If you want to watch A Nightmare on Elm Street in order, then I have some great news: both the release date order and chronological order are exactly the same. In an era where that’s becoming increasingly rare in the horror genre, it’s refreshing to watch a franchise with a simple, straightforward timeline. But its timeline is the only simple thing about A Nightmare on Elm Street. It’s one of the most clever, sadistic, and terrifying slasher franchises ever.
By the mid-80s, the slasher genre was losing steam. Halloween (1978) solidified the subgenre and Friday the 13th (1980) offered some decent popcorn fare, but then there were tons of fillers. Yes, there were some moderate successes like Prom Night (1980) and The Funhouse (1981), but there was also a boatload of stinkers like Madman (1981), Final Exam (1981), and Don’t Go Into the Woods (1981).
Just as the genre seemed on its last limb, horror master Wes Craven released A Nightmare on Elm Street. Instead of the slow-moving, silent, masked killer that had become cliché by ‘85, Nightmare gave the world Freddy Krueger, the demented spirit of a quick-witted, irreverent, soulless, remorseless pedophile who seeks revenge on the town that killed him. He’s shocking, perverse, and horrifying, while also being undeniably gripping and entertaining.
Krueger is a horrible person, but a fantastic character. Plus, since he’s able to attack people in their dreams, Nightmare didn’t just repeat the standard knife kills of other slashers. It opened an entire world of horror, macabre, and sometimes, downright wild kills. Whether you’re new to the franchise or a diehard fan looking to rewatch the classics, here’s the entire A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise in order and where to find them on HBO Max, Shudder, and more.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The original movie introduced the world to Freddy Krueger. The child rapist and murderer who was killed by the local community. But as he died, he vowed to take revenge by killing their children… in their dreams. The film’s dark, nightmare-fueled boiler room settings and synth-infused soundtrack are truly eerie and unsettling, giving every scene a good dose of horror before anything even happens.
Add to that Freddy’s brutal and bizarre kills, and you’ve got a seriously iconic horror film. This is also the movie that gave us that iconic Johnny Depp death scene! It’s the perfect movie for anyone who loves a legit scare that's got some paranormal undertones, like Smile (2022) and Jeepers Creepers (2001).
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
Initially, this sequel was panned upon its release, but in recent decades, the film has seen a newfound appreciation, especially in the LGBTQ community. The movie’s screenwriter, director, and star were all gay, and the movie is absolutely loaded with homoeroticism. While it might not be the scariest Nightmare movie, Freddy’s Revenge honestly deserves a watch for its wild and almost unbelievable backstory. In fact, the film even has an award-winning documentary, Scream Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street, chronicling all the wild behind-the-scenes drama, its secret queer influences, and the lasting impact it had on its lead actor, Mark Patton.
Timeline wise, the movie is technically set five years after the first film. This creates some tricky questions about when exactly the first and second movies take place, since they’re both clearly set in the present day but allegedly take place five years apart. The good news is that Freddy’s Revenge is pretty standalone so, unlike the later films, its official date doesn’t really mean much. Freddy’s Revenge is a must-watch for anyone who loves a horror movie with a wild backstory, like 1988’s Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (aka FriGay the 13th) or The Omen (1976).
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors picks up after the first two movies and has some of the wildest kills in the Nightmare franchise, which has made it into a fan favorite. From Freddy turning into a giant, intestine-looking snake and eating a girl to Freddy popping out of a TV and delivering the iconic line “Welcome to prime time, b**ch,” before shoving his victim into the television, Dream Warriors is a wild must-watch.
It’s also notable for bringing back the original film’s star, Heather Langenkamp, and for serving as a launching point for future Oscar-winner Patricia Arquette. Thanks to its charismatic killer and seriously wild kills, there’s still no movie out there that’s quite like Dream Warriors.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master continues the story of the survivors from Dream Warriors, now released from the institution and living normal lives. Naturally, Freddy returns once again to finish the job. The movie received a few mixed reviews, but it was relatively well-received and seen as a solid continuation of the Dream Warriors storyline.
Definitely check out The Dream Master if you love horror films with continuing storylines that carry over in their sequels, like Scream (1996) or Halloween.
A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)
Picking up a year after The Dream Master, in A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child, it’s alluded that Freddy wants to come back by being reincarnated as the unborn child of one of his victims from the fourth film. While the movie has some wild and brutal kills, the film is ultimately a dud, with many saying the franchise jumped the shark thanks to its bizarre plot about Freddy living inside the mind of an unborn child that he can then use as a conduit to start infecting the dreams of his victims again (huh???).
Overall, The Dream Child really requires some suspension of disbelief, but it could be a great film for anyone who enjoys the pregnancy horror subgenre like Push (2009) or False Positive (2021).
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare was the film that finally killed the franchise. Thanks to its incredibly unscary kills and horrific plot that tried to explain Freddy’s existence (It’s thanks to “dream demons.”), the movie was a tragically dull ending to a great slasher franchise. Its chronology is even messier, being set “10 years from now,” so assumingly in 2001. Why it needed to be set in the near-future is anyone’s guess, but luckily being set in 2001 didn’t upset the chronological order since Freddy vs. Jason wasn’t released until 2003.
However, there is absolutely a niche audience out there who loves the tragically bizarre later entries to slasher franchises (They are always so uniquely weird!), like Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993) and Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996). If you’re one of those fans, then this is the hidden gem for you.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
With The Final Nightmare officially ending the franchise, Craven found a unique way to bring back Freddy. New Nightmare is an ultra-meta movie that stars Heather Langenkamp (the star of the original movie) as herself. Known as “the actress from A Nightmare on Elm Street,” Heather navigates life as an actress and a Scream Queen in Hollywood.
But everything changes one night when she starts having real nightmares about Freddy, which brings him into the real world. New Nightmare is so interesting because it’s a Nightmare film set entirely out of the chronological timeline in the “real world.” It’s an excellent choice for fans of super meta, self-aware horror movies like The Cabin in the Woods (2011) or Scream 3 (2000).
Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Hot take: This is actually my second favorite Nightmare movie and my #1 favorite Jason movie. Freddy vs. Jason is so darn good and so much fun. In the film, Freddy resurrects Jason to scare people, which will help fuel nightmares that he can infect. But like a wild animal, once Jason gets going, he can't stop, so Freddy needs to stop him himself. The start of the film also references the previous Nightmare movies, officially placing it within the canon.
Watching two horror titans battle it out for the first time in modern cinema history is beyond cool, and every horror fan needs to watch Freddy vs. Jason at least once. It’s got similar vibes to Alien vs. Predator (2004) and the old-school monster mashups like King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962). Just trust me, watch it, you won't be disappointed.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
In 2010, Samuel Bayer tried to reboot the Nightmare franchise with the A Nightmare on Elm Street remake… but trying to remake a movie that’s already a classic isn’t easy (as this film learned the hard way). With terrible reviews and a very “meh” box office performance, this remains the latest Nightmare movie to date. It essentially just repeats the original plot, and honestly, that’s all there is to say about it.
However, if you’re someone who loved the Michael Bay 2000s remakes of classic horror movies, like The Hitcher (2007) or The Amityville Horror (2005), then this might be the film for you.
