Hi all!

Today I am ranking the entire A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise! This is a big one, so buckle up. If you wish to check out my other horror movie rankings, click here. The series revolves around a dead villain named Freddy Kreuger, who hunts and kills his victims in their nightmares. However, his murders aren’t mindless. They are revenge-filled and purposeful. I absolutely loved watching all the films. This is one of the better franchises I’ve tackled on my blog. Wes Craven, you were a brilliant man! Without further ado, let’s get into it!

Spoilers Ahead! 

1.) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 

In first place, we have the original from 1984. I think we can all agree it’s the best in the franchise. When Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends become targets of a clawed killer, they must think quickly, lest they get picked off one by one. As a villain, Freddy Kreuger is quite unique. Firstly, he’s already been dead for years. Secondly, he can only attack his victims when they are asleep. Luckily, there is a loophole. One can draw Freddy out into the real world, causing damage to him too. We have some iconic, memorable scenes like Nancy in the bathtub, the body bag at school and young Johnny Depp’s bloody demise. Furthermore, the motives behind the murders are explained. When he was still alive, Freddy was a child serial killer named the Springwood Slasher. He got off on a technicality, leading the parents of the remaining children on Elm Street to burn him to death in a boiler room – taking his infamous glove as a trophy. He swore revenge by getting their children where they couldn’t be protected – in their nightmares. The shocking final scene let viewers know Nancy’s demon was far from finished with her. Fun fact, there are multiple alternative endings, but I prefer the main one.

2.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

In second place, we have Dream Warriors. It takes place two years after the events of the sequel (see below). The plot centres around a group of young adults, who have been committed to a psychiatric hospital. Nancy Thompson (whose parents helped kill Krueger) works there as a sleep specialist. The teens soon learn they possess the ability to attack Freddy in the dream realm; banding together to take him down. I liked the third movie for many reasons. 1.) The deaths were super creative. 2.) I’m a lucid dreamer, so I could strongly relate. 3.) It was nice to return to Nancy’s storyline and 4.) we were introduced to new, iconic final girl, Kristen (Patricia Arquette). We also get a first glimpse at Freddy’s mother, Amanda Kreuger. It is revealed that Freddy collects and stores the souls of the children he kills, thus strengthening his powers. The only way to stop him is to bury his remains in hallowed ground. Unfortunately, that doesn’t quite do the trick, as he returns in The Dream Master. The ending was quite sad, but it paved the way for fresh heroes to emerge. My favourite scenes were the television kill and the puppet march. If you know, you know!

3.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) 

In third place, we have the sequel: Freddy’s Revenge. It takes place five years after the events of the first film and is considered a cult classic. The story follows Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton), a teenager who begins having recurring nightmares about Freddy Krueger, after moving into the former home of Nancy Thompson – from the first movie. Our villain finds a way to fuse his body with Jesse’s, giving him the ability to kill his victims during waking hours. It was a fresh, fun take on what preceded it. Robert Englund has stated that it’s his least favourite Elm Street film but that’s probably because he was only in it for a total of 13 minutes. Lastly, I want to mention that Mark Patton was tormented by the production crew for being gay in real life. Apparently, they tried to ‘out’ him before he was ready, by giving the plot a very homoerotic subtext. Not cool! If you want more information on the controversy, please check out documentary: Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street. Jesse is now a queer icon in horror history and a popular final boy.

4.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

In fourth place, we have The Dream Master. It takes place a few years after the events of the third film. Following the death of Nancy Thompson, Krueger reappears in the dreams of Kristen, Joey, and Kincaid. After satisfying his revenge against the families who killed him, Freddy uses Kristen’s best friend, Alice, to gain access to new victims in order to satiate his murderous needs. Alice possesses the unique ability to absorb her friend’s strengths, allowing her to become a more formidable opponent in the dream realm. The special effects were significantly improved from the previous movies. I was also a huge fan of shy, quiet Alice. She was a very underrated final girl. I love how she reflected the souls of Freddy’s victims, in order to destroy him. As usual, the ending provided us with a cliffhanger, signifying more to come.

