Played by Robert Englund, Freddy became a god of onscreen terror. With his striped jersey, crumpled fedora, hideous burns and that iconic glove, his image is striking and deeply unnerving. The character was once a prolific child murderer, who would lure youngsters to his lair in an old boiler room and hack them up with his various instruments of torture, mainly revolving around the glove he made himself, with razor sharp knives extending from the four fingers. He was always one step ahead of the authorities, and racked up countless victims in his reign of terror. Eventually he was caught and taken into custody. Unfortunately, his trial collapsed because of a technicality- the arresting officer didn't read him his rights when he was caught- he was set free. The parents of these victims, and the parents of other children of the town of Springwood, tracked him down to his lair and burned him alive. But the horror didn't stop there, as he returned to life in the dreams of Springwood's children, in the disgustingly scarred form of a murderous demon, intent on picking up where he left off while alive, and claiming the lives of all of the children. His realm of dreams was his playground, and he delved deep into the fears of his new victims in order to feed on their terror.

A bluffer's guide to the big screen NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movies, the FREDDY's NIGHTMARES television show, the FREDDY Vs JASON movie and the forthcoming ELM STREET remake!

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET (1984)
Wes Craven's original Elm Street movie is a masterpiece that plays very well on some old fashioned fears. Johnny Depp makes an odd movie debut, and has a very satisfying onscreen death, but it is the battles between Freddy Krueger and Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) that are the most compelling aspect of the film. Some truly unsettling visuals are served up, such as the dream visions of Tina, speaking to Nancy from inside her bloodied body bag, then vomiting bugs and being dragged away by unseen forces. A very strong first entry.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET II: FREDDY'S REVENGE (1985)
This rather rushed sequel is again big on scares but feels oddly disjointed. The plot revolves around a kid called Jesse, who Freddy Krueger possesses in order to cross over into the real world and continue killing. Scenes to watch out for include the grisly party massacre and Freddy ripping off the top of his own head to reveal a pulsating mass of brain. A curiosity.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET III: DREAM WARRIORS (1987)
Many fans see this film as the best of all the sequels. Nancy returns to do battle with Freddy, this time in a mental hospital where the patients are being forced to commit suicide one by one by the evil dream demon. Boasting excellent effects and a cast including Patricia Arquette and Laurence Fishburne, this is an excellent horror/fantasy movie and deserves its status as one of the best horror sequels ever made. Wes Craven wrote the script, and got the series back on track in style. Remarkable.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET IV: THE DREAM MASTER (1988)
Freddy returned again to claim the souls of the remaining characters from the third movie (albeit with Patricia Arquette's Kirsten character played by a different actress), this time with the addition of Alice, a shy girl who becomes the bearer of Kirsten's dream powers when Kirsten is killed. The level of comedy was raised for this sequel, which felt rather out of place, but New Line were riding on a wave of Freddy hysteria at the time.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET V: THE DREAM CHILD (1989)
Alice discovers Freddy is using the dreams of her unborn child to carry on his work, in a bid to be reborn into the real world again. The darkest of the Elm Street sequels, this caused a good deal of controversy upon its release. The backstory of the Elm Street mythos is filled out very well, but when it came out, viewers were disappointed Freddy wasn't as wisecracking as in the previous film. A shame, as this one was great.

FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE (1991)
Freddy was supposedly laid to rest in the sixth instalment, which focussed on his supposed daughter doing battle with her demonic father. The jokes are terrible, the effects substandard, and the script cringeworthy. The climax felt tagged on, with Maggie (Freddy's daughter) bringing him into the real world and ramming explosives into him via his bladed glove. One for the diehards only.

WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE (1994)
The series was reinvented with this ingenius- if shoddily made- seventh film. Freddy crosses over into the real world and stalks the actual actors and crew of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, including Freddy himself, Robert Englund! A fascinating statement on pop culture and a superb idea that would have benefited from a larger budget. Wes Craven's lines in the film about trapping Freddy in horror movies are inspired. An underrated gem.

