The spooky season is always the best time to pull out the film collection and binge beloved horror movies, whether they're creepy classics or familiar franchises. Despite the fact that his last film appearance was in 2010, Freddy Krueger's scarred visage remains one of the most recognizable faces in the horror pantheon. To help pick out 2020's Halloween lineup, here is an overview of the worst to best Nightmare on Elm Street films, ranked by the averaged critic scores from Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.

9) A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010): Average Score - 25

2010 saw an attempt to revitalize audience nightmares by putting Watchmen's Jackie Earle Haley under the famous burn scars. Some critics appreciated Haley's more dour take on the famous frightener, but he wasn't able to catch up to Robert Englund's gleefully iconic sneer. Most critics also lambasted a weakly developed cast, whose brisk deaths made little impact, Furthemore, the improved special effects gave off all flash and no fear.

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8) Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare : Average Score - 29

Freddy's Dead poster

1991's intended finale to Krueger's murderous antics turned out to be final for all of three years, and it was heavily argued for the better. The one intriguing film twist - what would a town look like with all its children slain - was tossed aside with little fanfare, much to critical complaints. In an attempt to draw the audience's thirst for new spectacle, its third act was developed exclusively for 3-D, but here too reviews found the results unimaginative. However, for a few critics, the franchise's love of dark humor held the film together.

7) Freddy vs. Jason: Average Score - 39

Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger in Freddy vs Jason

As the long-awaited matchup between two horror titans, 2003's Freddy vs. Jason earns an easy place on any must-view horror schedule. As a film judged on its own merits, it's not a success by any serious critical measure. A few critics tossed the plot aside as nothing more than a limp excuse to shoehorn in some of the most useless teen victims found yet in horror. Others accepted the youthful bad acting as background detail to the real meat everyone came for, which was a silly, gory romp through horror tropes. Despite the critical score, it holds a place today as a cult classic.

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6) A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge: Average Score - 42

Without creator Wes Craven, producers hurried a sequel out in under a year, dropping it onto screens in late 1985. Derided as slow and not scary, it gained some box office power with critically acclaimed effects and a well-received uptick in the humor, which became one of Freddy's staple treats. Critics have since returned to the movie, re-examining its homoerotic subtext with a modern eye. Freddy's Revenge has been a longtime cult fave, and star Mark Patton has returned to the public eye in a documentary about the film, Scream Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street.

5) A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child: Average Score - 43

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5

Considering the taboo nature of the crimes Freddy Krueger committed in life, it was an audacious idea to give the slasher a paternal motivation in 1989's fifth installment of the franchise. Critic reviews ranged from mixed to negative, especially in regards to this topic. A few even found that the usually reliable humor had gone stale at last. One especially brutal critic complained that Krueger sounded like, "he's stealing his material from Don Rickles."

4) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master: Average Score - 55

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4

1988's Dream Master won over a surprising number of critics with some technical mastery by director Renny Harlin, who would make his career with action films. Critics complained the visual highs didn't last thanks to a thin plot. Critics were also more exhausted than ever with the underwhelming cast of youthful actors, and they were equally getting weary of Freddy's stand-up shtick. On the bright side, the music video-styled nightmares and high-quality special effects received strong acclaim.

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3) A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors: Average Score - 61

A screenshot from A Nightmare on Elm Street 3

1987's Dream Warriors' premise about teens who're done with Krueger's murderous antics and are willing to fight back on his turf brought with it new franchise lore and terrifically gory visual effects. However, save for Englund's cheerfully familiar and funny banter, the critics stayed lukewarm. Fans were much more forgiving of the Wes Craven-scripted attempt, and a number of critics agreed the crisp hospital settings and stronger acting made this film one of the best of the numbered entries.

2) Wes Craven's New Nightmare: Average Score - 71

Wes Craven's attempt to reclaim and close out the franchise was 1994's surprise critical winner. It was also Robert Englund's last appearance under the Freddy makeup in main franchise canon; although, he'd reprise the role one more time for Freddy vs Jason. This time Craven went meta with New Nightmare. With Heather Langenkamp returning to play a version of herself, and Englund given the chance to be both himself and a new, bleaker version of Freddy, critics found Craven's finale to be a fresh, intelligent spin on the franchise. Perhaps the most important critical opinion is Englund's own, who declared this to be his favorite Freddy movie.

1) A Nightmare on Elm Street: Average Score - 85

nightmare elm street

Freddy blasted onto the scene for the first time in 1984, and critics were surprised at how well the low-budget affair held together. They lauded its crisp cinematography, fresh concept and imaginative scares; although, the weak acting would go on to become a staple complaint. It earned glowing critical comparisons to Psycho, with Freddy trapping his victims in a place even more defenseless than the shower. Like Halloween, the behind the scenes need for economical story-telling worked to the film's advantage, giving the original A Nightmare on Elm Street a permanent place today as a critical darling. Like every good saga, the best way to start the journey is right at the beginning.

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