PopHorror Let's Get Scared
In 1985 my dad bought the family a VCR for Christmas, and one of the first movies we rented was A Nightmare on Elm Street. We watched it Christmas Eve night, and I remember being terrified and afraid to go to sleep that night because I was sure Freddy was going to get me if I did. As scared as I was that night, I still became a huge Freddy Krueger fan (I even made my own Freddy costume when I was in seventh grade complete with popsicle sticks for knives) and had to see every movie he was in as soon as they were released.
As I’ve gotten older, I have become more of a Jason Voorhees guy, but I still enjoy watching the A Nightmare on Elm Street films whenever the mood strikes me. Like most other film franchises, some of the movies in the Elm Street series are awesome, while some are just so-so, and some are quite terrible, so I decided to rank each of them from worst to best.
So, brew up some coffee, grab the 5 Hour Energy shot or Red Bull and try to stay awake as we take a look at my ranking of the movies from A Nightmare on Elm Street from worst to best (in my humble opinion).
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
If you ask me, the original A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of those sacred horror films that should never be remade. It’s a true classic in every sense of the word, and I don’t think that there is a single horror fan out there that loves it that wanted a remake of it. Unfortunately, a remake did happen in 2010 and it was just as bad-if not worse-than I ever could have imagined. Nothing about it works and it just screams “cash grab.”
I like Jackie Earle Haley and think that he is normally a talented and entertaining guy, but he is just horrible as Freddy in this movie. He looks like an alien or something and doesn’t really resemble Freddy, and that voice that he uses is so bad it is like nails on a chalk board (really, what was he thinking using that voice? It’s horrific!). Haley’s performance isn’t the only bad thing about it as the script itself is beyond terrible, you don’t care about Nancy or any of the other characters, and the CGI effects look awful.
This movie is just a trainwreck in every conceivable way and is a slap in the face to the original film and everyone involved with it. It’s the perfect example as to why classic horror films shouldn’t be remade, and the money-hungry people behind it should be ashamed of themselves for unleashing it on the world.
8. Freddy vs Jason (2003)
Horror fans longed for a movie that featured Freddy and Jason battling it out for years, so when it finally happened in 2003, they were understandably excited. That excitement quickly became disappointment and then disdain as they watched this movie as it was nowhere as near as awesome as it should have been. I mean how in the world do you mess up a movie about Freddy and Jason fighting each other? I’m not sure, but the folks behind this movie sure managed to do so in a variety of ways.
The first big mistake was not casting Kane Hodder as Jason as this was what the fans (and everyone else in general) wanted. Secondly, it seems as though the writers didn’t really know anything about the characters, or anything related to them (since when has Springwood been just a short drive from Camp Crystal Lake?). I love Robert Englund and think he rules as Freddy, but it just feels like he phoned it in here and some of his lines are just laughably bad (“Not strong enough…. but I will be!!!!” for example). The movie is just all over the place.
I couldn’t help but feel more than a little let down when I was leaving the theater after I saw it because it just wasn’t’ anything amazing like I had hoped that it would be.
7. Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
I remember skipping school one day my senior year with a group of friends and we went to the theater to see this movie. My friends were so mad at me for making them go see it because they didn’t like it at all. While I didn’t hate it and think that it has its moments (Carlos’ death scene is great if you ask me), it just didn’t live up for the expectations that I had for it before I saw it. Freddy is way too silly in this one (the stuff with the Nintendo Power Glove is just beyond cringe) and none of the characters are anything to write home about (which I hate to say because I love Lisa Zane).
I wish that it had more of a connection to the previous movie and Alice and Jacob had returned, but it just didn’t happen (though I have read that originally the John Doe character was supposedly going to be Jacob). I did enjoy seeing parts of Freddy’s life while he was still alive though and thought that these were the most enjoyable moments of the movie, but for a movie that was supposed to be the last one it was just more than a little underwhelming and I thought that Freddy’s big death scene left a lot to be desired as it wasn’t anything amazing. It wasn’t the worst movie in the series, but I was expecting a lot more to be honest.
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
While I thought it was cool they brought Alice and Dan back for this one I just think that it doesn’t work for several reasons. You can tell that it was extremely rushed because the studio wanted to get it in theaters as soon as possible to cash in on the Freddy mania that was huge at that point, and as a result the final product was more than a little lacking. To be honest, I had no idea what was going on for most of the movie (and apparently neither did the people behind it) as it is more than a little confusing at times and a little hard to follow.