FREDDY Vs JASON (2003)
Ten years after it was originally thought of, Freddy Vs Jason finally hit screens worldwide. While it pleased fans in terms of violence and onscreen gore, the script was disappointing and the cast other than Freddy were uniformly terrible. Adding nothing to either the Elm Street or Friday the 13th franchises, the FVJ movie was an interesting experiment that, while entertaining, was low on substance. It was still good to see Freddy face off against Jason Voorhees, though.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET- THE REMAKE/PREQUEL (2009)
The original Nightmare on Elm street movie is now to be remade. The new version is to be both a prequel and a remake of the first film, with an eye on potentially starting the franchise over again. Fans are up in arms against the decision to have Freddy Krueger played by someone other than Robert Englund. Word has it that Englund has not even been considered for the project.

UPDATE: It has been confirmed that the new NIghtmare on Elm Street remake is to indeed feature a new actor as Freddy Krueger, and like the Halloween remake of 2007, feature an additional section at the start of the movie in which the backstory of the character is explained. This means we will finally get to see Krueger's trial, his escape and his subsequent death at the hands of his victims' parents. Once glimpsed in the TV series, the failed trial has never been fully realized onscreen until now.

THE TV SERIES
A short lived and rather cheap looking TV series based around the Nightmare on Elm Street universe ran between 1988 and 1990 under the title FREDDY'S NIGHTMARES: A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET- THE SERIES. Set out as a Twilight Zone style anthology series, episodes were 'presented' by Freddy. Many of the episodes did not feature Krueger in their main story, but it is the Freddy stories themselves that are the best. The pilot was directed by Tobe Hooper, of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE fame.

Worried you'll feel left out the next time you're surrounded by obsessive movie geeks? Fear not, true believer! We're here to help. Here' a bunch of choice quotes from each film of the saga...

The infamous Elm Street nursery rhyme...

One, Two, Freddy's coming for you
Three, Four, better lock your door
Five, Six, grab your crucifix
Seven, Eight , better stay up late
Nine, ten, never sleep again...

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET:

Tina: Please, God...
Freddy: (Raises glove to his scarred face) This... is God.

Hallguard: Where's your pass?
Nancy: Screw your pass.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE

Freddy: I need you, Jesse. We got special work to do here, you and me.
(Freddy slams Jesse against the hallway wall)
Freddy: You've got the body...
(Freddy removes his hat and rips open his own skull, revealing his pulsating mass of brain)
Freddy: I've got the brain.
(Jesse screams and Freddy burst into laughter)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 3: DREAM WARRIORS

Sister Mary Helena/Amanda Krueger: If your only faith is science, doctor, it may be you that's laid to rest.

Freddy: This is it, Jennifer: your big break in TV.
(Jennifer screams)
Freddy: Welcome to prime time, b***h.
(Freddy smashes Jennifer's face straight into the TV screen, jamming her head inside it as it explodes)

Freddy (as he rips open his shirt to reveal his mutilated chest is covered with the screaming faces of his victims): The souls of the children give me strength.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 4: THE DREAM MASTER

Freddy: Elm Street's last brat. Farewell.
Kristen: We beat you before!
Freddy: And now you're all alone! Kristen, why don't you - uh - call on one of your little friends? Maybe they could help.
Kristen: Never! I'm the last!
Freddy: Why don't you... reach out... and touch someone?
(Kristen screams as Freddy forces his claws into her body. Kristen screams for Alice, and when Alice appears in her dream, passes on her dream powers)

Freddy: (while being served a pizza covered in the miniaturized heads of his recent victims) Mmm... the usual. My favorite. Mmm... Eeney, meeney, miney... MOE!
(Stabs the Rick meatball through the forehead)
Freddy: Mmm... Rick, you little meatball. I love soul food.
(Freddy eats Rick's screaming head)
Freddy: Bring me more.

Freddy: Your shift is over.
(Freddy kills Kincaid)
Freddy: One down. Two to go.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART 5: THE DREAM CHILD

Freddy: (in Dan's body after the car wreck) Hey Alice, wanna make babies?

Freddy (while hacking bits of Greta's guts out and feeding them to her, engorging her mouth so much that her whole head distorts into a massive, grotesque orifice): Is she delicious... or am I CRAZY?

