In a contemporary review, Kim Newman wrote in the "Monthly Film Bulletin" that "A Nightmare on Elm Street" was closer to a Stephen King adaptation with its small-town setting, and "invented monster myth". Newman concluded that the film found "Craven emerging from the his recent career slump ("Swamp Thing", "The Hills Have Eyes Part 2", "Invitation to Hell") with a fine, perhaps definitive bogeyman to back him up" and that the film was "a superior example of an over-worked genre". Paul Attanasio of "The Washington Post" praised the film, stating that "for such a low-budget movie, "Nightmare on Elm Street" is extraordinarily polished. The script is consistently witty, the camera work (by cinematographer Jacques Haitkin) is crisp and expressive." The review noted that "the genre has built-in limitations... but Craven faces the challenge admirably; "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is halfway between an exploitation flick and classic surrealism". The review also commented on Freddy Krueger, calling him "the most chilling figure in the genre since 'The Shape' made his debut in "Halloween"." "Variety" commented that the film was "a highly imaginative horror film", praising the special effects while finding that the film "fails to tie up his thematic threads satisfyingly at the conclusion."