Langenkamp became aware of auditions for a horror film known as "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984) in the winter of 1983. Casting director Annette Benson was familiar to Langenkamp as she had brought her in to read for the lead role in "Night of the Comet" (1984) although the part ultimately went to Catherine Mary Stewart. She auditioned for the highly sought after role of fifteen-year-old heroine Nancy. There were not enough chairs to accommodate the number of actresses auditioning. Her reading impressed both Benson and director Wes Craven enough that she was called back to read with another actress auditioning, Amanda Wyss.