A Nightmare on Elm Street

Play trailer

1:54

A Nightmare on Elm Street

R

Released Nov 9, 1984

1h 31m

Horror

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

65 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams -- which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) solve the puzzle before it's too late?

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Wes Craven's intelligent premise, combined with the horrifying visual appearance of Freddy Krueger, still causes nightmares to this day.

Read Critics Reviews

Peter Bradshaw

Guardian

Wes Craven’s imperfect but entertaining horror that still has considerable black-comic energy.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 23, 2024

Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

Great build-up, the suspense and apprehension, getting you invested in a sequence...this movie has that.

Rated: A

Nov 2, 2018

Full Review

Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

The script is consistently witty, the camera work (by cinematographer Jacques Haitkin) crisp and expressive.

Jan 2, 2018

Full Review

Thomas Lethbridge

Screen Rant

Wes Craven's 1984 slasher classic has been spoofed, repackaged, and plagiarized to death, but the original Nightmare still stands out.

Rated: 8/10

Nov 14, 2024

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Craven's low budget masterpiece benefits from a whip-smart screenplay and a career-defining performance from Robert Englund.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 11, 2024

Full Review

Joe Lipsett

Horror Queers Podcast

A Nightmare on Elm Street overcame significant financial challenges and wound up introducing two iconic horror characters and innumerable set pieces that define the genre. The film is nothing less than a masterpiece.

Rated: 5/5

Nov 6, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Ed H

The movie itself would be a B movie in today's world. But a full theater and the memories from 40 years ago made for a fun night

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/10/24

Full Review

Cult Macabre Podcast

Its a classic and it still holds up 40 years later. Nuff said.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/18/24

Full Review

Brevon Thompson

We’re forever indebted to Wes Craven for this classic that made Freddy Krueger the horror icon that we all know and love.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/18/24

Full Review

CCgothgirl

it's Freddy! I love him! So glad my buddies invited me. It was very random.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

11/05/23

Full Review

Charlie

I enjoyed my visit to the theater to watch this classic movie. The price for the movie was very reasonable because if it was the same price as the New movies then I would just go see a new movie and stream the classic at home. And I also appreciated that there was previews B4 the movie and it didnt just start at the exact time so I had time to hit the snack bar. Maybe it could be more Fun if there was previews from that time period just to make it more authentic or the previews of the up coming classic movies that will be shown. But thank you so much for the new memories with old friends. We already booked tickets to see another classic movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/18/23

Full Review

adelmar E

wouldn't let me wear my Freddy costume.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/06/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Wes Craven

Director

John Saxon

Lt. Thompson

Ronee Blakley

Marge Thompson

Heather Langenkamp

Nancy Thompson

Amanda Wyss

Tina Grey

Johnny Depp

Glen Lantz

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

42%

33%

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge

Watchlist

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

68%

68%

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

Watchlist

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

22%

32%

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare

Watchlist

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

30%

31%

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

Watchlist

Wes Craven's New Nightmare

77%

67%

Wes Craven's New Nightmare

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Wes Craven's New Nightmare

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Know Your Critic: Dani Bethea, Pop Culture Writer and Horror Connoisseur

New on Netflix in August 2022

What Happened to Cinema’s Virginal Final Girl?

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Trailer 1

1:54

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

In Wes Craven's classic slasher film, several Midwestern teenagers fall prey to Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), a disfigured midnight mangler who preys on the teenagers in their dreams -- which, in turn, kills them in reality. After investigating the phenomenon, Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) begins to suspect that a dark secret kept by her and her friends' parents may be the key to unraveling the mystery, but can Nancy and her boyfriend Glen (Johnny Depp) solve the puzzle before it's too late?

Director: Wes Craven
Producer: Robert Shaye
Screenwriter: Wes Craven
Distributor: Media Home Entertainment, New Line Cinema, New Line Home Video [us], Image Entertainment Inc., Anchor Bay Entertainment
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 9, 1984, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 24, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $57.3M
Runtime: 1h 31m
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now