The death scenes aren’t so great and aren’t so imaginative compared to the ones from the previous movies (aside from Mark’s, but then again it is totally cheesy) and I’m still not sure what exactly happens during the last 14 minutes or so during Alice and Freddy’s big confrontation and his defeat. It just seems like this movie is all over the place and while the filmmakers had a basic idea as to what they wanted to happen they weren’t sure how to execute it in the long run.
5. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
I know, I know, most people love this movie and think it is the second best after the first one, but I am just not a fan (man, I am going to get so many hateful comments for this one I have a feeling). I’ll admit, on paper it sounds amazing, but I have just never been able to get into it. To me it feels like 90 minutes of Craven patting himself on the back and I just think that it is plain boring in general. It tries a little too hard at times and I feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities that they could have done (like having Freddy kill Robert Englund for one).
I also didn’t like that they changed Freddy’s look and tried way too hard to make him scary again. I have just never cared for it and have always thought that it was extremely overrated and not nearly as clever as most people make it out to be. Again, I know I am going to take a lot of heat for my opinion here, but I must stand by it as I just don’t think that there is anything special about this film (please don’t hate me).
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
I know a lot of people hate this movie and consider it one of the worst of the series, but I dig it. While I’ll admit that it has its flaws (the killer parrot and Freddy popping up at the pool party scenes come to mind immediately), I like the fact that they tried to do something a little different with it as compared to the first film. One of the strengths of the movie is that it has a great cast, and you care about the characters. I think that Mark Patton does an excellent job as Jesse, as do Kim Myers as Lisa and Robert Rusler as Grady (who is one of the most underrated characters in the entire franchise in my opinion).
I love the stuff with Freddy possessing Jesse and think that the scene where he emerges from his body and kills Grady is nothing short of awesome and it freaked me out when I first saw it when I was in 6th grade. I’ve heard a lot of people complain about the gay undertones, but it never bothered me whatsoever and, in all honesty, I think it adds to the charm of the movie in general. As I said earlier, I know there are a lot of people out there who don’t like it and it is apparently Englund’s least favorite installment, but it isn’t nearly as bad as people say it is as I feel that it is unique and just a fun movie in general in its own odd way (plus it’s the last time Freddy is legit scary in my opinion).
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
I know a lot of people who love this movie and consider it the best of all the sequels, and for good reason. It is quite awesome and has a lot going for it and I have always loved it myself. It’s great because this is the movie that introduces characters like Kristen, Joey, and Kincaid, Nancy comes back to face Freddy, and the death scenes are top notch (plus it features Dokken’s epic “Dream Warriors” song that helped put them on the map). I always loved the idea of Freddy’s potential victims having their own dream powers and using them to fight him in their dreams, and this movie is just as fun as it is epic as a result.
There is so much to like about it, and I honestly can’t think of anything negative to say about it because it is THAT awesome. In my opinion this is the movie that really cemented Freddy’s status as a horror icon, and it’s always been one of personal favorites.
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
As much as I love Dream Warriors, I love this movie just a tad bit more and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I saw it in a theater during a very awesome time in my life and when I look back on that period of my life I immediately think about this movie. I was a little upset that Kincaid, Joey, and Kristen are killed off early in the movie I love the new characters that are introduced that must face off against Freddy such as Alice, Rick, Dan, and Debbie. It’s an extremely fun movie that has its own unique vibe that just always really spoke to me for reasons I can’t quite explain.
Another reason I have always loved it is because I had/have a huge crush on Brooke Theiss and think that she is nothing short of awesome in this movie (when I first saw it, I was furious when she got killed even though I knew it was going to happen). Like most of the rest of the world I was really, really into Freddy when it was released and think that Englund was at his best this time around. Everything about it works and I think that it has some of the best death scenes (and some of the most heart) than any of the sequels. I absolutely love it and it is one of those movies I can watch repeatedly that never gets old no matter how many times I see it.
And my pick for the best of the movies in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series is….
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
This is one of my favorite movies of all time and I love it dearly. It is such a unique and creative film that has really stood the test of time as it is just as good now as it was when I first saw it so many years ago. Freddy is completely terrifying in it and it’s just a damn scary movie in general as a result. It has an amazing cast, and you can’t help but love the characters, especially when it comes to Nancy, who is one of the greatest final girls in the history of horror films.
I remember when it came out everyone was talking about it and I couldn’t wait to see it, and I can say that I wasn’t the least bit disappointed in it when I finally did watch it. It’s a true horror classic and in a lot of ways a perfect film, and it’s another movie that never gets old no matter how many times I watch it. Everything about it works for the most part, and I can honestly say that it is one of the greatest-and most iconic-movies in the history of horror cinema.
There you have it folks, my ranking of the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies from worst to best. Let me know what you think in the comments (and don’t be too harsh on me for my opinions on New Nightmare).
