A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise) released in 2010, and a second remake is planned. The original film, written and directed by Wes Craven and titled "A Nightmare on Elm Street", was released in 1984. The story focuses on Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) attacking Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends in their dreams, successfully killing all but Nancy, in fictional Springwood, Ohio. Krueger's back-story is revealed by Nancy's mother, Marge, who explains he was a child murderer. The parents of Springwood killed Krueger after he was acquitted on a technicality. Nancy defeats Freddy by pulling him from the dream world and stripping him of his
A Nightmare on Elm Street was unable to pay its cast and crew. Although New Line has gone on to make bigger and more profitable films, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was its first commercial success and the studio is often referred to as "The House That Freddy Built". Actor David Warner was originally cast to play Freddy. Make-up tests were done, but he had to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Replacing him was difficult at first. "I couldn't find an actor to play Freddy Krueger with the sense of ferocity I was seeking," Craven recalled on the film's 30th anniversary. "Everyone was too