Character Analysis

Freddy Krueger

Character background

Freddy Krueger is an iconic horror character originally from the film ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ (1984). Krueger is a mass murderer whose location is in Springwood, Ohio. After being discovered as a child killer and escaping prosecution, a group of angry parents corner him in a boiler room where he used to take his victims, douse him in gasoline and set the building on fire. Although his physical body dies, Freddy remains in the dreams of a group of local teenagers, and he enters their dreams and kills them.

The thing that makes this character scary is that Freddy has the power to invade people’s dreams and once he kills them in their dreams, he also causes their death in the real world. This is frightening because everybody has to sleep at some point, and there’s an overwhelming sense of vulnerability and powerlessness. Freddy’s victims are also very young, which makes him seem worse.

Film background

‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ was directed by Wes Craven who also directed the entire ‘Scream’ series, and also ‘The Hills Have Eyes’, ‘The Last House on the Left’ and ‘Cursed’ to name a few.

Appearances

Film

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)     

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)     

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)               

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)  

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)               

Freddy vs. Jason (2003)      

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)     

Television

Freddy’s Nightmares (1998-1990)

Other

Nintendo video game- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1989)

Freddy also appears in several spinoff comic books, and is parodied in popular television shows and was even mentioned in a Lil Wayne song in 2009. This shows how timeless and iconic Freddy Krueger really is.