Ranking The A Nightmare On Elm Street Films From Worst To Best
He may be the man of your dreams, but not all of Freddy Kruger's outings gave us sleepless nights.
Of all the slasher movie sagas that rose to prominence in the wake of Halloween's success, none can claim to be as mind-bendingly creative, or downright interesting as the Nightmare on Elm Street series.
Despite being a late arrival in the eighties slasher boom, the Nightmare on Elm Street series immediately hooked in viewers by adding a much-needed edge and supernatural twist to what was already becoming a stale formula. Instead of having to fear remote locations and darkened alleyways, horror fans the world over had a new thing to be afraid of - their dreams.
As the land of nod soon became home to Freddy Kruger, the wise-cracking, Fedora-wearing burn victim that wanted nothing more than to butcher the children of those responsible for his fiery death. Freddy became popular in an instant, and just like all the other slasher monsters he faced off with at the box-office, he quickly racked up a bunch of sequels.
Some entries in the series are bonafide classics, with some of the biggest and most passionate cult followings around, whilst others have been resigned to the bargain bin of history where they rightfully belong.
So with that said and done, let's dive on in.
10. Honorable Mention: Freddy's Nightmares
We're kicking things off today with this oft-forgotten relic of genre television that never really got its chance to shine.
Originally conceived as a more serialised program with Freddy as the main antagonist, the format was quickly changed into an anthology series, with Freddy in the role of a master of ceremonies. Offering up humorous commentary between segments and playing a minor part in some of the episode's plots.
Like most anthology shows, it's a mixed bag. Any of the episodes that pertain to Freddy, or directly collate to the Elm Street mythos are worth a watch for fans, particularly the pilot episode "No More Mr. Nice Guy", which serves as a prequel to the film series and shows the botched legal process that lead to Freddy's subsequent lynching and rebirth as a dream-stalking madman.
The series was also notable for featuring the likes of Brad Pitt, John Cameron Mitchell, and Lori Petti before their careers truly took off, but outside of its baby-faced starlets, there isn't a whole lot here that'll bring any non-Elm Street converts into the fold.
However, if you're a fan of all things Freddy, this serves as an interesting footnote in the franchise.