A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Directed by: Wes Craven

Starring: Robert Englund, Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, and Johnny Depp

Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends have been having terrible dreams about some menacing figure with a bladed glove.  These dreams quickly turn to nightmares, which then turn to murders.  As the children of Elm Street begin biting the dust at the hands of this mysterious, sinister figure, Nancy and the other survivors soon discover that falling asleep is the most dangerous thing they can do, and they can thank their parents for that.  A decade ago, Fred Krueger (Robert Englund) got into the bad habit of molesting children from the suburban neighborhood on Elm Street.  Their parents found out and burnt Freddy alive in a boiler room.  As he dies, he vows revenge.  He’s taking it out now on their children.  Freddy is literally their worst nightmare, the one from which they will never wake.

Wes Craven creates a terrifying new world in A Nightmare on Elm Street.  In most previous slasher flicks, victims are afraid to be in the killer's vicinity.  What happens when the killer is not bound by time or space constructions and he can enter your mind?  What happens when sleep becomes deadly?  Awesome thrills and creative kills ensue.  Craven creates the most unique and imaginative horror film to date in A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Robert Englund's menacing and gritty performance is nightmarish.  If you haven't seen Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street, then you've never seen a real horror flick.