A Nightmare on Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror media franchise that began with the 1984 supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. The franchise centers on Freddy Krueger, an undead child killer, portrayed by Robert Englund across most installments, who murders teenagers through their dreams as revenge against their parents for burning him alive years earlier. Craven based the original film loosely on a series of news reports about refugees who died during nightmares, and the franchise's success led to numerous sequels, a television series, a 2010 remake, comic books, video games and merchandise built around Krueger's clawed glove and burned visage.