Every 'Nightmare on Elm Street' Movie, Ranked By Slasher Fans
Vote up the Freddy Krueger movies that make you never want to sleep again.
No matter how many teens kill him, Freddy Krueger comes back again and again in the classic A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Ever since Freddy's knife glove first slashed across the screen in 1984, he's become a seminal character in the horror genre, leading to nine films that center around his heinous dreamscape murders. Each of these movies sees an evolution of Freddy, as he turns into an increasingly comical character before circling back around to his villainous origins.
We've broken down all nine of the Elm Street movies and delve into each film's storyline, best kill, scariest Freddy form, most iconic shot, and the best of Freddy's signature one-liners. Vote up the Elm Street movies you think are the best.
- 11,008 VOTESPhoto: New Line Cinema
The Nightmare: In the original A Nightmare on Elm Street from 1984, teenager Tina Gray is plagued by nightmares of a disfigured man wearing a glove with knife blades on each finger. Tina's friend Nancy Thompson attempts to help Tina, but after Tina is killed by the man, it's up to Nancy to defeat him. She learns that the man is Freddy Krueger, who murdered 20 children and was then set on fire and killed by local parents. Although it seems like Nancy successfully defeats Krueger, the strange coda indicates there's ultimately no way out of his nightmares.
Kill Count: 4
Freddy's Best One-Liner: “I’m your boyfriend now, Nancy.”
Best Kill: Nancy's boyfriend Glen is attacked in his bed by Freddy after accidentally falling asleep. In this gory scene, Glen (played by Johnny Depp) is pulled into the mattress, and a massive spray of blood shoots out of it, covering the entire room. 500 gallons of fake blood were used for the scene.
Scariest Freddy Form: In the film's bizarre ending, Freddy Krueger turns into a car that takes Nancy and her friends hostage. As an oblivious Marge waves goodbye, she's sucked into the house by Krueger.
Most Iconic Shot: After Tina's death, an exhausted Nancy falls asleep while taking a bath. As she drifts off, Freddy's glove emerges from the surface of the water between Nancy's legs. This disturbing shot remains one of the most memorable in the entire franchise.
- Photo: New Line Cinema
The Nightmare: Teenager Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette) finds herself in a mental hospital after having dreams about Freddy Krueger in 1987's A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. One of the intern therapists, Nancy Thompson, reassures Kristen that the nightmares are real and introduces her to a group of other patients known as the “last of the Elm Street kids.” These teens team up to become Dream Warriors and kill Freddy for good, even though he's the most powerful he's ever been.
Kill Count: 6
Freddy's Best One-Liner: "Welcome to Prime Time, b*tch!"
Best Kill: Freddy turns Phillip into a human puppet by slashing him with his knife glove and using Phillip's tendons as puppet strings. After Phillip has been mercilessly tortured, Freddy cuts the tendons, which causes Phillip to fall to his death in what looks like a suicide.
Scariest Freddy Form: While dozing off watching television, Jennifer suddenly sees Freddy appear on screen. As she approaches the TV set, Freddy's arms burst out of it and pull her off the ground. As the TV turns into Freddy, he pulls Jennifer in and kills her.
Most Iconic Shot: In a film filled with iconic moments, one of the most memorable occurs after Freddy seemingly kills Nancy. Just as he's about to take out Kristen, Nancy jumps up behind Freddy and stabs him with his knife glove. Although Freddy does get the upper hand, it's satisfying to witness Nancy's revenge.
- 3886 VOTESPhoto: New Line Cinema
The Nightmare: In this unique meta film, Heather Langenkamp (who played Nancy Thompson in earlier films) makes her triumphant return to the franchise. Although Langenkamp is playing herself, she begins to suspect that Freddy Krueger isn't a work of fiction after all. Langenkamp teams up with her son Dylan, Wes Craven, and Robert Englund among others as she ventures into the dreamscape and once again face Fred Krueger.
Kill Count: 4
Freddy's Best One-Liner: “1, 2, Freddy's comin' for you!”