5.) A Nightmare on Elm Street (Remake – 2010)  

In fifth place and perhaps a very controversial choice, we have the remake from 2010. I’m not going to explain the plot, as it’s the same from 1984 (see above). I really enjoyed the early 2000’s horror vibes. It felt akin to Final Destination/The Ring. Undeniably, the worst part was Freddy. He was not played by Robert Englund; looking a bit silly in appearance. The best part were the teen actors. I loved Rooney Mara as Nancy, Kellan Lutz as the opening kill and Kyle Gallner, one of my favourite male actors. FYI, the reboot goes in a much darker direction than the original. Instead of just framing Kreuger as a child serial killer, he’s portrayed as a paedophile. I know a lot of fans were unhappy with that spin. At the very least, it has a great opening scene and a moody atmosphere.

6.) Freddy Vs. Jason (2003) 

In sixth place, we have Freddy Vs. Jason, which was a lot better than I thought it would be. It’s a crossover between the Nightmare on Elm Street/Friday the 13th franchises. Freddy is weakened and forgotten because the citizens of his hometown, Springwood, have defeated him using medications that repress dreams. He awakens Jason Vorhees to stir up fear; growing his powers so he may return and kill again. Jason turns out to be not as easily controlled, resulting in the two supernatural mass murderers coming into conflict. The film is chronologically set after Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (see below) and Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday. This was the last movie in each franchise, before their respective reboots. I enjoyed the merging of the two iconic slashers. If I had to give a critique, I’m not a massive fan of Jason. I would’ve picked a different opponent, but that’s a minor gripe.

7.) A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)

In seventh place, we have The Dream Child (from the year I was born). The film follows Krueger, using a now pregnant Alice, via her baby’s dreams, to claim new victims. We learn more about Freddy’s mother, Amanda, and how she was brutally raped by patients from an institution, resulting in the deformed, cursed child we know as our villain. To be honest, aside from the final fight scene, I found this instalment to be quite lacklustre. I was hoping it would be more badass, considering Alice was so commanding in the previous film. It wasn’t overly memorable to me and therefore ranked lower on my list.

8.) Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) 

In second last place, we have Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. This was a stand-alone feature, not central to the main storyline. It portrayed Freddy Krueger as a fictional movie villain, who invades the real world, haunting the cast and crew involved in the Elm Street franchise. It was written to showcase Freddy as less comical and more scary, which Wes originally intended him to be. I loved how meta it was. We have seen this done before in horrors like Seed of Chucky and Scream 3. It was nice to see Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund work together; witnessing how the series affected their personal lives. I wasn’t overly blown away by it, but it wasn’t the worst instalment. It had a full circle ending, with Heather saving her son by burning Freddy in the boiler room, much like Nancy’s parents did for her.

9.) Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) 

In last place, we have Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare. This is the conclusion to the main storyline in the franchise; taking place years after the events of the previous movie. We’ve officially moved out of the 80’s and into the 90s. After killing every child and teenager in the town, Kreuger confronts the last survivor from Elm Street in his dreams, only to spare his life The boy, known only as John Doe, is taken to a youth shelter by a cop, where he meets other teens. He soon becomes a patient of a female psychiatrist, later revealed to be Freddy’s estranged daughter. I don’t think this film worked for a few reasons. 1.) The story was extremely disjointed. It introduced characters and sub-plots that ultimately went nowhere. 2.) I didn’t care about any said characters and 3.) It felt like a cash-grab, as opposed to a genuine continuation of events. One highlight is we finally learn how Freddy continues to come back time and time again. There are three dream demons (only introduced in this film), giving Kreuger his power to resurrect. Once they are destroyed, his means of revival are no more. It ends with Freddy’s demise and the assurance that this time, the nightmare is finally over.

Thank you so much for reading! How would you rank the franchise? 

Peace & Love xoxo