10 Most Spiteful Horror Movie Easter Eggs
2. Wes Craven Named Freddy Krueger After His Childhood Bully - A Nightmare On Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street's iconic antagonist Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) is basically drawn from a grab-bag of filmmaker Wes Craven's most traumatic formative experiences, and even the antagonist's name was inspired by real-life terror.
Much as the moniker Freddy Krueger might sound totally made up, it's actually the name of a bully who tormented Craven in his childhood - Fred Krueger, to be precise - who the director opted to spitefully immortalise by naming his terrifying villain after him.
Given that Krueger is himself a bully and a tormenter, it's certainly a fitting designation for someone who evidently brought Craven much misery in his younger years.
In fact, this isn't the only of Craven's films where he's referenced this person - in The Last House on the Left, released over a decade earlier, the rapist and serial killer played by David A. Hess is named "Krug."
If nothing else, this all just confirms the lifelong scars that can be caused by playground bullying. As with Scream's clapback against an unhelpful school board, though, Wes came out on top.