A Nightmare on Elm Street A Nightmare on Elm Street A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven, and produced by Robert Shaye. It stars Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp in his film debut. The plot focuses on four teenagers, living on one street in a fictitious town of Ohio, whose dreams are invaded by a burnt killer with a bladed glove. In the dreams, the teenagers are killed, but they also die in reality. The teenagers do not understand the cause of this strange phenomenon,
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