‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (1984)
Almost every installment in the ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ slasher series can be enjoyed on Netflix, from the queer classic ‘Freddy’s Revenge’ to the reviled 2010 remake. If you haven’t seen any of the films, however, the best place to start remains the iconic 1984 original, which still remains the shining peak of the franchise. Its the film that best captures the terror of the premise, which pits a group of teens against a slasher who haunts them at their most defenseless, in their dreams. And Robert Englund is at his most terrifying in the 1984 original, playing the scarred Freddy Kruger as a jokester whose wit only barely hides his ruthlessness. —WC