A Nightmare on Elm Street
Movie, 1984, Springwood, Set in Springwood, 1981
A Nightmare on Elm Street is #1 of 9 in release order and #1 of 9 in chronological order in the A Nightmare on Elm Street.
The story
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...
A Nightmare on Elm Street recap
In Springwood, teenager Tina Gray dreams of a burned man in a striped sweater and a fedora who wears a glove with knife blades. The next night she is slashed to death in her sleep, thrown across the ceiling while her boyfriend Rod watches, and Rod is arrested for it. Her friend Nancy Thompson has the same dreams. Rod is killed in his cell, made to look like a suicide, and Nancy realises the man can kill them through their dreams. She stops sleeping. Her mother Marge, a heavy drinker, finally tells her the truth: the man was Fred Krueger, a child murderer freed on a technicality, and the parents of Elm Street burned him alive.
A Nightmare on Elm Street ending explained
Freddy kills Nancy's boyfriend Glen, pulling him into his bed in a fountain of blood. Nancy sets booby traps, pulls Freddy out of her dream into her house and fights him, but he kills her mother. Nancy turns her back on him, taking away his power, and he vanishes. The next morning seems normal, until the car her friends are in turns into Freddy's colours and locks them in, and Freddy pulls Marge through the door window.
Post-credits scenes
No. There is no post-credits scene.
Where to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street is streaming on AMC and HBO Max in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 93%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.
- Chronological order: first, before A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.
What to watch before A Nightmare on Elm Street
Nothing. A Nightmare on Elm Street is the first of the A Nightmare on Elm Street essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson
- Johnny Depp as Glen Lantz
- Robert Englund as Fred Krueger
- Amanda Wyss as Tina Gray
- Jsu Garcia as Rod Lane
- John Saxon as Lt. Thompson
- Ronee Blakley as Marge Thompson
- Charles Fleischer as Dr. King
- Joseph Whipp as Sgt. Parker
- Lin Shaye as Teacher
- Joe Unger as Sgt. Garcia
- Mimi Craven as Nurse
Directed by Wes Craven.