Top 10 Greatest Freddy Krueger Scenes
#10: Heather vs. Freddy: Rematch
"Wes Craven's New Nightmare" (1994) After a long hiatus, creator Wes Craven returned to the series with what could’ve been a fitting finale. This meta-textual riff on the formula features actors Heather Langenkamp and John Saxon playing themselves while a demon takes on Freddy's form and terrorizes them. Craven appears as himself as well, writing the script for the film as it unfolds. Critics and fans often consider this one of the greatest sequels, and it’s at its best during the final act, which cleverly recalls moments made famous in the first film. The final battle between our heroine and our villain reminds us just what made Freddy so scary in the first place.
#9: Playing with Power
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"Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" (1991) Few fans really expected anything great from "Freddy's Dead," which boasted a 3D filming style that only lasts 10 minutes. And we certainly didn't ask for cameos from Tom Arnold and Roseanne Barr. Freddy does manage a few laughs, however, most notably a scene where he transports someone into a video game and uses the Power Glove to kill him. Anyone who grew up with an NES remembers what a useless accessory the Glove was, often failing even simple movements. That Freddy could master it may be unintentionally funny, but it's still funny.
#8: Taking Jason's Hockey Mask
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"Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" (1993) Even those who liked "Jason Goes to Hell" have a hard time calling it a legitimate Jason sequel. Instead, fans got a body-jumping demon who only transforms into the titular killer in the final act. But it also had a heavy helping of gore to please fans and, more importantly, a teaser ending to set up the battle to end all battles. Studios had been trying to get Freddy and Jason together since 1987. When Freddy’s glove emerged from the ground and dragged Jason’s mask down with him, we all knew what was coming. We just wish it hadn’t taken another 10 years…
#7: "You Are All My Children Now"
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"A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge" (1985) After the surprise success of Craven's first film, New Line wanted a sequel as soon as possible. One year later, horror director Jack Sholder released what is quite possibly the strangest entry in the series. Nevertheless, the premise is fairly nifty, with Freddy possessing a young boy in order to kill in the real world. He succeeds in the end, going on an uber-violent rampage at a pool party. One of the teens tries to play negotiator, but it doesn’t go well . . . Reaching out his arms as if to embrace them, Freddy then utters this famous, terrifying line . . .
#6: "This is God"
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"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) An iconic killer needs to make one hell of an entrance, and Freddy is no exception. The first time we get a good look at the red-and-green sweater-clad monster, he's walking down an alley, arms elongated to an impossible length. His prey, young Tina, pleads with God to save her. Then Robert Englund, impeccably terrifying, corrects her . . . Not only that, he voluntarily loses a few digits to prove it. It's surreal, it's creepy, it's like nothing you've ever seen before. In short, Freddy's introduction is everything it should be.
#5: Tina & the Revolving Room
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"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) Just seconds after she meets Freddy, Tina finds herself tormented. Her boyfriend Rod doesn’t know what to do as she tosses and turns screaming on the bed. Then it happens, she's on the ceiling, being dragged across it covered in blood. With Tina's death, "Elm Street" told the audience that no one was safe. Up until that moment, Amanda Wyss' character had been the apparent lead, well on her way to being the Final Girl. What's even more impressive is the practical way the scene was shot, in a rotating set with the furniture nailed down, so that Wyss could seem to defy gravity.
#4: The Freddy Worm
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"A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" (1987) "Dream Warriors" was the first sequel to show promise in the franchise, with Craven returning as screenwriter and the talents of newcomers Frank Darabont, Chuck Russell, Patricia Arquette, and Laurence Fishburne combining to create something genuinely different. Few moments in Elm Street's legacy are as fondly remembered by fans as the Freddy Worm. In the film, Arquette plays one of the last of the children whose parents murdered Krueger, and she has the power to pull others in her dream. That’s exactly what she does when Freddy appears as a giant worm and things get, well, slimy.
#3: Phone Call from Freddy
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"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) Before the terrible Michael Bay-produced 2010 remake, it was always an unspoken fact that Freddy Krueger wasn't just a child killer while alive, but most likely a molester as well. This is hinted at multiple times throughout the series, but the first, most frightening reference comes from the first film's eerie obscene phone call. After murdering Nancy’s boyfriend Glen in a cascade of blood, Freddy calls Nancy to mock her. He even transform the phone mouthpiece into his own, licking the teenager in one of the film's biggest jump scares.
#2: The Final Showdown
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"Freddy vs. Jason" (2003) Sixteen years after the pairing of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees was first pitched, the nightmares aligned. The film was not without its share of faults, including a cardboard cut-out group of teenagers, a convoluted plot, and some awful CGI. But there's no denying that once Freddy and Jason shared the screen, it gave audiences exactly what they wanted: a relentless, sometimes even slapstick bloodbath. It took over an hour for the two to encounter one another in Freddy's dreamworld, and even longer for them to fight in reality, but when it happens, the stabbing, vicious limb removal, and wisecracking Freddy is definitely a good time - so much so that Robert Englund felt ready to retire from the role. Before we reveal our number one pick, here are some honourable mentions: Freddy’s Waterbed “A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master” (1988) Pinball Jason "Freddy vs. Jason" (2003) Nancy Fights Back "A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) A Bigger, Badder Freddy "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" (1994) “Welcome to Primetime!” "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" (1987)
#1: Freddy the Poltergeist
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"A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) One of the key reasons Wes Craven's original film works so well is that, though he doesn't really show up until the first 20 minutes, Freddy's presence oozes out of every frame. From the jump-roping girls and their creepy rhyme to Charles Bernstein's haunting score, even the sun-drenched streets of California feel menacing. But even before you get your first glimpse, something much scarier happens. As Nancy sleeps in her bed, the specter of Freddy pushes against the wall and hovers over her, almost ready to burst out. The anticipation is intense, made all the better by the simple, practical effect used to get the shot. It's moments like these that keep you up at night.
