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A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street

If Nancy doesn't wake up screaming, she won't wake up at all.

19847.31h 31m

Overview

Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...

Directed by Wes Craven
Written by Wes Craven
Produced by Robert Shaye, John Burrows, Sara Risher
Box OfficeBudget: $1.8MRevenue: $57.0M

Top Cast

John Saxon

John Saxon

Lt. Donald Thompson

Ronee Blakley

Ronee Blakley

Marge Thompson

Heather Langenkamp

Heather Langenkamp

Nancy Thompson

Amanda Wyss

Amanda Wyss

Tina Gray

Jsu Garcia

Jsu Garcia

Rod Lane

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp

Glen Lantz

Charles Fleischer

Charles Fleischer

Dr. King

Joseph Whipp

Joseph Whipp

Sergeant Parker

Robert Englund

Robert Englund

Fred Krueger

Lin Shaye

Lin Shaye

Teacher

Themes & Keywords

dreamsnightmarepsychopathsleepchild murdersupernaturalohiomurderslashertrappedalcoholicboiler roombooby trapdisfigurementmedical testnightmare becomes realitycaffeineshockingvexedfranticgrimdesperateanxioussupernatural horrorsuspensefulfrightenedb-horrorsuburban gothic

About A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a horror film released in 1984 exploring themes of dreams, nightmare, psychopath, sleep, child murder, supernatural. Directed by Wes Craven, it stars John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Heather Langenkamp. Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...

Movies Similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street

Discover titles like A Nightmare on Elm Street — ranked by similarity and community votes

We found 15 movies similar to A Nightmare on Elm Street

If you enjoyed A Nightmare on Elm Street, you'll love these handpicked recommendations. Each title below shares similar themes, tone, and storytelling style. Our algorithm analyzes genres, keywords, director filmography, and cast connections to find the closest matches. Whether you're looking for the same emotional depth, narrative structure, or visual style, these picks are curated to deliver the best viewing experience for fans of A Nightmare on Elm Street.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
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Just when you thought it was safe to sleep, Freddy Krueger returns in this sixth installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street films, as psychologist Maggie Burroughs, tormented by recurring nightmares, meets a patient with the same horrific dreams. Their quest for answers leads to a certain house on Elm Street -- where the nightmares become reality.

The Serpent and the Rainbow
27% Match

A Harvard anthropologist is sent to Haiti to retrieve a strange powder that is said to have the power to bring human beings back from the dead. In his quest to find the miracle drug, the cynical scientist enters the rarely seen netherworld of walking zombies, blood rites and ancient curses. Based on the true life experiences of Wade Davis and filmed on location in Haiti, it's a frightening excursion into black magic and the supernatural.

The Fog
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The Fog(1980)

Movie6.7/10

Strange things begin to occur as a tiny California coastal town prepares to commemorate its centenary. Inanimate objects spring eerily to life; Rev. Malone stumbles upon a dark secret about the town's founding; radio announcer Stevie witnesses a mystical fire; and hitchhiker Elizabeth discovers the mutilated corpse of a fisherman. Then a mysterious iridescent fog descends upon the village, and more people start to die.

The Shining
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Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.

Silent Hill
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Rose, a desperate mother, takes her adopted daughter, Sharon, to the town of Silent Hill in an attempt to cure her of her ailment. After a violent car crash, Sharon disappears, and Rose embarks on a horrific journey to get her back and begins to uncover the truth behind the apocalyptic disaster that burned the town 30 years earlier.

Prince of Darkness
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A priest discovers an ancient canister containing a strange liquid in an abandoned church. When a group of graduate students and scientists are tasked with studying it, they unknowingly unleash an evil force waiting to destroy all of humanity.

Black Phone 2
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Four years after defeating The Grabber, Finney Blake is struggling with life after captivity. When his younger sister Gwen begins receiving calls in her dreams from the Black Phone and seeing disturbing visions of three boys being stalked at a winter camp, the siblings become determined to solve the mystery and confront a killer who has grown more powerful in death and more significant to them than either could imagine.

Last Night in Soho
21% Match

A young girl, passionate about fashion design, is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is not what it seems, and time seems to be falling apart with shady consequences.

Scream
20% Match

Scream(1996)

Movie7.4/10

A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a masked killer who targets her and her friends by using scary movies as part of a deadly game.