Best Kill: Dylan's babysitter, Julie, is trying to keep him awake at the hospital when Freddy arrives. Because this is a meta film, Julie's bloody death is reminiscent of Tina's in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street. An upside-down set and other visual effects manage to make Julie's gruesome demise even more horrific than Tina's iconic slaying.
Scariest Freddy Form: Freddy's scariest form in Wes Craven's New Nightmare appears at the end of the film as his mouth grotesquely widens when he attempts to eat Dylan. His sickeningly long tongue, which he uses to trap Heather, is equally nauseating.
Most Iconic Shot: There's a great jumpscare early on in the film where Heather is giving an interview and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger bursts onto the stage. The audience goes wild and many of them hold up Freddy signs and masks. Heather's visible discomfort is not only foreshadowing for the rest of the film but hints at the pressure of playing such an iconic character as Nancy Thompson.
- Photo: New Line Cinema
The Nightmare: Kristen, Kincaid, and Joey are released from Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital, but Kristen still lives in fear of Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Freddy subsequently attacks Kristen in a dream and she transfers her powers to another teen named Alice before dying. As those around Alice die, she begins to pick up on their own powers, giving her additional strength to fight off Freddy. Unfortunately, Alice is at a disadvantage having never faced Freddy, and she must get extra creative in order to destroy him.
Kill Count: 6
Freddy's Best One-Liner: “How's this for a wet dream?”
Best Kill: Rather than using his iconic glove, Freddy uses Sheila's own body to kill her. Known to be asthmatic, Sheila has the life sucked out of her by Freddy until she's nothing but a skeletal heap of flesh.
Scariest Freddy Form: When Alice comes to in the nurse's office, she's greeted by a nurse who looks suspiciously like Robert Englund. As the nurse turns around, streaks of blood appear on her back and she morphs into Freddy, who quips about drawing blood from a terrified Alice.
Most Iconic Shot: Debbie's fear of cockroaches gets the best of her and lands her in a dream where she's trapped in a roach motel. As she desperately searches for an exit, Debbie slowly transforms into a cockroach in a disgustingly gruesome scene.
- 5809 VOTESPhoto: New Line Cinema
The Nightmare: Trapped in Hell, Freddy Krueger brings Jason Voorhees back to the dead and commands the masked killer to go to Elm Street in 2003's Freddy vs. Jason. The children of Springwood have all either forgotten about Freddy or been institutionalized, but adults fear he's returned when Jason begins his slaying. A group of teens determine that the only way to defeat Freddy and Jason is to bring Freddy into the real world and have the two killers battle each other face-to-face, leading to an epic showdown at the infamous Camp Crystal Lake.
Kill Count: 22
Freddy's Best One-Liner: "Welcome to my nightmare."
Best Kill: During a final standoff at Camp Crystal Lake, Jason slashes Freddy with his own glove. It was a paradigm in the slasher genre to see Freddy Krueger killed by Jason Voorhees, although the ending implies that the two immortal serial killers both have unfinished business.
Scariest Freddy Form: Freddy's most unexpected transformation occurs when he takes on the appearance of Jason's mother, Pamela Voorhees. Now trapped in Freddy's boiler room, Jason is chastised by Pamela, who morphs back into Freddy, much to Jason's shock.
Most Iconic Shot: In the film's final scene, Jason emerges from Crystal Lake carrying the severed head of Freddy Krueger. As the camera zooms in on the pair, Freddy devilishly winks before the scene cuts to black.
- Photo: New Line Cinema
The Nightmare: Set five years after the events of the original film, Jesse Walsh and his family move into Nancy Thompson's old house in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. Jesse begins having nightmares that mimic the ones Nancy had, indicating that Freddy Krueger is still alive. With the help of his friends Lisa and Grady, Jesse does his best to fight off Freddy in the dreams, but as Freddy comes more and more into the real world and frames Jesse for multiple murders, Jesse's odds for survival rapidly vanish.
Kill Count: 5
Freddy's Best One-Liner: “You've got the body, I've got the brain.”
Best Kill: After literally crawling out of Jesse, Freddy attacks a catatonic Grady. As Grady screams for help and is killed by Freddy, and Jesse regains consciousness, it's unclear who has been dreaming and who is still awake…or alive.
