10 Best Back From The Dead Moments In Horror Movies

7. 1, 2, Freddy’s Not Done With You - A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

The Lazarus Effect
New Line Cinema

Iconic movie killers have always managed to cheat death, and it's made all the more plausible when that particular killer just happens to be a supernatural being. Freddy Krueger, star of A Nightmare on Elm Street, first appeared in 1984 and subsequently managed to survive, to some extent, through seven more movies over the years.

The most shocking moment that found Freddy returning from the dead, despite already being dead, was at the climax of the original A Nightmare on Elm Street. Here Krueger smothers Nancy's mother on her bed in a fiery attempt to take her to hell. After the fire is put out the bodies disappear, but Freddy once more emerges from beneath the sheets only for Nancy to relinquish her fear of Freddy and force him to fade away once and for all.

As Nancy leaves the room it cuts to a rather jarring and odd final sequence that has often been criticized by horror fans for its confusing and questionable ending. Nancy steps outside of the house on a bright morning, along with her mother and joins her friends, previously slaughtered by Freddy, in a car waiting for her. Baffled by her surroundings Nancy reluctantly gets in the car which locks itself, trapping the teenagers inside. Nancy screams for help as Freddy’s arm smashes through the glass window pane on the door, grabbing her mother, and dragging her violently through the window.

It’s an unusual - and kind of hilarious - moment that sees the previously dead Freddy coming back for more. With little to no explanation or reasoning as to why it happens. Of course, it leaves things open for the unavoidable sequel.

Contributor
Contributor

Steven Davies is a freelance writer, movie critic, and editor-in-chief of the Horror Asylum. Passionate about everything entertainment-related he considers himself somewhat of an aficionado on a wide range of movies, franchises, and TV shows.