The first film in the Freddy Krueger series.

Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American slasher film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first film of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film features John Saxon, Heather Langenkamp, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp in his feature film debut. Set in the fictional Midwestern town of Springwood, Ohio, the plot revolves around several teenagers who, if they fall asleep, will be killed by Fred Krueger in their dreams, thus causing their deaths in reality. The teenagers are unaware of the cause of this strange phenomenon, but their parents hold a dark secret from long ago.

The film is credited with carrying on many clichés found in low-budget horror films of the 1980s and 1990s, originating in John Carpenter's 1978 horror film Halloween, including the morality play that revolves around sexual promiscuity in teenagers resulting in their eventual (usually graphic) death, leading to the term "slasher film". Critics and film historians argue that the film's premise is the question of the distinction between dreams and reality, which is manifested in the film through the teenagers dreams and their realities. Critics today praise the film's ability to transgress "the boundaries between the imaginary and real", toying with audience perceptions.

Nightmare on Elm Street contains many biographical elements, taking inspiration from director Wes Craven's childhood. The basis of the film ...

Cast: Johnny Depp, Jack Shea, Lin Shaye, David Andrews, Ed Call, Charles Fleischer, Robert Englund, Joe Unger, Amanda Wyss, Ronee Blakely, Nick Corri, John Saxon, Heather Langenkamp, Joe Whipp, Mimi Craven, Jeff Levine, Sandy Lipton, Mimi Meyer-Shaye, Don Hannah, Jason Adams, Shashawnee Hall

Director: Wes Craven

Genre: Horror

Release Date: November 9, 1984

MPAA Rating: R

Screen Writer: Wes Craven

DVD Release Date: September 07, 1999

Runtime: 1hr 32min

Studio: New Line Cinema