Scariest Freddy Form: Unlike some of the more outlandish forms Freddy takes on in later films, his scariest form in this sequel is turning into Jesse. Looking like an unassuming teenager allows Freddy to get to Jesse's friends at their most vulnerable, which leads to Grady's death, among others.
Most Iconic Shot: Freddy's possession of Jesse is both psychologically and visually horrifying. As Freddy takes control, he bursts out of Jesse's chest in the film's most traumatizing scene.
- 7715 VOTESPhoto: New Line Cinema
The Nightmare: A man named John Doe has no memory of his past but believes he may be the son of Freddy Krueger in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare. After being taken to a shelter, John meets troubled teens Spencer, Carlos, and Tracy who are being treated by Dr. Maggie Burroughs. Maggie takes the group to Springwood, Ohio, which is where John was found. There they discover the old Elm Street house and Freddy makes his triumphant return. Much to Maggie's horror, she discovers that she is Freddy's child and is the only person who can defeat him.
Kill Count: 5
Freddy's Best One-Liner: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but nothing will ever kill me.”
Best Kill: In a particularly creative scene, Freddy kills Carlos via chalkboard. Taking control of Carlos's hearing aid, Freddy ruthlessly runs his knife glove across a chalkboard until Carlos's head literally explodes.
Scariest Freddy Form: In a genuinely upsetting scene, Tracy is transported back to her childhood home where she must face her abusive father. Although this turns out to be one of Freddy's nightmares, the acting is believable enough to leave us thoroughly shaken.
Most Iconic Shot: In a final standoff with Freddy, Maggie uses an arsenal of confiscated weapons to kill Freddy, including his own glove. While the special effects of Freddy's demise are cheesy even by 90's standards, watching him explode is nothing short of unforgettable.
- Photo: New Line Cinema
The Nightmare: Freddy Krueger is back with a vengeance in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. After becoming pregnant with Dan's child, Alice has visions of a baby named Jacob being fed by Freddy. Alice then begins investigating Freddy's past, including his mother, Amanda Krueger, who was a nun that was raped by Freddy's father(s). Traveling into the dream world, Alice must fight Freddy once again, but this time it's not only to save herself and her friends as her unborn son risks becoming Freddy's next victim.
Kill Count: 3
Freddy's Best One-Liner: “Kids... always a disappointment.”
Best Kill: Trapped in the dream world, Greta is force-fed by Freddy. The meal turns out to be Greta's own organs, which eventually choke her to death.
Scariest Freddy Form: After Mark travels into a comic book world and becomes a superhero, Freddy transforms into “Super Freddy.” This extra-evil version of Freddy turns Mark into a paper cutout, allowing him to easily shred the fallen hero.
Most Iconic Shot: While trapped in a dream, Alice follows baby Freddy into the abandoned church from the previous film. As baby Freddy finds his way to the iconic sweater, hat, and glove, he transforms into adult Freddy who proclaims, “It's a boy!” much to Alice's horror.
- 9806 VOTESPhoto: Warner Bros.
The Nightmare: After local teen Dean Russell presumably takes his own life, his friends start to recover memories of their shared childhood in the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. They learn about a groundskeeper at their preschool named Fred Krueger, who molested the children. Now Freddy is back and killing teens in their dreams as he seeks revenge for their parents burning him alive years ago. It's left up to the last surviving team on Elm Street Nancy Holbrook to stop him.
Kill Count: 4
Freddy's Best One-Liner: “Why are you screaming? I haven’t even cut you yet!”
Best Kill: Dean falls asleep at the diner and fights off Freddy in a dream. After coming to, he's possessed by Freddy and cuts his own throat. It's obvious Dean isn't in control, making this kill all the more jarring.
Scariest Freddy Form: Freddy doesn't take on many forms in this sequel, but we do find out what he looked like before being burned alive. However, seeing Freddy as an unassuming groundskeeper is a reminder to the viewer that monsters often hide in plain sight.
Most Iconic Shot: During Dean's funeral, Kris sees a younger version of herself in a vision. She's wearing a blue dress that's been torn across the front from Freddy's glove. The incorporation of younger children in the remake drives home Freddy's disturbing origins.
