Since 1984, Robert Englund has been the man of everyone’s nightmares. Freddy Krueger is one of the most infamous faces in horror, accompanied by his trusty glove of knives. Krueger was brought to life by director Wes Craven, who allegedly saved New Line Cinema with the success of A Nightmare on Elm Street. According to SlashFilm, New Line had been struggling for some time and Nightmare went on to make $57 million at the box office. New Line Cinema would later become known as “The House That Freddy Built.”
There is no doubt that the first A Nightmare on Elm Street is the scariest of the franchise. As the sequels progressed, Freddy became less and less menacing. The once-feared child murderer soon would be a wise-cracking sleep demon who tried to make you laugh before a gruesome kill. However, that’s not to say that the franchise doesn’t host some of the best slasher kills in horror. Here are Freddy’s top six kills in the A Nightmare On Elm Street franchise.
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6 Greta Gibson — A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
New Line Cinema
Greta Gibson, played by Erika Anderson, may not be a household name in the Nightmare franchise like Nancy Thompson, and yet her death is one of the most memorable of the sequels. The fifth installment of the franchise, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, seeks to show Freddy using a pregnant teen’s unborn baby as a conduit to invade her friend’s dreams, and unfortunately for Greta, she becomes Freddy’s second victim. In Greta’s dream, she is seated at a large dining room table, where Freddy is the over-attentive server. Krueger reveals that the food on the platter is actually Greta in doll form. He proceeds to force-feed her the doll’s human organs until her face swells with food, eventually causing her to suffocate. A Nightmare on Elm Street 5 may not be the most notable in the franchise, but definitely holds a fair ranking as far as Greta’s death goes.
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5 Taryn White — A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
For many, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors sits among one of the best in the franchise. The third installment saw the return of final girl Nancy Thompson (reprised by Heather Langenkamp), who works to help the new generation of “dream warriors” that are battling Freddy. Taryn White, played by Jennifer Rubin, is a patient at Westin Hills Asylum and one of the teens facing Krueger. Taryn finds herself at the asylum after an attempted suicide due to her drug addiction. Unfortunately for her, Freddy uses the battle that she overcame against her. In her dream, Taryn transforms herself into a street fighter with switchblades. Freddy’s glove transforms from knives to needles and after an unfair fight, Taryn meets her demise, easily making it one of the cruelest deaths in the franchise.
4 Jennifer Caulfield — A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
Jennifer Caulfield, played by Penelope Sudrow, was at Westin Hills Asylum in Dream Warriors. Her dream was to be a Hollywood actress, and while at Westin Hills, she would sneak into the rec room to watch TV. On a night like so many others, Jennifer falls asleep, but this time is greeted by Freddy as he appears on a TV program. As she approaches the TV set, two robotic arms emerge from the sides and grab her. Shortly after, Freddy’s head pops out of the top of the set to then slam Jennifer’s head through the screen. Dream Warriors sets a different tone for the franchise, as it is the first film to really gloss on Freddy’s comedic side. According to Screen Rant, the iconic “Welcome to primetime” line that Krueger delivers right before killing Jennifer was completely improvised by Robert Englund.
3 Tina Gray — A Nightmare on Elm Street
Wes Craven set a tone with 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm Street, giving horror not only one of its most notable villains, but a beloved final girl whose legacy has withstood the test of time. Craven’s first film is by far the most gruesome and horrifying in the franchise, and sees Krueger as more of a menacing killer than a predator who likes to toy with his food. Tina Gray, played by Amanda Wyss, is Freddy’s first victim in both the film and the franchise as a whole. Due to a nightmare that she had the night before, Tina asks her friends and boyfriend to stay at her house while her mom isn’t home. However, nobody is able to save her from Freddy. As Tina is levitating off the bed, her boyfriend Rod (portrayed by Jsu Garcia) watches in horror until she eventually drops to the floor. Yet, Freddy isn’t finished with her just yet. He later uses an image of her in a body bag to lure Nancy (portrayed by Heather Langenkamp) into his boiler room.
2 Phillip Anderson — A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors holds a hefty stack of some of the best Krueger kills, and Phillip Anderson’s is one that can easily make you squirm. Phillip, played by Bradley Gregg, literally becomes Freddy’s puppet when his arms and legs get slashed open so that Freddy can use his tendons as strings. As Phillip walks to his demise, Freddy can be seen pulling the string from above. When ready, Freddy cuts the tendon bound strings and allows Phillip to fall from a window to his death, making it appear as though he jumped. Puppet master Freddy gets extra creative on this kill.
1 Glen Lantz — A Nightmare on Elm Street
New Line Cinema
Glen Lantz, played by Johnny Depp, goes home after seeing his girlfriend Nancy, only to fall asleep on his bed with the TV on his lap. Freddy’s arm emerges from below the mattress to pull Glen under, resulting in an absolute bloodbath. About 500 gallons of fake blood and an upside-down rotating room were involved in delivering one of the most memorable scenes on the franchise. Yet, it turns out that the Glen’s death was supposed to by longer, but Craven had to cut the scene due to its gruesome nature. Glen was supposed to re-emerge from the mattress covered in blood before falling limp on the bed making it all the more terrifying.
