10 Perfect Horror Movie Lines
9. "One, Two, Freddy's Coming For You." - A Nightmare On Elm Street
It seems almost appropriate that cinema's most famous dream-hopping slasher would have his own unofficial, endlessly creepy theme song.
Appearing in some version across every installment of the A Nightmare on Elm Street's franchise, the chilling parody of classic children's tune "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" notably accompanies Freddie Krueger's escapades across the course of events depicted in the original 1984 outing.
"One, Two, Freddy's Coming For You,
Three, Four, Better Lock Your Door,
Five, Six, Grab A Crucifix,
Nine, Ten, Never Sleep Again."
The sing-song sound of the rhyme is legitimately disturbing, an ineffably unsettling aura born of the combination of its blood-curdling lyrics and the monotone, emotionless voices of the children singing it.
This auditory backdrop juxtaposed against the seemingly innocent visual of several young girls jumping rope makes for a perfectly haunting soundbite. The hair on the back of viewers' necks stands up the second the eerie jingle echoes out of the speakers, long before the eventual revelation of Krueger's abhorrent past as a child murderer even comes to light.
The murderous tune also provides the backing track for one of the franchise's most enduring and perfectly executed set-pieces. Heather Langenkamp's Nancy sleepily hums the ditty in the bathtub before the legendarily harrowing shot of the nightmarish killer's gloved hand, slowly protruding out of the water in between her legs as she falls asleep.
From a fright fan's perspective, one can do no wrong with this perfectly macabre rhyme.