7 Nightmare on Elm Street Films Leave Netflix in Less Than 2 Weeks, Here Are All of Them Ranked
Rewatch them all while you can.
While many people would agree that streaming platforms' content rotation system does more good than harm, it's still upsetting to see your favorite movies and TV shows disappear forever to make way for something else. It hurts even more to say goodbye to an entire movie franchise, many of them beloved since childhood.
A Nightmare on Elm Street is definitely one of those movie franchises that could either make your childhood, or give you a lifetime of trauma from being scared to death by Freddy Krueger. Either way, the movies are worth revisiting in adulthood.
So if you're up for a horror marathon, you have just enough time to watch every single Nightmare on Elm Street film on Netflix before it disappears on July 1. And if you don't have enough time to watch them all, their Rotten Tomatoes scores might be just the nudge you need to make a decision.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) — 14%
A Nightmare on Elm Street was one of those movies that did not need a revival. As great as it is, the original slasher had raised fan expectations so high that it was practically impossible to live up to.
Trying to reinvent beloved characters and messing with the classic setup didn't do the project justice either. Instead of being seen as innovative, the movie ended up being a bad caricature of the classic, so it is only worth watching if you want to see something ridiculously bad.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) — 31%
Like many franchises, A Nightmare on Elm Street did not age well. The longer it went on, the less meaningful the movies became and the less value there was in the production.
Unfortunately, by the end, it felt like the movies were coming out not because there was a story to tell, but because there was a need to get as much money as possible from the fans. The fifth movie was almost as bad as an unnecessary revival.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1885) — 43%
The second movie in the franchise was unexpectedly worse than the first. After such a drop in ratings, it was surprising that the horror story continued at all. In retrospect, however, the movie wasn't nearly as bad as some made it out to be. So if you want to watch the whole franchise in order, go ahead.
And if you don't want to waste your time on a mediocre and predictable part of an overall good movie series, skip this one in favor of the rest.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) — 57%
Critics were split down the middle about this movie as soon as it was released. Some were happy to see another installment and thought it was just as exciting and dynamic as the rest, and others simply weren't impressed.
The slasher element of the movie became less and less as the comedic element took up more and more time. In the end, many began to think that Freddie was just not scary enough for the audience to really enjoy.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) — 67%
After the horrible flop of the second installment, it was the third film that allowed the franchise to keep going, for better or for worse. With primarily positive reviews, Dream Warriors was praised for leaning into the humorous side without pushing it too hard. A thing that the next movie simply failed to follow.
Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1997) — 79%
Wes Craven's New Nightmare may be one of the most innovative and surprising meta-horrors of its time. The movie starred director Wes Craven and actors Heather Langenkamp and Robert Englund as themselves caught up in the world of horrific fantasies.
Not surprisingly, Wes Craven's glorious comeback was critically acclaimed, but the movie has just as many haters who find the entire premise absurd.
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) — 95%
The first film that made Freddy Krueger one of, if not the most, terrifying creature in horror cinema. Released in 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street was made on a shoestring budget of $1.1 million, but went on to gross $57 million at the box office and become a worldwide success.
No matter how many times you re-watch it into adulthood, Freddy's presence never gets any less scary, which is why the movie still holds up to this day.