A Nightmare on Elm Street
“If Nancy doesn't wake up screaming, she won't wake up at all.”
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...
Where to watch
AMC
Stream
Philo
Free with ads
Amazon Video
Rent · Buy
Apple TV Store
Rent · Buy
Google Play Movies
Rent · Buy
YouTube
Rent · Buy
Your rating
Your review
Part of A Nightmare on Elm Street Collection
7 films
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Movie · 1984
A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge
Movie · 1985
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Movie · 1987
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Movie · 1988
A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child
Movie · 1989
Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Movie · 1991
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Movie · 1994
Cast
27 people
Heather Langenkamp
Nancy Thompson
Known for
The Midnight Club
Truth or Dare
Kathi Gibbs
Kid
Robert Englund
Fred Krueger
Known for
V
V
Johnny Depp
Glen Lantz
Known for
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Amanda Wyss
Tina Gray
Known for
Better Off Dead...
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Jsu Garcia
Rod Lane
Known for
Along Came Polly
Collateral Damage
John Saxon
Lt. Thompson
Known for
Enter the Dragon
Beverly Hills Cop III
Ronee Blakley
Marge Thompson
Known for
The Driver
Nashville
Charles Fleischer
Dr. King
Known for
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Back to the Future Part II
Joseph Whipp
Sgt. Parker
Known for
Scream
Gaslit
Lin Shaye
Teacher
Known for
Insidious: The Last Key
There's Something About Mary
Joe Unger
Sgt. Garcia
Known for
Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
Road House
Wes Craven Director · Charles Bernstein Composer Jacques Haitkin Cinematographer
Worldwide gross $57M · Budget $1.8M · United States release November 9, 1984
Box office
Budget
$1,800,000
Worldwide gross
$57,004,513
Gross vs. budget
31.7×
Production
New Line Cinema
Production · Studio
Smart Egg Pictures
Production
Media Home Entertainment
Production
Cinema 84
Production
The Elm Street Venture
Production
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
United States · November 9, 1984
Limited theatrical
United States
November 16, 1984 · Theatrical
September 20, 2006 · Limited theatrical · Re-Release
October 1, 2025 · Limited theatrical · Re-Release
Argentina
October 30, 1986 · Theatrical
October 30, 2025 · Theatrical
Australia
August 1, 1985 · Theatrical
Brazil
November 27, 1986 · Theatrical
Canada
November 16, 1984 · Theatrical
Colombia
April 10, 1986 · Theatrical
Czechia
June 1, 2009 · Physical · DVD
Denmark
July 24, 1987 · Theatrical
Egypt
July 7, 2021 · Physical · DVD
Finland
June 27, 1986 · Theatrical
France
March 6, 1985 · Theatrical
Germany
August 29, 1985 · Theatrical
Greece
November 19, 1984 · Theatrical
Hungary
January 11, 1990 · Theatrical
India
July 1, 1985 · Theatrical
Ireland
October 11, 1985 · Theatrical
October 31, 2013 · Theatrical · Re-release
Israel
April 13, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray
Italy
August 8, 1985 · Theatrical
Japan
May 24, 1986 · Theatrical
Mexico
April 17, 1986 · Theatrical
October 5, 2018 · Limited theatrical · Re-release
Netherlands
September 11, 1986 · Theatrical
July 31, 2002 · TV · V8
March 8, 2006 · Physical · DVD
October 20, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray
Norway
October 23, 1986 · Theatrical
Peru
September 25, 1986 · Theatrical
Philippines
July 13, 1985 · Limited theatrical · Davao
Poland
November 19, 2008 · Theatrical · Re-release
Portugal
November 10, 1985 · Theatrical
June 21, 2019 · TV
Russia
May 10, 1997 · TV
October 28, 2021 · Theatrical
Singapore
April 13, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray
South Africa
June 1, 2009 · Physical · DVD
South Korea
March 23, 1985 · Theatrical
Spain
September 18, 1985 · Limited theatrical · Catalonia
October 31, 1985 · Theatrical
Sweden
March 15, 1985 · Theatrical
Taiwan
April 2, 2011 · Premiere · Golden Horse Fantastic Film Festival
Türkiye
October 26, 1990 · Theatrical
United Arab Emirates
October 3, 2008 · TV
United Kingdom
May 27, 1985 · Premiere · Original
Uruguay
January 15, 1987 · Theatrical
XC
January 10, 1992 · Theatrical
More from Wes Craven
Other films they directed, best known first.
If you liked A Nightmare on Elm Street
Picks that share its genres, themes, cast and crew.
Some details come from TheTVDB.