild molester, but Craven eventually decided to characterize him as a childmurderer to avoid being accused of exploiting a spate of highly publicized child molestation cases that occurred in California around the time of production of the film.[18] By Craven's account, his own adolescent experiences led to the naming of Fred Krueger. He had been bullied at school by a child named Fred Krueger, and named his villain accordingly.[18] The colored sweater he chose for his villain was based on theDC Comics characterPlastic Man, and Craven chose to make Krueger's sweater colors that of red and green, after reading an article inScientific American in 1982 that said the two most clashing colors to the humanretina were this particular combination.[19]
Robert Englund has revealed that at a time, there was a serious development toward aprequel for Freddy's story calledThe First Kills, which would have been centered around two policemen chasing for the Springwood Slasher and two lawyers during the legal proceedings. Englund claims thatJohn McNaughton was considered for directing the prequel, but these plans were forgotten after New Line Cinema was merged withTurner Broadcasting System in 1994.[20][21] McNaughton came back later around the millennium shift and hoped to produce an alternative prequel story, alongside scriptwriter R.J. Tsarov, which would have been set inHell, where McNaughton imagined Freddy to have been stuck in between his lynching and the events of the 1984 film. New Line Cinema rejected this idea due to the filmLittle Nicky (2000) having been partially set in Hell while also being abox-office bomb, deterring the company from producing another film set in Hell at that time.[22][23]
On January 29, 2008,Variety reported thatMichael Bay and hisPlatinum Dunes production company would berebooting theNightmare on Elm Street franchise with aremake ofthe original 1984 film.[24] To provide a freshness to the character, producer Brad Fuller explained that they were abandoning the things that made the character less scary—Freddy would not be "cracking jokes" as had become a staple of his character in later sequels—and focus more on trying to craft a "horrifying movie".[25] There was not agreement among the original crew as to whether it would be a good idea to remake the film. Craven expressed his displeasure, primarily because the filmmakers chose not to have him as a consultant to the film, unlike with the 2009 remakeThe Last House on the Left where he "shepherd[ed] it towards production".[26] In contrast,Robert Englund felt it was time forA Nightmare on Elm Street to be remade. Englund liked the idea of being able to "exploit the dreamscape" with CGI and other technologies that did not exist when Craven was making the originalNightmare on Elm Street in 1984.[27]
TheNightmare on Elm Street series, when compared to the other top-grossing American horror series—Halloween,Child's Play,Friday the 13th,Saw,Scream, andThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre—and adjusting for 2023 inflation, is ranked third with $793.5 million.[28]Halloween is the highest-grossing horror series in the United States at approximately $1.09 billion.[29][30] Next in line isFriday the 13th at $908.4 million,[31] TheScream film series is in fourth place with $779.5 million,[32] followed by theSaw series with $688.3 million,[33]The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with $459.7 million,[34] and theChild's Play film series rounding out the list with $305.2 million.[35]
| Film | Year | Budget | Box office revenue | Reference | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Other territories | Worldwide | ||||
| A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | 1984 | $1,800,000[36] | $25,624,448 | $31,560,686 | $57,185,134 | [37][38][39] |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | 1985 | $3,000,000[40] | $29,999,213 | $29,999,213 | [41] | |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 1987 | $4,300,000–4,600,000[38][42] | $44,793,222 | $44,793,222 | [43] | |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | 1988 | $6,500,000[38][44] | $49,369,899 | $49,369,899 | [45] | |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child | 1989 | $8,000,000[46] | $22,168,359 | $22,168,359 | [47] | |
| Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | 1991 | $9,000,000[38] | $34,872,033 | $34,872,033 | [48] | |
| Wes Craven's New Nightmare | 1994 | $8,000,000[49] | $18,090,181 | $1,631,560 | $19,721,741 | [50] |
| Freddy vs. Jason | 2003 | $30,000,000[51] | $82,633,448 | $34,009,973 | $116,643,421 | [52] |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) | 2010 | $35,000,000[53] | $63,075,011 | $52,620,171 | $115,695,182 | [54][55] |
| Total | $105,600,000–$105,900,000 | $370,625,814 | $119,822,390 | $490,448,204 | ||
| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[56] |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | 94% (66 reviews)[57] | 76 (12 reviews)[58] | |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | 44% (34 reviews)[59] | 43 (6 reviews)[60] | |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 68% (61 reviews)[61] | 49 (11 reviews)[62] | |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | 56% (34 reviews)[63] | 56 (10 reviews)[64] | |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child | 31% (36 reviews)[65] | 54 (11 reviews)[66] | |
| Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare | 23% (39 reviews)[67] | 39 (14 reviews)[68] | |
| Wes Craven's New Nightmare | 77% (47 reviews)[69] | 64 (21 reviews)[70] | |
| Freddy vs. Jason | 41% (165 reviews)[71] | 37 (29 reviews)[72] | B+ |
| A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) | 14% (185 reviews)[73] | 35 (25 reviews)[74] | C+ |
In August 2015, it was reported thatWarner Bros. Pictures andNew Line Cinema were developing a second remake withOrphan writerDavid Leslie Johnson, withToby Emmerich,Walter Hamada and Dave Neustadter producing it.[75]
In June 2016,Brad Fuller said the remake was indevelopment hell. Englund expressed interest in returning to the series in a cameo role.[76] He later expressed interest in havingKevin Bacon to portray Freddy.[77]
In October 2018, Robert Englund reprised his role as Freddy Krueger on a Halloween-themed episode ofThe Goldbergs.[78]
In December 2018, Johnson said the remake ofA Nightmare on Elm Street was still in development, but New Line Cinema was more focused onThe Conjuring Universe:
"It's still happening. Nothing is percolating just yet. The Conjuring universe is sort of first and foremost on [New Line Cinema's] horror burner. Everybody wants to see Freddy again I think, so I think it's inevitable at some point".[79]
In September 2019, it was announced that film rights had reverted to Wes Craven's estate. By November, the estate had begun work on future project pitches for newA Nightmare on Elm Street projects; with pitches received for both feature film and a potentialHBO Max series, with the intent to have Robert Englund reprise his role as Freddy Krueger.[80][81][82]
In 2022 and 2024Heather Langenkamp expressed interest in reprising the role of Nancy Thompson in a potential legacy sequel directly followingA Nightmare on Elm Street.[83][84]
In 2025, Robert Englund expressed interest in reprising the role of Freddy Krueger in animated frorm.[85][86]
Beginning on October 9, 1988,Freddy's Nightmares was an anthology series, in the vein ofThe Twilight Zone, which featured different horror stories each week. The show was hosted by Freddy Krueger, with Robert Englund reprising his role from the films. Freddy played more of a background character, but occasionally showed up to influence the plot of particular episodes. The series ran for two seasons and a total of44 episodes, ending March 10, 1990.[87] Although most of the episodes did not feature Freddy taking a major role in the plot, the pilot episode "No More Mr. Nice Guy" depicts the events of Krueger's trial, and his subsequent death at the hands of the parents of Elm Street after hisacquittal. Directed byTobe Hooper, creator ofThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, Freddy's acquittal is based on the arresting officer, Lt. Tim Blocker, not reading him hisMiranda rights, which is different from the originalNightmare that stated he was acquitted because someone forgot to sign asearch warrant. After the town's parents burn Freddy to death he returns to haunt Blocker in his dreams. Freddy gets his revenge when Blocker is put to sleep at the dentist's office, and Freddy shows up and kills him.[88]
Between 1987 and 2003,Freddy Krueger appeared in the novelization of each of the films. The first five films were adapted bySt. Martin's Press. Those adaptations follow the films closely, with minor changes to specific details that occurred in the film.A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 does not follow the respective film, instead utilizing the same plot elements to tell a different story altogether. This novel also provides a different backstory for Freddy.[89][90] In 1992, Abdo & Daughters Publishing Company released adaptations of their own for the first six films. Written by Bob Italia, each was under one hundred pages and followed the films' plot.[91][92][93][94][95][96] The final two books,Wes Craven's New Nightmare andFreddy vs. Jason, were published byTor Books andBlack Flame. These novels also followed the films closely, with the adaptation ofFreddy vs. Jason containing a different ending than the movie.[97][98]
The popularity of the film series also led to the creation of several comic book series published by companies such asMarvel Comics,Innovation Comics,Trident Comics,Avatar Press and, most recently,WildStorm Comics. Writers such asSteve Gerber, Andy Mangels,Chuck Dixon andBrian Pulido have all contributed stories to the various series. There have been crossovers with other franchises, such asFreddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors.
