7.5/10
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A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

18A | | Horror | 16 November 1984 (USA)
Trailer
1:55 | Trailer
The monstrous spirit of a slain child murderer seeks revenge by invading the dreams of teenagers whose parents were responsible for his untimely death.

Director:

Wes Craven

Writer:

Wes Craven
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Popularity
1,102 ( 62)
3 wins & 5 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Saxon ... Lt. Thompson
Ronee Blakley ... Marge Thompson
Heather Langenkamp ... Nancy Thompson
Amanda Wyss ... Tina Gray
Jsu Garcia ... Rod Lane (as Nick Corri)
Johnny Depp ... Glen Lantz
Charles Fleischer ... Dr. King
Joseph Whipp ... Sgt. Parker
Robert Englund ... Fred Krueger
Lin Shaye ... Teacher
Joe Unger ... Sgt. Garcia
Mimi Craven ... Nurse (as Mimi Meyer-Craven)
Jack Shea Jack Shea ... Minister
Ed Call Ed Call ... Mr. Lantz
Sandy Lipton Sandy Lipton ... Mrs. Lantz
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Storyline

On Elm Street, Nancy Thompson and a group of her friends (comprising Tina Gray, Rod Lane and Glen Lantz) are being tormented by a clawed killer in their dreams named Fred Krueger. Nancy must think quickly, as Fred tries to pick them off one by one. When he has you in your sleep, who is there to save you? Written by simon_hrdng

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Sleep Kills See more »

Genres:

Horror

Certificate:

18A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's trailer features an alternate voice for Freddy Krueger that remained unused in the final cut in the film. See more »

Goofs

(at around 34 mins) When Nancy watches The Evil Dead on TV, the scene playing is from the end of the film; however, the screaming heard during the scene is from the famous "Tree Rape" scene, a scene which happens near the beginning of the film. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Fred Krueger: Tina.
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Alternate Versions

The German television version is heavily cut, allowing for an earlier time slot. The cuts are:
  • When Tina is sliced by Freddy Krueger, we don't see how he slices her chest and is pulled to the ceiling.
  • In Tina's last dream we don't see when Freddy cuts his own fingers off his hand. Later, there is a scene where Freddy's face is pulled off by Tina. This scene is also missing.
  • When Nancy meets Freddy for the first time, we can't see when he slices his abdomen and when Nancy puts her arm on the hot pipe.
  • When Rod's neck is broken by Freddy Krueger, we only see Rod looking at the "snake", before it kills him.
  • The scene where the dead Tina is talking to Nancy while snakes are coming out her dress is also cut.
  • Glen's famous dead scene is also cut. We only see how he is sucked in his bed. The bloody, second half is cut.
  • When Nancy is burning Freddy, we only see the fire reach his feet, then it cuts to Nancy calling her dad.
  • The scene where Freddy is killing Nancy's mother by burning her is also cut.
  • These changes were also made in the German video version, which has a "not under 16 years" rating. The uncut version is sometimes shown on Pay-Per-View and is rated "not under 18 years."
See more »

Connections

Referenced in Clowns (2020) See more »

Soundtracks

Nightmare
Performed by 213
Written and Produced by Martin Kent, Steve Karshner, Michael Schurig
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User Reviews

 
Do not Sleep on Em Street
29 March 2009 | by claudio_carvalhoSee all my reviews

On Elm Street, the teenager Tina Gray (Amanda Wyss) has a creepy nightmare with a burned man wearing a glove with blades called Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). She invites her friends Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), who had also a nightmare with Freddy Krueger, and Glen Lantz (Johnny Depp) to spend the next night with her, but her boy-friend Rod Lane (Nick Corri) appears in the house and they spend the night together. In the middle of the night, Rod awakes and sees Tina having a nightmare and being sliced. He is accused of murder and arrested by Nancy's father Lt. Thompson (John Saxon), despite the protests of his daughter. When Rod and Glen are mysteriously murdered, Nancy realizes that the only way to defeat the evil Freddy Krueger is bringing him to the real world.

The classic "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is one of the best horror movies of the 80's and Freddy Krueger is my favorite villain. The story is original, very well written and directed by Wes Craven and is the debut of Johnny Depp in the cinema. As far as I know, the open conclusion was forced by the producers to give a sequel to the saga of Freddy Krueger. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Hora do Pesadelo" ("The Hour of the Nightmare")


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 November 1984 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Les griffes de la nuit See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,271,000, 11 November 1984

Gross USA:

$25,504,513

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$25,504,513
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (Workprint Version)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (DeLuxe)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »

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