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A Nightmare on Elm Street

"If Nancy doesn't wake up screaming, she won't wake up at all!"

1984-11-09 Horror 1hr 31m

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...

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A Nightmare on Elm Street
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Storyline

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...

  • Released
    1984-11-09
  • Revenue
    $57,000,000
  • Budget
    $1,100,000
  • Runtime
    1hr 31m
  • Genre
    Horror
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    7.4
  • Production
    New Line Cinema, Smart Egg Pictures, Media Home Entertainment, Cinema 84, The Elm Street Venture

Crew

Wes Craven
Director
Wes Craven
Writer
Robert Shaye
Producer

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Cast

Heather Langenkamp

Heather Langenkamp

Nancy Thompson
John Saxon

John Saxon

Lieutenant Donald Thompson
Ronee Blakley

Ronee Blakley

Marge Thompson
Amanda Wyss

Amanda Wyss

Tina Gray
Jsu Garcia

Jsu Garcia

Rod Lane
Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp

Glen Lantz
Robert Englund

Robert Englund

Fred Krueger
Joseph Whipp

Joseph Whipp

Sgt. Parker
Lin Shaye

Lin Shaye

Teacher
Joe Unger

Joe Unger

Sergeant Garcia
Jack Shea

Jack Shea

Minister
Ed Call

Ed Call

Mr. Lantz
Sandy Lipton

Sandy Lipton

Mrs. Lantz
Donna Woodrum

Donna Woodrum

Mrs. Gray
Ash Adams

Ash Adams

Surfer #1
Don Hannah

Don Hannah

Surfer #2
Paul Grenier

Paul Grenier

Mrs. Gray's Boyfriend
Kathi Gibbs

Kathi Gibbs

Kid (uncredited)
Chris Tashima

Chris Tashima

Kid (uncredited)
Antonia Yannouli

Antonia Yannouli

Kid (uncredited)
John Richard Petersen

John Richard Petersen

Kid in Classroom (uncredited)
Robert Shaye

Robert Shaye

Newsreader / KRGR Radio Announcer (voice, uncredited)

Videos and Photos

A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street

Movie Reviews

Reviews for A Nightmare on Elm Street
reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 9

Written by John Chard on 2015-05-03

Dream Attack. The kids of Elm Street appear to be having the same bad dream, one in which a scarred faced bogeyman in a stripy jumper hun... read more

Dream Attack. The kids of Elm Street appear to be having the same bad dream, one in which a scarred faced bogeyman in a stripy jumper hunts them with knives attached to his fingers. When the dream becomes a reality for one of the kids, and the worst happens, Nancy Thompson risks all to bring the bogeyman into the open. Stupendous horror movie, one that not even the ream of sequels, spin- offs and cartoons could ever diminish. Wes Craven creates a film of utter terror, unleashing one of the genres most famous monsters on the unsuspecting film loving public, with Robert Englund as the hideous Fred Krueger having the time of his life slashing away and delivering oral venom. A number of scenes and sequences are staggeringly memorable, in the process shifting into horror movie folklore. The youthful cast are sensibly written (Craven's screenplay that took inspiration from a true story he read about Cambodian refugees literally dying of nightmares!), they are not dumb these kids, just vulnerable, but led by Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) there may be hope of some survivors? The blurry line between dreams and reality gets a bloody make-over here, creating biblical snoots in the process. In short, essential horror movie for those inclined. 9/10

reviewer avatar

A Review by kdumers 10

Written by kdumers on 2022-04-03

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My personal favorite slasher horror film that goes well with my Halloween costume, which itself is an accessory to thi... read more

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My personal favorite slasher horror film that goes well with my Halloween costume, which itself is an accessory to this horror treasure of the 1980s decade!!!

reviewer avatar

A Review by SoSmooth1982 8

Written by SoSmooth1982 on 2023-04-17

The nightmare that started it all. Made us all scared to go to to sleep. My favorite horror series next to Friday the 13th. Love this movie.... read more

The nightmare that started it all. Made us all scared to go to to sleep. My favorite horror series next to Friday the 13th. Love this movie.

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-06-08

This is the ultimate in slasher-horror that thrives on the basis that it is, at times, genuinely quite scary, and it doesn't take itself too... read more

This is the ultimate in slasher-horror that thrives on the basis that it is, at times, genuinely quite scary, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Robert Englund is super as the legendary "Freddie Krueger" who, complete with his razor sharp right hand, takes over the dreams of the teenage children of parents who had been responsible for his gruesome death many years earlier. When a terrorised "Nancy" (Heather Langenkamp) begins to put two and two together she sets out with cute boyfriend "Glen" (a first outing for Johnny Depp ) to trap him in her world - and that means drinking enough coffee to sink the Titanic and staying awake! Ronee Blakely does a mean impersonation of Faye Dunaway - as the girl's almost permanently drunk mother (whose battles seem to get larger as the film progresses) too. It doesn't hang about - Wes Craven keeps the pace almost frantic, and there is plenty of humour to keep it's tongue in it's cheek. The effects are limited, but fun, and the whole thing raises more smiles than goosebumps but it's still an entertaining watch 35 year later.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by John Chard

Dream Attack. The kids of Elm Street appear to be having the same bad dream, one in which a scarred faced bogeyman in a stripy jumper hunts them with knives attached to his fingers. When the dream becomes a reality for one of the kids, a...

reviewer avatar

A Review by John Chard 9

Written by John Chard on 2015-05-03

Dream Attack. The kids of Elm Street appear to be having the same bad dream, one in which a scarred faced bogeyman in a stripy jumper hunts them with knives attached to his fingers. When the dream ...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by kdumers 10

Written by kdumers on 2022-04-03

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My personal favorite slasher horror film that goes well with my Halloween costume, which itself is an accessory to this horror treasure of the 1980s decade!!!...

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by SoSmooth1982 8

Written by SoSmooth1982 on 2023-04-17

The nightmare that started it all. Made us all scared to go to to sleep. My favorite horror series next to Friday the 13th. Love this movie....

read more
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2023-06-08

This is the ultimate in slasher-horror that thrives on the basis that it is, at times, genuinely quite scary, and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Robert Englund is super as the legendary "Freddi...

read more