Freddy Krueger

He kills in dreams to cause death in reality.

via Wikipedia: Freddy Krueger · see source

Freddy Krueger is the malevolent spirit and primary antagonist of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, created by Wes Craven. He debuted in the 1984 film as a child killer who was burned to death by his victims' parents after evading prison due to an unsigned search warrant. In the dream world, he is a powerful, seemingly invulnerable force who murders victims there to cause their deaths in reality. However, when pulled into the real world, he possesses normal human vulnerabilities and can be destroyed. He is instantly recognizable by his burned face, dirty red-and-green-striped sweater, brown fedora, and a trademark metal-clawed glove he welded himself.

Quick Facts

Series

A Nightmare on Elm Street

First

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Creator

Wes Craven

Portrayed by

Robert Englund
Michael Bailey Smith
Chase Schrimer
Tobe Sexton
Jackie Earle Haley

Also known as

The Springwood Slasher; The Dream Demon

Lore & Background

Fred Krueger was originally a serial child killer from Springwood, Ohio, who crafted his bladed glove in the boiler room where he took twenty victims. After being released on a technicality, he was hunted by vengeful parents and burned alive in that same boiler room. His spirit survived within the dreams of the mob's children, fueled by the town's fear. In A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, it is revealed his mother, Amanda Krueger, was raped by a hundred insane criminals while locked in an asylum, earning Freddy the nickname "the bastard son of a hundred maniacs." He gains strength from the souls he kills. In Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, backstory shows he was abused as a child by Mr. Underwood (Alice Cooper), killed his wife Loretta, and had a daughter named Katherine/Maggie who eventually kills him.

Reader's Guide

Freddy's primary weakness is his vulnerability when pulled from dreams into the real world, where he can be destroyed like a normal human. In A Nightmare on Elm Street, Nancy Thompson defeated him by pulling him into reality and denying him power through belief. In the 2010 reboot, Jackie Earle Haley portrayed Freddy as an undead groundskeeper who abused children; his power came from prey's memories of that abuse. He was destroyed when Nancy Holbrook pulled his spirit into the physical world and cut his throat. His signature weapon is a glove made of blades welded by Krueger himself in the original timeline, or discarded gardening tools in the reboot. He has battled recurring survivors including Nancy Thompson, Jesse Walsh, Kristen Parker, Alice Johnson, and Lori Campbell.

Did You Know?

Freddy's nickname "the bastard son of a hundred maniacs" comes from his mother being raped by 100 criminals in an asylum.
The character was ranked 40th on the American Film Institute's "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains" list.
In Freddy vs. Jason, a planned sequel featuring Ash Williams from Evil Dead was turned into a Dynamite Entertainment comic book series instead of a film.
The 2010 reboot portrays Freddy as a groundskeeper accused of molesting students, with his glove made from discarded gardening tools.
Robert Englund portrayed Freddy in the original film series and the television spin-off Freddy's Nightmares, which ran for 44 episodes.