On May 4, 2010, a 4-hour documentary chronicling theNightmare on Elm Street series was released. The documentary includes interviews with the cast and crew for all of theNightmare films.[99] In a wish to utilize individuals who contributed to the series, the makers of the documentary procuredposter artist Matthew Joseph Peak to create the artwork for the release poster and DVD cover, and composerCharles Bernstein for the film's main title music.[100][101] As part of a special offering, the filmmakers gave away a limited edition poster to anyone that ordered the documentary from the official website. Those same individuals would also be entered into a drawing to win one of three 27" × 40" teaser posters signed by dozens of people who worked on the films and were interviewed in the documentary.[102]Michael Gingold ofFangoria felt the filmmakers did an amazing job bringing together all of the behind-the-scenes footage, picture, never-before-seen deleted scenes, FX scenes, and other "treasures". Gingold noted that even die-hard fans would find something new.[103]Bloody Disgusting's Ryan Daley praised the film for being educational, and looking at the legacy of bothA Nightmare on Elm Street and New Line Cinema. Daley believed that there was no better horror documentary.[104] Nick Hyman ofUnder the Radar noted thatNever Sleep Again, unlike the earlierHis Name Was Jason documentary, provided a more candid interview process with the people involved. Hyman pointed out that the best part of the documentary is the look at New Line's success through theElm Street films, and the financial struggles and deadlines that plagued the film series.[105]
Aside from theNever Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy documentary, some smaller documentaries have been made;The Making of 'Nightmare on Elm Street IV' (1989) andThe Making of Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) covered the making of part 4 and 6 respectively.[106][107]MTV released another short promotional specialSlash & Burn: The Freddy Krueger Story in 1991.[108] Robert Englund also narrated the documentaryFreddy Speaks in 1992, both as himself and as Freddy Krueger.[109]Heather Langenkamp released her own documentary calledI Am Nancy in 2011, whileMark Patton also released a personal documentary,Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street in 2019.[110]
In February 2010, Funko released a FreddyBobblehead.[111] Also in 2010,NECA released a 10" puppet of Freddy Krueger from Phillip's death scene inA Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors,[112] a metalreplica of his glove, and twoaction figures: Freddy before he was burned, and the other being him after the burning, including two interchangeable heads.[113]
A Nightmare on Elm Street is the shared name of two unrelated video games released in 1989, both loosely based on the series. From among those films,Dream Warriors andThe Dream Master were particular influences on the gameplay of each.LJN (programmed byRare) released one title for theNES, and Monarch Software the other for theCommodore 64 andIBM PC compatibles.[citation needed]
David Bergantino, video game developer, wanted to produce aFreddy vs. Jason game calledFreddy vs. Jason: Hell Unbound, but the film being stuck indevelopment hell constantly delayed any release of a video game, and once a release date had been set for the film, there would have been insufficient time to develop the game to correspond with the film's release date. The game would have continued on fromJason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) and have been its own storyline instead of being based on any screenplay. Bergantino consideredDreamcast,PlayStation 2 and laterXbox as possible platforms for the video game. The game would have allowed up to four players with Freddy or Jason asplayer characters, in various forms such as "Hooded Jason" or "Snake-Freddy". The premise would have been that Freddy and Jason are permanently stuck in Hell due to their countless unforgivable sins;Death makes the offer that whoever of the two can fight their way out of Hell, against demons and others of its denizens, gaining the highest body-count, would have been allowed to leave Hell, while the loser will remain stuck there forever. As each of the slashers are stuck in their personal hells, versions of Elm Street and Camp Crystal Lake would have existed there in some form. Freddy-based levels would have been more surreal, while Freddy could have toyed with Jason's perceptions.[114]
The new "Nightmare" isn't expected to do quite that well but should still be a solid performer for the studio given its production budget of about $35 million.
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