FREDDY'S DEAD: THE FINAL NIGHTMARE

Freddy (whil dressed as the Wicked Witch): I'll get you, my pretty! And your little soul, too!

Katherine: (Ramming explosives into Freddy's gut) Happy Father's Day.
(Katherine escapes)
Freddy (to camera): Kids.
(Freddy's physical form explodes, the dream demons escape, and his head flies towards camera, his face morphing out of his own mouth again and again until finally the severed head explodes too)

WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE

Robert Englund: You know, I think they want to see us together on screen again.
Heather Langenkamp: In what, a romantic comedy?
Robert Englund: Just because it's a love story doesn't mean it can't have a decapitation or two.

Wes Craven: You have to make a choice.
Heather Langenkamp: Choice? What kind of choice?
Wes Craven: Whether or not you will be willing to play Nancy... one last time.

FREDDY Vs JASON

Freddy Krueger (V/O): My children... from the very beginning, it was the children who gave me my power. The Springwood Slasher, that's what they called me. My reign of terror was legendary. Dozens of children would fall by my blades. Then the parents of Springwood came for me, taking justice into their own hands. When I was alive, I might have been a little naughty, but after they killed me, I became something much, much worse. The stuff nightmares are made of. The children still feared me, and their fear gave me the power to invade their dreams, and that's when the fun REALLY began. Until they figured out a way to forget about me. To erase me completely. Being dead wasn't a problem, but being forgotten, now that's a BITCH. I can't come back if nobody remembers me. I can't come back if nobody's afraid. I had to search the bowels of Hell, but I found someone, someone who'll make 'em remember. He may get the blood, but I'll get the glory, and that fear is my ticket home.

Freddy: Got your nose!

The Nightmare on Elm Street movies have spawned a great deal of merchandise in their wake, with Freddy gloves and masks being the earliest examples of the available material. Since the heady days of the 80s horror boom, the merchandising for A Nightmare on Elm Street fans has levelled out to consist mainly of figures, statues and the occasional poster. Masks of Freddy are still very popular items, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find genuine, licensed costume items, so make sure you order from reputable sites and stores when looking for your Elm Street treasures!

The famous McFarlane Toys produced a very popular Freddy Krueger figure as part of their first range of MOVIE MANIACS figures, along with an 18 inch variation on the character. McFarlane went on to produce a second version of that original figure too, but it was NECA that took the crown for Elm Street related figures in the early 2000s, producing some great items such as the 18 inch 'New Nightmare' version of Freddy Krueger, which came with an alternate 'Demonic' head as seen in the movie's climax. They were also responsible for the range of items from the FREDDY VS JASON movie, including figures and headknockers of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees as they appeared in the crossover film's battle scenes. This particular figure has been popular for a good long time now, and seems to be something of a fan favourite, especially as there was never that much made to commemorate his return to the screen in 1994's WES CRAVEN'S NEW NIGHTMARE movie.

Sideshow Collectibles created a vast array of related merchandise including high-quality 12 inch poseable figures with fabric costumes, and extremely cool statues of varying sizes. Their workmanship really shined in this pieces, with each one becoming a hot with fans and instantly collectable. Their range of boxed, 12 inch deluxe figures is unsurpassed, and included version of Freddy both as his dream demon incarnation and his human alter ego (a very nicely sculpted figure of Robert Englund, clothed in the 'real world' Freddy outfit glimpsed in FVJ). A particularly attractive piece from Sideshow is the 18 inch Freddy Krueger statue from their 'Modern Horror Classics' range (see the image that accompanies this piece). Sculpted to an incredibly high standard and cast in high quality polystone, this is something no fan would want to be without, and despite its high price, its is an incredibly cool item.

As with most contemporary genre licenses, it is left up to Mcfarlane, NECA and Sideshow Collectibles to deliever the goods that people want the most, and as long as they continue to do so with such style, fans aren't complaining! This is the stuff that dreams erm, nightmares, are made of- namely plastic, paint, glue, polystone and a huge amount of talent! We still have the remake to look forward to as well, which will hopefully bring us some brand new Freddy figures, statues, posters and more!