10 Horror Movie Characters Who Didn't Really Have To Die

Freddy Kruger has had many enemies over the years. Jesse. Maggie. Jason Voorhees.

But there's no question the original Final Girl, Nancy Thompson, is Freddy's greatest foe. You see, A Nightmare On Elm Street was released at a time where the damsel-in-distress trope was very much alive. As such, it was refreshing to see a heroine like Nancy act resourceful and adaptable while facing the dream demon.

Although she was absent in the second instalment, Heather Langenkamp's character returned in A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors. As Freddy picks off patients in a psychiatric ward, it's only a matter of time before he faces off once more with his oldest adversary.

By disguising himself as a patient, the fedora-sporting monster gets close enough to fatally wound Nancy. Luckily, she has enough fight left in her to stab Freddy with his own glove, buying her friends time to defeat him. Satisfied she helped destroy her tormentor (for now), Nancy closes her eyes and passes on to the great beyond

At the time, it seemed like a satisfying way to say goodbye to the iconic character. But with Nancy out of the picture, the producers hadn't the foggiest what to do with the franchise. Although the sequels pushed Alice to become Freddy's new adversary, she was never as compelling. If the series was going to replace the original Final Girl with a far less interesting one, it should've kept Nancy around.