Definitive Ranking Of 'Nightmare On Elm Street' Franchise

TV & Film

Jul 1

Wes Craven is one of the true masters of horror, especially the slasher subgenre. While he has tons of films under his belt, it is A Nightmare on Elm Street that made him a household name for many horror fans. Like all decades-long franchises, Freddy Krueger’s story has its highs and lows. As we get ready to enter slasher summer, what better way to kick it off than by ranking all of the films in this franchise? For this list, I will not include Freddy vs. Jason or the atrocious 2010 A Nightmare on Elm Street remake.

Warning: This list will include spoilers for the films!!

7. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

This film, like the 2010 remake, should be wiped from the minds of every person that has seen it. Throughout the other six films in the franchise, fans are given a pretty decent origin story for Freddy Krueger and why he is murdering teens in their sleep. This film essentially tried to erase 90% of that origin story so that they could introduce his daughter and a completely different Springwood. I recommend every fan of the franchise steer clear of this movie because the only good part of the entire film is the video game sequence, and that’s being generous.

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

This film is a direct follow-up to Dream Warriors and even brings back most of the original actors from the previous film. This isn’t a bad movie. It just isn’t nearly as good as the rest of the franchise. I think the weakest part of the film is the fact that Patricia Arquette doesn’t reprise her role as Kristen Parker, and we get very little screen time with Kristen. I do love the introduction of Alice because she is one of the best final girls in this franchise.

5. A Nightmare On Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)

I know I just made a ton of you groan when you read this movie at number five, but hear me out! This film is great. While every Freddy film has a ton of humor thanks to Robert Englund, this one brought the humor, and it gave us more of Freddy’s origin story. I know a lot of horror fans don’t love villain origin stories, but I am the exact opposite. If there is a way to give us an origin story without messing with the franchise’s canon, then I want it ASAP. Also, anyone that says they don’t love seeing Jacob’s face change when talking to Freddy is lying.

4. A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

This film is pretty polarizing within the horror community because you either love it or you hate it. Wes Craven took a chance by changing up the formatting of his villain and giving him new abilities that, at times, are ridiculously hysterical. I think it paid off because it set the tone for the rest of the franchise and made it clear to fans that nothing was off the table for this character or his story.

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

This film is number one for a lot of Freddy fans. The film dives deeper into the dreams that Freddy manipulates and explores the idea of how good intentions can lead to pure chaos and terror. The kills in this movie are more creative than those in the first two, and we get our first glimpse into Freddy’s origin story. Also, the decision to bring back Heather Langenkamp was pure genius!

2. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

This film will forever have a special place in my heart because it is the first horror movie I watched, and it is why I love horror so much! Wes Craven created something absolutely terrifying with this film that scarred thousands of teens and created life-long horror fans. Knowing that his inspiration for the film came from real events only adds to the horror!

1. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

This is the only entry on this list that will have no spoilers because it is one that every single horror fan needs to go into blindly. This film is why I work in the entertainment industry and why I want to create. It is the most unique horror film I have ever seen, and it was the perfect way to celebrate 10 years of Freddy Krueger.

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