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A Nightmare on Elm Street

  • 1984
  • 18
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
257K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
520
421
Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.
Play trailer1:30
6 Videos
99+ Photos
Horror

Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in... Read allTeenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life.

  • Director
    • Wes Craven
  • Writer
    • Wes Craven
  • Stars
    • Heather Langenkamp
    • Johnny Depp
    • Robert Englund
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    7.4/10
    257K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    520
    421
    • Director
      • Wes Craven
    • Writer
      • Wes Craven
    • Stars
      • Heather Langenkamp
      • Johnny Depp
      • Robert Englund
    • 959User reviews
    • 207Critic reviews
    • 76Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 6 nominations

    Videos6

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:30
    Watch Official Trailer
    A Nightmare on Elm Street
    Trailer 1:50
    Watch A Nightmare on Elm Street
    A Nightmare on Elm Street
    Trailer 1:37
    Watch A Nightmare on Elm Street
    'The Nightmare on Elm Street' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:04
    Watch 'The Nightmare on Elm Street' | Anniversary Mashup
    A Nightmare on Elm Street
    Clip 1:55
    Watch A Nightmare on Elm Street
    Tika Sumpter of 'Nobody's Fool' Answers Life's Big Questions About TV and Film
    Video 2:50
    Watch Tika Sumpter of 'Nobody's Fool' Answers Life's Big Questions About TV and Film

    Photos367

    Johnny Depp, Heather Langenkamp, Jsu Garcia, and Amanda Wyss in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Heather Langenkamp and Jsu Garcia in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Amanda Wyss in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Robert Englund in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Ronee Blakley in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Johnny Depp in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Robert Englund in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Robert Englund in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
    Heather Langenkamp in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Heather Langenkamp
    Heather Langenkamp
    • Nancy Thompson
    Johnny Depp
    Johnny Depp
    • Glen Lantz
    Robert Englund
    Robert Englund
    • Fred Krueger
    John Saxon
    John Saxon
    • Lt. Thompson
    Ronee Blakley
    Ronee Blakley
    • Marge Thompson
    Amanda Wyss
    Amanda Wyss
    • Tina Gray
    Jsu Garcia
    Jsu Garcia
    • Rod Lane
    • (as Nick Corri)
    Charles Fleischer
    Charles Fleischer
    • Dr. King
    Joseph Whipp
    Joseph Whipp
    • Sgt. Parker
    Lin Shaye
    Lin Shaye
    • Teacher
    Joe Unger
    Joe Unger
    • Sgt. Garcia
    Mimi Craven
    Mimi Craven
    • Nurse
    • (as Mimi Meyer-Craven)
    Jack Shea
    • Minister
    Ed Call
    • Mr. Lantz
    Sandy Lipton
    • Mrs. Lantz
    David Andrews
    David Andrews
    • Foreman
    Jeff Levine
    • Coroner
    • (as Jeffrey Levine)
    Donna Woodrum
    • Tina's Mom
    • Director
      • Wes Craven
    • Writer
      • Wes Craven
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      New Line Cinema was saved from bankruptcy by the success of the film, and was jokingly nicknamed "The House that Freddy Built."
    • Goofs
      At the 1hr 11 min mark, Nancy tells her father "to break the door down in exactly 20 minutes" at 12:30 am, making the current time 12:10 am. In this time, she manages to set various booby traps--a bomb from a light bulb and gunpowder, a raised sledgehammer, a tripwire, and screwing a bolt to a door, and then sits with her mother for some time before going to her own bedroom. All of this was apparently done in only 10 minutes! She's shown in bed at 12:20 am, giving herself 10 minutes to fall asleep and catch Freddy.
    • Quotes

      Children: One, two, Freddy's coming for you. / Three, four, better lock your door. / Five, six, grab your crucifix. / Seven, eight, gonna stay up late. / Nine, ten, never sleep again.

    • Crazy credits
      Film title logo as the end credits are finished.
    • 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."
    • Connections
      Edited into The Kill Count: A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 Remake) Kill Count (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      Nightmare
      Performed by 213
      Written and Produced by Martin Kent, Steve Karshner, Michael Schurig

    User reviews959

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    Genuine Horror Classic
    Wes Craven created Freddy Krueger and when he did the world of Horror welcomed a great new character to its screens (or should that be its Screams).

    Freddy, a child murderer in life, now hunts the children of the men and women that killed him, while they sleep.

    Very gory, tense and full of over the top deaths scenes A Nightmare on Elm Street brought something new to the Horror Genre, and will go down in history in recognition of this.

    The rarity of the film, is the character of Freddy, because he actually has character without distracting from the terror (in this outing at least)

    Thanks Wes

    9/10
    helpful•87
    26
    • mjw2305
    • Jan 26, 2005

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    FAQ36

    • How long is A Nightmare on Elm Street?Powered by Alexa
    • Was this inspired by the Atlanta child murders?
    • If Freddy can disappear and reappear elsewhere, why does he go through Nancy's obstacle course of booby traps?
    • Was Freddy abused as a child and eventually became a child killer for that possible reason?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 23, 1985 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Nightmare on Elm Street
    • Filming locations
      • 1419 N. Genesee Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA(Glen's house)
    • Production companies
      • New Line Cinema
      • Media Home Entertainment
      • Smart Egg Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,800,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $25,624,448
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,271,000
      • Nov 11, 1984
    • Gross worldwide
      • $25,685,134
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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