5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

Set five years after the first movie, this movie follows Jessie Walsh (Mark Patton) who, after moving into Nancy Thompson’s (Heather Langenkamp) house, is haunted by Freddy before being possessed so that Freddy can inhabit the real world. One of the best parts about this film is how it didn’t just try to copy the plot of the first film like a lot of sequels do. That being said, while the idea of a killer possessing a character to kill others is an interesting concept, it doesn’t make too much sense for an Elm Street film. Freddy only has powers in the dream world, so why have him in the real world where he can’t do all of that? Or, at least that’s how it should be, but there are scenes where Freddy does affect the real world by causing fire to appear out of nowhere, with no explanation ever given.

There is also the fact that this movie has a homoerotic subtext as a major theme, which is an intriguing idea to include in this series. Still,, this film is quite enjoyable with memorable dream sequences and a much more serious Freddy similar to the remake but better. Walsh is also a good lead. Freddy’s Revenge ends up being a nice bridge between the first and third movies. 

4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

Taking place shortly after the events of Dream Warriors, this film follows Alice as she is being used by Freddy to bring him his victims after Kristen (Tuesday Knight) dies and gives Alice the power to pull people into her dreams. Dream Master, while not bad, is a bit of a mess. This movie was made during the 1988 Writers Guild of America Strike, and it is quite evident as some ideas are introduced such as Alice’s daydreaming, and then dropped quickly. There is also the fact that the movie kills off all of the teen survivors of the previous installment in the first act. The idea of Freddy succeeding at murdering the kids of the parents who burnt him isn’t a terrible idea, especially since many horror films don’t have happy endings. The problem is that it almost feels like it undermines what those characters went through. Not all of them had to die, or at least that quickly. Most of them don’t even interact with the rest of the cast. 

With all that out of the way, this film still has some impressive death scenes and outstanding gore effects. The actors each deliver decent performances. Alice is a likable protagonist with great fight scenes with Freddy. In the end, The Dream Master is an okay follow-up, but it was clear the gas was slowing down by this point in the franchise. 

3. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

Set outside of the original continuity, this movie follows a fictionalized Heather Langenkamp as she is being haunted by a demonic entity using Freddy’s appearance based on Wes Craven’s script that somehow is affecting the “real world.” This marks the second time Craven has returned to the franchise with him also co-writing an early draft of Dream Warriors. The idea was his original premise for the third film, but it was rejected at the time. It’s a good thing it was used, though, because this movie is fantastic. The film brings the series back to its horror roots by doing an effective job of showing people’s lives who work in the industry, and how they are affected by working on horror films. It’s also an excellent metatextual look into the genre, which Craven would nearly perfect in Scream two years later. 

Another positive aspect of this movie is that, although the demon posing as Freddy isn’t in most of the film, his presence can still be felt, leaving an eerie feeling that works tremendously. Heather Langenkamp gives her best performance of the series, now being a protective mother of a fictional version of her son, portrayed by Miko Hughes. New Nightmare also has great callbacks to the first Elm Street that don’t feel forced, and there are even some scenes that take something from the first film but do something different. This movie acts as a better remake than the actual remake. All in all, New Nightmare brings the horror back into Elm Street. 

2. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) 

Taking place a year after Freddy’s Revenge, this film follows the last group of kids on Elm Street in a psychiatric hospital with Nancy Thompson trying to help them. As mentioned before, Wes Craven co-wrote an early draft and while most of it wasn’t used in the final product, the main setting being at a psychiatric hospital and bringing Nancy back were kept. This film is Freddy at his prime with some of his best kills and jokes. The idea of a group of teens teaming up against Freddy rather than a lone survivor is a refreshing change of pace. Also, Nancy being a mentor figure to the characters is done well and she ends up getting a nice sendoff.  

However, for all this movie’s strengths, there are a few drawbacks. John Saxon is mostly wasted as Donald Thompson, especially since he is one of the few returning actors aside from Englund and Langenkamp. A lot of adults, minus Nancy, make dumb decisions when it comes to helping the teens. While initially, it makes sense for them not to believe Freddy is killing people in their dreams, most of the kids are killed within days of each other in ways that clearly look like they were murdered; some of the parents of them still act like the kids just need sleep and their problems will go away. With all that out of the way, Dream Warriors is the best sequel in the franchise. 

1. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) 

While there have been some good films to come after, none can ever beat the one that started it all. This movie follows Nancy Thompson who, along with her friends, is being targeted by Freddy in their dreams as revenge for him being burnt alive by their parents. This movie does so much right. The kills are iconic, the score is creepy in the best way, and the direction is brilliant. The film takes the concept of someone killing people in their dreams to its full potential. Nancy is an impeccable main character with the movie showing just how far she is willing to go to avoid Freddy and how she tries to outsmart him. Some have criticized the characters for being a little bland, and while there certainly is a case for that, they still leave a memorable impact. 

Like with Dream Warriors, this film, unfortunately, does have adult characters making idiotic choices to help the kids. There is also the ending, which doesn’t make sense. Although Craven wanted a happy ending with the whole movie revealing to be a dream, producer Bob Shaye wanted a twist-ending showing Freddy capturing Nancy. It makes even less sense when Nancy appears in the third film with implications she hasn’t encountered Freddy in years. That being said, A Nightmare on Elm Street is an excellent slasher and there is a reason why New Line Cinema, the movie’s distributor and production company, is nicknamed, “The House that Freddy Built”. 

All films in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise can be watched on Max.