Films › Wes Craven

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Film

DirectorWes Craven

Meta takes3

Figures

Characters

Freddy Krueger → The Return of the Repressed

Locations

The parents of Elm Street
Freddy Krueger's monstrous body and boiler room habitat → The Abject

Form & technique

The film's narrative structure and villain concept → Genre Revisionism

Tropes

Nancy Thompson's character arc
The "One, Two, Freddy's Coming for You" nursery rhyme
The film's depiction of the dream world

Films most connected to A Nightmare on Elm Street

A History of Violence (2005) — via The Return of the Repressed, Genre Revisionism
Full Metal Jacket (1987) — via The Abject, Genre Revisionism
Maps to the Stars (2014) — via The Abject, The Return of the Repressed
Halloween (1978) — via The Abject, The Return of the Repressed
There Will Be Blood (2007) — via Genre Revisionism
The Power of the Dog (2021) — via Genre Revisionism
When Harry Met Sally... (1989) — via Genre Revisionism
Aliens (1986) — via The Return of the Repressed