Special Effects
Horror film
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Cast, Ratings & Box Office
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 horror film directed by Wes Craven, starring Johnny Depp, Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp. It runs 1 hour 31 minutes and earned $25.9 million worldwide. Critics gave it 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 76 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.4/10.
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- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 31m (91 min)
- Director
- Wes Craven
- Genre
- Horror
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- New Line Cinema
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
The story
What Is A Nightmare on Elm Street About?
The premise of A Nightmare on Elm Street without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
A group of teenagers living on Elm Street are terrorized by Freddy Krueger, a disfigured child murderer who stalks and kills them in their dreams. As the teenagers succumb to his attacks, one, Nancy, realizes that dying in their dreams can also kill them in real life. She must find a way to confront Freddy and uncover the dark secrets of his past to stop his relentless and terrifying killing spree.
A Nightmare on Elm Street Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- sleep deprivation
- serial killer
- slasher
- nightmare
- murder
- fear
- horror icon
- dream sequence
- survival
- dreamscape
- killed in a dream
- supernatural horror
+38 more Show fewer
- teenager
- death of boyfriend
- american horror
- characters murdered one by one
- murder of a child
- small town
- fedora
- supernatural serial killer
- murder spree
- police detective
- child murderer
- bathtub
- bed
- claw
- first of series
- survival horror
- teen horror
- surrealism
- surprise ending
- ghost
- undead
- back from the dead
- jump scare
- sequel baiting
- alcoholism
- sadism
- ohio
- teen angst
- nursery rhyme
- chase
- post coital scene
- spurting blood
- sleeping in a bathtub
- underwater scene
- sleeping in a chair
- fight
- upside down camera shot
- murder disguised as suicide
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Cast & crew
A Nightmare on Elm Street Cast
Johnny Depp leads the cast, with Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp. Directed by Wes Craven.
-
Director Wes Craven
From the director
More from Wes Craven
More films directed by Wes Craven, best-rated first: Scream, Red Eye, Paris, je t'aime and Scream 2.
Ratings
A Nightmare on Elm Street Reviews & Ratings
Critics gave A Nightmare on Elm Street 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and 76 on Metacritic, and IMDb users rate it 7.4/10.
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IMDb 7.4 /10
See on IMDb -
Rotten Tomatoes 94% Tomatometer
Popcornmeter 84%
See on Rotten Tomatoes -
Metacritic 76 Metascore
User score 8.2
See on Metacritic -
TMDB 73% User score
See on TMDB
Plot
A Nightmare on Elm Street Plot Summary
What happens in A Nightmare on Elm Street from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
The film begins with an unsettling scene where an unknown figure, only identifiable by his hands, is crafting a terrifying weapon: a glove equipped with deadly blades for fingers. Meanwhile, a young girl named Tina finds herself sprinting through dark and steamy alleyways, overwhelmed by fear. Without warning, the mysterious man lunges at her, brandishing his lethal glove. Tina wakes up with a start in her bed, realizing it was just a nightmare. When her mother rushes in, she discovers Tina’s nightgown is torn, closely resembling the gashes inflicted by the glove in her dream.
Full summary
The whole story of A Nightmare on Elm Street, scene by scene
Box office
A Nightmare on Elm Street Box Office
A Nightmare on Elm Street grossed $25.9 million worldwide. $25.6 million came from the US and Canada and $213,514 (1%) from the rest of the world.
Worldwide gross
$25.9M
- US & Canada
- $25.6M
- International
- $213.5K
US & Canada 99%
Rest of the world 1%
Videos
A Nightmare on Elm Street Trailers & Videos
15 videos: 3 trailers, 11 clips and 1 behind-the-scenes video.
- Trailer Trailer
- Trailer Official Trailer 4K Ultra HD
- Clip "Freddy Krueger" Clip
- Clip "Just A Dream Ma" Clip
Quiz
How Well Do You Know A Nightmare on Elm Street?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
What distinctive weapon does Freddy Krueger use in the film?
Cars
Cars in A Nightmare on Elm Street
15 cars on screen, including the 1958 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible and the 1978 Chevrolet Chevy Van.
