10 Things You Didn't Know About A Nightmare On Elm Street

As for the big bad himself then, Freddy Krueger is a big old mixing pot of all the worst parts of Craven's fears and experiences - pulling from all sorts of distant negativity and drawing it together into one cathartic realisation. The name 'Freddy' itself is taken from an old bully that beat Craven up, whilst his hat is reminiscent of a neighbourhood drunk that used to scare Craven when he was younger.

Likewise, the bladed glove was inspired by Craven's fear of cat's claws alongside late-night infomercials selling knife sets, and primal man's use of weapons to illicit fear in an audience. Even the concept of Freddy as a dream-faring demon was taken from Craven's musical experience, coming from a stroke of inspiration at the hands of Gary Wright's 1976 hit "Dream Weaver", which provoked the director to... well, weave some dreams.

Elm Street itself is another taken from real life experience too, utilised since it's one of the most popular street names in the U.S. - everyone has an Elm Street. Craven also referenced that he took the name from the street that JFK was assassinated on, stating that to him, "it was where the innocent world ended."