#9. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
I'm so eternally grateful that horror has been able to crawl out from under the daunting black cloud of Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company. They were absolutely hell bent on hollowing out every horror property imaginable into a soul-less imitation of it's former self in the 2000's and even though Jackie Earle Haley does his best to try and overcome the atrocious re-design of Freddy Krueger in this mind-numbingly dull remake, this film is a total misfire. None of the mysticism of dreams or supernatural elements are utilized but instead we get a misguided twist that maybe Freddy wasn't guilty of the crimes he was murdered for? This series thrives in it's total disregard for realism, it doesn't need to try and make itself more grounded and brutal to sell it's premise. But that's what happens when a dude who made his career directing Victoria's Secret commercials sets up a production company with a pipeline of music video directors trying to "modernize" horror classics.
#8. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
As much as I want to like Stephen Hopkins' gothic continuation of Alice's story from The Dream Master, the tonal inconsistent thematic elements ping-ponging back and forth between overtly gruesome and comically over the top just don't quite mesh. There's definitely a concentrated effort to aim this film at a more adult crowd but Freddy's cartoonish kills, slapstick dream sequences and ultra rubbery make up job result in a pretty imbalanced end result. I did appreciate the son of 1000 maniacs prologue with Freddy's mother though. And the "that doesn't look very scary" kid from Jurassic Park playing Alice's unborn son in Freddy makeup was dope. But Freddy and the nightmare scenes are way too light to match the dark tone of Hopkins' visual style. Plus outside of Alice, the supporting cast feels especially disposable this time around.
#7. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
The Dream Warriors established such a great group of characters to go up against Freddy that even though the follow up is a fairly enjoyable popcorn sequel, I can't help but hold against it how quickly this film disposes of Kincaid, Joey and Kristen. Even going as far as to re-cast the role of Kristen and robbing Patricia Arquette of a proper franchise exit. But Lisa Wilcox's Alice makes for a solid final girl to step in for Kristen and we get some pretty exquisite nightmare sequences throughout. Even if Krueger himself is in peak MTV, one-liner mode. Also, I think Tuesday Knight's theme song "Nightmare" may be even better than Dokken's "Dream Warriors", but just barely.
Listen to our interview with Lisa Wilcox here
#6. Freddy v.s. Jason
Even though it was over a decade in the making, when it finally hit, Freddy v.s. Jason was still mostly worth the wait. Primarily due to the final blood soaked showdown between the modern horror icons. Bride of Chucky director, Ronny Yu, delivers a ton of over the top violent carnage to satiate the years of build up proceeding this epic confrontation even though we're lead to empathize maybe a bit too much with Jason. But it's a shame we never got a proper rematch before Robert Englund seemingly hung up his claw for good. But seeing him chew through the scenery one last time in this made-for-the-fans crossover event is definitely a solid way to for him to go out.
View our Ranking of the Entire Friday the 13th Franchise here
#5. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Director Rachel Talalay has admitted to perhaps being a little too under the influence of her fandom with Twin Peaks at the time of filming this alleged "final" entry in the Elm Street saga. And there are definitely moments of Freddy's Dead's characters wandering around Springwood where it shows. But I still enjoy this incarnation of Krueger much better than what we got in the previous two films. And the flashbacks of Krueger's life before being burnt alive add some surprisingly fun insight to who the Springwood Slasher was before he was condemned to an afterlife of tormenting teenagers' dreams. Could've done without the 3-D demon sperm fish monsters though. Or the 3-D altogether, really.
#4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors
I know Dream Warriors has emerged as the fan favorite of the series in recent years but I feel like it sets a lot of bad precedents for the franchise. Like the 1 note dream sequences that attack a characters' lone interest or the wise cracking incarnation of Krueger that runs rampant in the lesser sequels that follow, spouting one-liners like a grotesque mascot. But the chemistry of the young cast is undeniable and bringing both Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon back into the fold was a spectacular decision as well. The incredible ensemble and well developed characters elevate this film as one of the best three-quels ever.
#3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
Reviled upon it's initial release, Freddy's Revenge is one of the most unfairly maligned horror sequels of all time. Krueger himself is at his most terrifying with an insanely menacing make-up job and sadistic mean streak, tallying his highest body count in the series. The pool party massacre and school bus nightmare sequences are among the best in the entire franchise and Christopher Young's score is possibly my favorite horror score of all time. Coupled with Jack Sholder's dynamic direction, Nightmare 2 has such a phenomenal atmosphere that balances the visceral brutality of Freddy's real world consequence with his supernatural dream world powers like no other entry in the franchise. Yes it has gay sub-text, but who cares?
#2. Wes Craven's New Nightmare
As much as I'd love to see Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp return for one final showdown in a Nightmare on Elm Street legacy sequel, Wes Craven crafted such a perfect book end to the franchise he created with New Nightmare that I hesitate to ruin the ingenious way this film honored the original. And yet it doesn't lean entirely on fan service call backs like most anniversary sequels tend to. Instead Craven boldly takes a much more mature approach to the material, blending the lines of reality and entertainment while giving his boogeyman a complete visual overhaul. It's a gruesome, psychological thrill ride that makes for one of the best horror sequels of all time.
#1. A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wes Craven's introduction to Freddy Krueger, the murderous dream demon that kills you in your sleep, is one of the most iconic and original horror films of the past 50 years. Freddy Krueger is one of the most menacing figures in the genre and his origin story laid out in the original Nightmare on Elm Street is an absolutely timeless masterpiece. It's Craven's best film in a career littered with landmark accomplishments and the rare horror outing that is as effective philosophically and psychologically as it is on it's surface level. Elm Street is the thinking man's slasher and one that holds up thanks to it's spectacular thematic exploration of the root of fear and facing your reality rather than escaping through alcohol, sex, entertainment, etc. And to top it all off, Heather Langenkamp is THE final girl in her badass portrayal of Nancy. A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most complete horror films ever made and one of the finest achievements of it's era.