A Surprising Connection Stranger Things 4 Has to Nightmare on Elm Street

Season 4's main villain Vecna resembles Freddy Krueger heavily – both in method and appearance. Krueger, the Elm Street films' badly burned antagonist, pursued vulnerable adolescents through their dreams, exploiting their fears and insecurities. As if that wasn't enough, the actor who played Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund, appears in season 4 as Victor Creel.

Englund as Creel

You'd be inclined to think that the casting of Englund as Creel was a clever idea from the show's casting director Carmen Cuba, or the Duffer brothers – but the truth is, it was neither! Robert Englund actually submitted an audition tape himself!

In an interview with Deadline, the Duffer brothers revealed how Englund didn't even realize just how much A Nightmare on Elm Street had influenced the series. In fact, the writers chose Nancy's name after Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) who appears in the first Elm Street film and then again in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.

In A Nightmare on Elm Street, Nancy is preyed on in his dreams by Krueger the serial killer, which also draws parallels to Stranger Things.

Easter Eggs and a nod to Freddy

Robert Englund appears in "Dear Billy," episode 4 as Vecna/One/Henry Creel's father Victor. When Nancy and Robin are investigating Hawkins' new murders, they visit Creel in Pennhurst Asylum. As they approach Creel's cell, there's also an Easter Egg to The Silence of the Lambs, in which Clarice walks towards Lecter's cell in a similar display.

Shawn Levy, the executive producer of Stranger Things, added an extra nod to Freddy Krueger when we first see Creel. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Levy said:

"Let's take some kind of tool and grind away at the top of the table in Victor Creel's cell, and I'm going to open on a shot of his fingers just scratching the surface of the table as a little bit extra Freddy nod."

Though we later discover Creel to be innocent of the brutal murders of his family, he's still presented as a horrifying character. At one time while incarcerated, Creel attempted suicide in order to join his murdered family. He stabbed his eyes with razor blades, which left him blind but very much still alive.

After the events that led to his imprisonment (we later find out that Creel's son/one/Vecna was responsible for the deaths), Victor Creel became a feared, infamous figure in Hawkins' history. He became a sort of "bogeyman" that many Hawkins residents feared, including Eddie's uncle, Wayne Munson.

Kids doing it alone

Until season 4 at least, Stranger Things hasn't killed off any of its core characters. However, the kids are still put in danger and, like the heroes in A Nightmare on Elm Street, they have little adult support.

And this, much more than Krueger-esque Vecna, is one of the biggest Elm Street influences on the series. These kids are navigating the dangers of Hawkins and the Upside Down alone. Though Joyce and Hopper have previously been allies, this time they're abducted in Russia and unaware of anything untoward.

It's not just the scenes, themes, and characters that make reference to the Nightmare series, the Stranger Things score also tips its hat to the movie, especially with its minor chords and eerie music in Vecna's appearances.

Hawkins Vs Springwood

If Vecna is Krueger then Hawkins could quite easily be Springwood, the town where the Elm Street movies are set. Springwood represented any small, pleasant suburban town – just like Hawkins. Like Springwood, Hawkins has a dark history that includes a dream-crashing, child-murdering villain. In Elm Street, it's the parents of Springwood that burn Krueger to death in an act of vengeance.

Though things in Hawkins aren't that dark (yet?), Stranger Things is just about dark enough for an audience to take a liking to the characters who never fail to save the town from evil.

The repeated run-ins with the Upside Down do suggest that something could be wrong in the town – much like there was in Springwood. There's the lazy press, a corrupt mayor, and a drunk chief of police.

What's more, the 1980s memory of idyllic middle America is completely debunked – we see the humble trailer parks, the problematic Satanic Panic, and the American malls that stripped the likes of Hawkins of their business.

Finally, as much as everyone looks back at the 1980s with rose-tinted spectacles, Stranger Things season 4 shows us there were absent parents and abusive parents among all of the iconic movies, music, and fashion too.

The penultimate season of Stranger Things certainly opens up more surprises to viewers. The more you look into the show, it's clear to see that the Duffer brothers have thought of everything. It's no coincidence that we see similar scenes in A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Silence of the Lambs, and other horror films as Easter Eggs – we can't wait to see what season 5 has in store!