10 Horror Movies That Tricked You By Killing The "Main Character" Early

Wes Craven clearly just enjoys misleading the life out of his viewers.

1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street is regarded as one of the greatest horror movies ever made; the nightmarish take on a hideously burned slasher who literally haunts the dreams of those he targets was so wildly successful that it produced six sequels and even a crossover with another iconic horror staple, Friday the 13th.

Craven's almost signature use of a false protagonist is on display again from the start, as the film begins with focus centered on Tina Gray, a high school student. She is the first victim to be targeted by the horrifying Freddy Krueger, escaping his first attempt as he attacks her in a boiler room in one of the most instantly recognizable sequences in horror history; she later finds out her friend Nancy had a nightmare about the same man.

All signs pointed to Tina being the lead character in the race to figure out Krueger's means and motive in Craven's typically misleading style. However, the very next time Tina falls asleep, she is pitilessly slashed to death by Krueger, her death used to demonstrate the spectral killer's powers to inflict real world brutality.

Tina's friend Nancy Thompson takes the wheel as the true protagonist of the story. A character who is now considered an icon of the horror genre was initially thought by many to be merely a supporting character.