CBR's 31 Days of Halloween is a daily feature highlighting our staff's favorite horror movies to watch during the month of October. Reader, beware -- you're in for a scare!
A Nightmare on Elm Street is easily one of the most iconic horror movie franchises ever made, with signature villain Freddy Krueger being a better "slasher" than anyone else. Though most certainly not the stuff dreams are made of, the series succeeded by tapping into the fears of the 1980s. The result was a line of movies that made many teenagers never want to sleep again.
It all started with the original 1984 classic, which shook up horror movies and even debuted a major actor on the big screen. Almost 40 years later, it's still considered a phenomenal example of the slasher genre's potential and a great horror movie in general. That is despite the reputation of its sequels, many of which failed to capture the same themes and tone. With Halloween on the horizon, now's the best time to revisit Freddy Krueger's debut and see why life was anything but a dream for the residents of Elm Street.
What Is Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street About?
The plot of A Nightmare on Elm Street involves several teenagers being murdered in their sleep and having strange dreams about a disturbing, burned man with a clawed glove. One of the teenagers affected by these dreams is Nancy Thompson, who continues to have dreams about the strange man. Even as the murders escalate, none of the adults in town believe Nancy and her friends. This only results in another of Nancy's friends being killed in their sleep, though she soon discovers who's behind the homicides.
Nancy's mother relents and finally tells her daughter the truth about the man called "Fred Krueger." In the past, he had killed several children, but he was released from jail on a technicality. Angry over this lapse of justice, the parents that lived on Elm Street took matters into their own hands. Though they burned Freddy alive years ago, he now returns as a vengeful dream demon intent on slaying the children who live on Elm Street. Now aware of who and what Freddy is, Nancy aims to face him head-on on his own turf: her dreams.
Why A Nightmare on Elm Street Is Mandatory Halloween Viewing
Even after all these years, A Nightmare on Elm Street remains not only one of the best in its series but also one of the best horror films ever made. It was especially revolutionary back when it released for having a slightly more cerebral level of writing and themes. Sure, there was still the morality play involving teen sexuality, but director Wes Craven also drew from more varied sources than many other slasher films had. Craven based Freddy on a creepy man he saw as a child, with his name suggesting a generic but peculiar individual in most people's neighborhoods.
The same went for the series' title, with the Elm Street location meant to be a relatable, middle-class American setting. Freddy Krueger's iconic clothing was also chosen due to how unorthodox the color combination looks to the human eye. The idea of his being a dream ghost was based on a newspaper involving Hmong refugees who had violent nightmares and never woke up. Freddy, while not the quip-making jokester that he'd be in later movies, was far more emotive and intelligent than the plodding, zombie-esque killers of other movies like Jason Vorhees or Halloween's Michael Myers.
Even the teens themselves felt more like characters than many of the cast members in other slasher flicks, making their inevitable deaths all the better. One of them, Nancy's friend Glen, is even played by Johnny Depp in his first film role. Everyone feels authentic, with the simple additions to the characters adding a sense of verisimilitude. For instance, Nancy's mother, Marge, is an absent parent, wasting away at the bottom of a bottle instead of being there for Nancy. Her relationships with her daughter and ex-husband also showcase the growing reality of divorce in the 1980s, and she's just one of the many untrustworthy adults. Building off the epidemic of latchkey kids and unattended minors in the era, A Nightmare on Elm Street presents the idea that adults are ultimately the biggest threats to the kids of Elm Street.
How to Watch A Nightmare on Elm Street - Is it Streaming?
Thankfully for fans and those who've never seen the movie, the original A Nightmare on Elm Street is available to watch on one of the biggest streaming platforms. Currently, the original film and most of the rest of the series can be seen by those with an HBO Max subscription. Likewise, it can be purchased digitally through Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, making it easy to access Freddy's first foray into terror. The movie can also be acquired physically through Amazon and retailers such as Walmart and Best Buy.