Shazam!
High Life
Widows
The Walking Dead
Log in with Facebook
OR
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.
Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password.
We want to hear what you have to say but need to verify your account. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified.
Please reference “Error Code 2121” when contacting customer service.
Wes Craven's intelligent premise, combined with the horrifying visual appearance of Freddy Krueger, still causes nightmares to this day.
All Critics (51) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (48) | Rotten (3) | DVD (14)
The script is consistently witty, the camera work (by cinematographer Jacques Haitkin) crisp and expressive. Jan 2, 2018 | Full Review…
The script is consistently witty, the camera work (by cinematographer Jacques Haitkin) crisp and expressive.
Paul Attanasio
A smart, streamlined slasher with plenty under the bonnet. Oct 31, 2013 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
A smart, streamlined slasher with plenty under the bonnet.
David Jenkins
A highly imaginative horror film that provides the requisite shocks to keep fans of the genre happy. Sep 21, 2007 | Full Review…
A highly imaginative horror film that provides the requisite shocks to keep fans of the genre happy.
Variety Staff
Craven vitalizes the nightmare sequences with assorted surrealist novelties. Sep 21, 2007 | Full Review…
Craven vitalizes the nightmare sequences with assorted surrealist novelties.
J. R. Jones
It's all good scary fun. Jan 26, 2006 | Full Review…
It's all good scary fun.
Nicholas Royle
A Nightmare on Elm Street... puts more emphasis on bizarre special effects, which aren't at all bad. May 20, 2003
A Nightmare on Elm Street... puts more emphasis on bizarre special effects, which aren't at all bad.
Vincent Canby
The beginning of Freddy is as solid as it was decades ago. This still makes us scared to fall asleep. [Full review in Spanish] Feb 18, 2019 | Rating: 3.5/4 | Full Review…
The beginning of Freddy is as solid as it was decades ago. This still makes us scared to fall asleep. [Full review in Spanish]
Federico Furzan
Great build-up, the suspense and apprehension, getting you invested in a sequence...this movie has that. Nov 2, 2018 | Rating: A | Full Review…
Great build-up, the suspense and apprehension, getting you invested in a sequence...this movie has that.
Chris Stuckmann
What makes the movie work is so simple and economical-you snooze, you die. I've always admired its simplicity. Oct 1, 2018 | Full Review…
What makes the movie work is so simple and economical-you snooze, you die. I've always admired its simplicity.
Sean Fennessey
Not since the shower scene in Psycho did one director discover our most intimate vulnerabilities: in bed, while we're asleep, in a state of consciousness where absolutely no one could help us. Nov 11, 2014 | Rating: A | Full Review…
Not since the shower scene in Psycho did one director discover our most intimate vulnerabilities: in bed, while we're asleep, in a state of consciousness where absolutely no one could help us.
Rob Vaux
A top-flight terror classic that spawned seven sequels and a TV series. Oct 7, 2013 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
A top-flight terror classic that spawned seven sequels and a TV series.
Alan Jones
Craven knows which big, red Freudian buttons to push, turning Freddy into a true monster from the Id. Oct 9, 2012 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…
Craven knows which big, red Freudian buttons to push, turning Freddy into a true monster from the Id.
Jamie Graham
One of the most criative horror movies I ever saw!
Super Reviewer
Really like this one - classic 80's horror. Acting is a bit hammy, but it works. Nancy is a likeable lead and Freddie Krueger is just horrible and still quite scary even now. Just bought the box set of 6 movies, so will be working my way through them this long weekend. (Happier about this than I probably should be!).
Nancy: Whatever you do don't fall asleep. "If Nancy Doesn't Wake Up Screaming She Won't Wake Up At All..." A Nightmare on Elm Street is a horror classic and deserves every bit of praise it has gotten. This is one of Wes Craven's best movies, probably only behind Scream. An iconic villain is created here in Freddy Krueger, and is effect would be felt through countless sequels and even a remake. None of the sequels or the remake can touch this one though. It's a great mixture of gore and atmosphere. There's always that ominous feeling in the air. A former child murderer comes back to life and kills by taking kids when they are asleep. As kids continue to die, Nancy must find a way to bring an end to it all. The story is one that was pretty groundbreaking for the time and also extremely smart. This is a story that can truly keep people up at night, because if you fall asleep; Freddy might get you. Wes Craven has always been hit or miss for me, but this one lands squarely in the hit section. The atmosphere he creates is absorbing to say the least. There's also always a cool appeal to the film. It's just one of those classic horror movies that I can watch many, many times; like Halloween or Scream. A Nightmare on Elm Street is required viewing for the horror fanatic in us all. It spins a web of crazy dream sequences, blood, and intelligence. It isn't the same old, same old slasher, but one with something to spice up the normal formula. Some scenes are among some of the coolest the genre has ever seen, and there's something about Freddy that makes him more than the average villain. It's almost as if, he were truly alive.
[img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img] Wes Craven's benchmark creature of terror: Freddy Kreuger. Combined with the brilliantly intelligent premise has strongly helped make this deservedly remain one of the greatest suspense horror's of all time. It's an incredibly smart slasher movie that never loses it's ability to bring forth a unique enigmatic and eery sense of isolation among it's victims. The victims? Us.
View All Quotes
View All