Dream Weaver

In 1981, following the production of Swamp Thing, Wes Craven began writing a screenplay that incorporated elements of his nightmares and childhood experiences with bullies. He found himself inspired by stories of Hmong refugees who refused to sleep after suffering debilitating nightmares, Eastern religions, and the song “Dream Weaver” by Gary Wright (which also inspired the franchise’s iconic theme song). The screenplay was shopped around multiple studios before landing at the then-independent New Line Pictures. Craven found funding through various sources, one being a producer of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Filming took place in Las Angeles, California, from June to July. Similarly to Kevin Bacon in Friday the 13th, Johnny Depp began his career with A Nightmare On Elm Street, alongside the up-and-coming Heather Langenkamp. Among the younger cast were the seasoned talents of Ronnie Blakley, John Saxon, and B-movie alum Robert Englund, who had previously appeared in Toby Hooper’s Eaten Alive and Roger Corman’s Galaxy of Terror.

Fun Fact: Jackie Earle Haley, known for his portrayal of Rorschach in Zack Snyder’s The Watchmen, auditioned for the role of Glen alongside friend Johnny Depp. Haley would later portray Freddy Krueger in the 2010 remake of the same name.


Freddy’s Coming For You

Over 20 years, A Nightmare On Elm Street spawned seven sequels, including a meta-tooling of the story with Wes Craven’s New Nightmare and the horror crossover event Freddy vs Jason. Freddy Krueger sets himself apart from the other titans of terror in one distinct and definitive way: Robert Englund returned to play the dream demon in each of the following films (despite some efforts to replace him in A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge). Englund’s portrayal is of a cruel and sardonic mutilator whose sadism begins and ends with his own entertainment. The franchise maintains a quip-capped dream logic with reality-shattering visuals and disorienting storylines while returning to the premise born out of the first film.

An anthology television series, Freddy’s Nightmares, aired in 1988 and spanned two seasons and 44 episodes. Robert Englund returned to portray Freddy Krueger as the series’ host, in a similar vein to Tales From The Crypt’s Cryptkeeper and The Twilight Zone’s Rod Serling. Toby Hooper, creator of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, directed the series pilot, which acts as a defacto prequel to the film series.

A 2010 remake starring Rooney Mara and Jackie Earle Haley attempts to explore Freddy Krueger’s origins, specifically his relationship with the children of Elm Street. The film received 14% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer, with most reviews citing its shallow conceit and poor visual effects. It ultimately failed to capture the magic of the original and left fans wishing it had only been a nightmare.

The future of A Nightmare On Elm Street remains blurry, with the film rights returning to the late Wes Craven’s estate in 2019. Rumors of a film or potential HBO series have been floating around the internet, but Robert Englund has made it clear that he no longer feels capable of portraying Freddy Krueger. In a 2023 interview with Variety, Englund stated,

“I’m too old and thick to play Freddy now […] I just can’t do fight scenes for more than one take anymore, I’ve got a bad neck and bad back and arthritis in my right wrist. So I have to hang it up, but I would love to cameo.”

Still Dreaming

A Nightmare On Elm Street comics have been released by Marvel, Innovation Publishing, Avatar Press, Dynamite Entertainment, and Wildstorm Comics. Along with Jason Voorhees, who Freddy battled in the final sequel, A Nightmare On Elm Street has included crossovers with the Evil Dead franchise in the Freddy vs Jason vs Ash comic, and its sequel Freddy vs Jason vs Ash: The Nightmare Warriors.

1428 films produced Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy, a sprawling 4-hour documentary that includes commentary on each of the films in the original franchise. Heather Langenkamp narrates the documentary and includes interviews with Langenkamp, Robert Englund, John Saxon, Mark Patton, Clu Gulager, Alice Cooper, Renny Harlin, Kane Hodder, and series creator Wes Craven. More pointedly, the 2019 documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street explores themes of homosexuality found in the second film, A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, along with the life of the film’s lead, Mark Patton. 

Freddy Krueger is no stranger to merchandise, with figures by McFarlane Toys, Funko, and Neca still available for fans and collectors. Replicas of Krueger’s iconic glove, sweater, and hat can be found on regular rotation during the spooky season, along with branded jerseys, dress shirts, and bags available at Hot Topic.

Two separate games of the same name were released between 1989 and 1990, for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Commodore 64. More recently, Freddy Krueger appears as a playable character in Mortal Kombat (2011) and the Dead By Daylight DLC “The Nightmare.”

Freddy Krueger has appeared, to varying degrees, alongside Leatherface and Jason Voorhees at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights on various occasions. Such attractions include 2007’s Carnival of Carnage, 2016’s Halloween Horror Nights: Freddy vs. Jason, and 2017’s Titans of Terror. A notable VR fan experience from Carnival of Carnage, Terrordrome, includes a segment that places Clive Barker’s Cenobites (of the Hellraiser franchise) within Freddy’s dream dimension.


Don’t Dream It’s Over

There’s no denying the impact Craven’s Elm Street has made on horror and cinema as a whole. It’s evident in the continued popularity of the franchise and the unfaltering hunger of horror fans for another installment. Krueger has haunted the big screen, the small screen, and the pages of comics and novels alike, and we cannot get enough. Regardless of how future projects pan out, one thing is for certain: it wasn’t all a dream.

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