One…two…Freddy’s coming for you.
Three…four…better lock your door.
Five…six…grab your crucifix.
Seven…eight…better stay up late.
Nine…ten…never sleep again…
Happy Wednesday TV Fans! With the lack of new programming, I have been re-visiting several film series and I was beyond thrilled to discover that HBO Max has all of the Nightmare on Elm Street films available to watch!
After quite the marathon, I started to think about which films held up and which fell flat. There are 8 NOES films, (not including Freddy vs. Jason) but today I will be ranking my top 5 films of the franchise. Please note that some spoilers are ahead.
Freddy is cool. Freddy is funny and Freddy will give you some nightmare for sure…along with some disturbing images that will forever be embedded in my brain. Robert Englund is absolute perfection as Freddy Krueger and I am a huge fan of Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson. Nancy will always be one of my favorite Final Girls.
After all, she’s into survival…
Whatever you do, don’t fall asleep!
These films really have everything. They are scary, funny, and addicting!
Stars like Johnny Depp, Laurence Fishburne, and Patricia Arquette appear in them as well and we get some pretty unique death and dream sequences that really make the NOES films stand out.
While I thoroughly enjoy the Friday the 13th and Halloween franchises, NOES certainly measures up with these iconic films. After all, Freddy did have an epic showdown with Jason…
Without any further delay, my top 5 Nightmare on Elm Street films are:
5
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Alice is back in the fifth film and we discover that she is pregnant. However, Freddy is back as well and he begins attacking and killing her friends using her unborn child as a weapon. Alice and Freddy have an epic showdown, as she does everything in her power to eliminate him for good and protect her child.
The fifth film is pretty good. I enjoyed seeing Alice again and I thought the buildup to the showdown was decent.
Standout kill: Poor Greta is what she eats, as she is force fed at the table. Gross!
4
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
Nancy is back! Well, Heather is technically back, but I was excited to see her either way. In this re-imagining of the NOES world, Robert Englund and Heather Langenkamp play themselves, but quickly learn that the world of fantasy may actually cross over into reality.
This movie actually really held up for me. I thought that it was unique and it gave fans a lot of nostalgia. Heather/Nancy even yells out “Screw your pass,” bringing us right back to the original film. While I love the NOES film franchise, the films can become repetitive. However, this film really stood out and did something truly unique and different, which I appreciated and thoroughly enjoyed.
Standout kill: Poor Julie gets tossed and thrown around against the ceiling while Heather’s child watches in horror.
3
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
The Dream Warriors are back! But unfortunately, so is Freddy. As he begins to pick off the Dream Warriors one by one, Alice is dragged into this mess when Kristen Parker gives her the power. During Kristen’s fiery death, there is this weird electric blue energy floating around and Alice and Freddy’s abilities overlap.
Freddy collects souls and when he does, Alice begins to inherit a part of them. She starts smoking when she doesn’t smoke, she learns Kung Fu, and she wears a bad-ass leather jacket to prove she is ready to bring down Freddy by forcing him to take a good look in the mirror…
I really enjoy this film and I think it has a fantastic music soundtrack. The kills are really outrageous and Freddy’s humor takes on a life of its own in this one. More please!
Standout kill: Deb’s checkout at the Roach Motel still leaves a bad taste in my mouth…
2
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
Nancy is back! After the horrific sequel to the original film, we really needed Dream Warriors and it delivers! In this film, Nancy works as a doctor at a psych ward and helps troubled teens who may be having some fatal nightmares that she is all too familiar with…
Dream Warriors is fantastic. It allows Freddy to truly shine and we also get some interesting concepts on dreams and abilities and powers within them, which I thought was a welcomed and cool feature to prevent the films from becoming too repetitive.
Standout kill: “Welcome to Primetime, bitch” immediately comes to mind…be careful about what you are watching on television!
1
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
The original still remains as the absolute best film of the franchise for me. It really draws you in and the concept of someone killing you in your dreams is so terrifying, really allowing Freddy to reign as a supreme villain.
The characters are absolutely fantastic in this and Nancy really steps into the spotlight as a bad-ass Final Girl. Plus, she’s got her coffee machine ready under the bed! You have to admire her commitment to staying awake!
Standout kills: It’s probably a toss up between Tina being dragged up the wall in the opening scene and Glen getting sucked into his bed.
Overall, I had a blast re-watching these films. I may have some trouble falling asleep now, but it was worth it!
I hope you enjoyed the list and feel free to post your own thoughts on the NOES movies and your favorites in the comments section below. Thank you so much for reading and happy viewing!
Best,
Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl
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