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1958 Cadillac Series 62 Convertible Important role -
1978 Chevrolet Chevy Van Minor role -
1983 Ford LTD Minor role -
1984 Volvo DL Minor role
Details
A Nightmare on Elm Street Also Known As
48 alternative titles, including “Freddy - Chapitre 1 - Les Griffes de la nuit” and “Pesadilla en la Calle Elm”.
- Also known as
-
- Freddy - Chapitre 1 - Les Griffes de la nuit
- Pesadilla en la Calle Elm
- Freddy 1 - Les Griffes de la nuit
- Freddy 1
- Nightmare on Elm Street 1 - Mörderische Träume
- Pesadilla en lo profundo de la noche
- Koszmar z Ulicy Wiązów
- Pesadilla en Elm Street
- Nightmare on Elm Street - Mörderische Träume
- Nightmare - Mörderische Träume
- Εφιάλτης στο δρόμο με τις λεύκες
- Les Griffes de la nuit
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- Terror på Elm Street
- Nightmare - Dal profondo della notte
- Pesadelo em Elm Street
- Pesadilla en la calle del infierno
- Erumu gai no akumu
- Painajainen Elm Streetillä
- Pesadilla en Elmo Street
- A Hora do Pesadelo
- Morderisk mareridt
- Rémálom az Elm utcában
- Noční můra v Elm Street
- 半夜鬼上床
- Qarağac küçəsində qarabasma
- Ác Mộng Phố Elm
- Қарағаш көшесіндегі қорқыныш
- Košmaras Guobu gatveje
- Cosmar pe Strada Ulmilor
- Страва у Улици брестова
- Nočná mora z Elm Street
- Mora v ulici brestov
- Elm ko'chasidagi kabus
- Strava u Ulici brijestova
- Кошмари на Елм Стрийт
- Жах на вулиці В'язів
- Кошмар на улице Вязов
- Elm Sokağında Kâbus
- 猛鬼街
- エルム街の悪夢
- Nočná mora v Elm Street
- סיוט ברחוב אלם
- 나이트메어
- Un coșmar pe strada Elm
- Жах на вулиці В’язів
- นิ้วเขมือบ, საშინელება თელების ქუჩაზე
- Košmaras Guobų gatvėje
- Malson a Elm Street
Seen A Nightmare on Elm Street?
More like this
Movies Like A Nightmare on Elm Street
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master and Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare.
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A Nightmare on Elm Street 2010 -
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master 1988 -
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare 1991 -
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors 1987 -
Wes Craven's New Nightmare 1994 -
Nightmare 1964 -
Nightmare 1981 -
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge 1985 -
Freddy vs. Jason 2003 -
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child 1989 -
Nightmare Cinema 2019 -
Nightmare 1956
From the blog
Articles About A Nightmare on Elm Street
2 articles about A Nightmare on Elm Street. The latest: “The Art of Cinematic Makeup and Prosthetics”.
FAQ
A Nightmare on Elm Street FAQ: Cast & Box Office
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, ratings and post-credit scenes of A Nightmare on Elm Street, each answered in a sentence.
How long is A Nightmare on Elm Street?
A Nightmare on Elm Street runs 1 hour 31 minutes (91 minutes).
When was A Nightmare on Elm Street released?
A Nightmare on Elm Street was released on November 16, 1984.
Who directed A Nightmare on Elm Street?
A Nightmare on Elm Street was directed by Wes Craven.
More films by Wes Craven Who is in the cast of A Nightmare on Elm Street?
A Nightmare on Elm Street stars Johnny Depp, Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp.
How much did A Nightmare on Elm Street make at the box office?
A Nightmare on Elm Street grossed $25.9 million worldwide ($25.6 million domestic, $213,514 international).
How is A Nightmare on Elm Street rated?
A Nightmare on Elm Street has 7.4/10 on IMDb, 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 76 on Metacritic and 73% on TMDB.
Does A Nightmare on Elm Street have a post-credit scene?
No. A Nightmare on Elm Street has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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