Contains descriptions of violent and sexual content.
Like any major horror franchise worth its salt,A Nightmare on Elm Streethas inspired a whole host of other movies, for better or for worse. Ever since the release of the first film to feature the dream-invading Freddy Krueger in 1984, the slasher genre was never the same, with an all-new breed of smack-talking supernatural horror villain now prowling theaters. The success ofall nineNightmare on Elm Streetmoviescame amid a wave of imitators taking heavy inspiration from the original film.
Movies that take ideas fromA Nightmare on Elm Streetvary wildly in their obviousness.Some of them recycle a similar concept of an astrally-projecting or nightmare-causingslasher villain like Freddy Krueger, or even simply the very theme of a dream and sleep-oriented horror story. Other times, the influence is less than a variation on a theme and more of a blatant copy, with motifs as specific as Freddy Krueger’s signature fedora, melted face, or bladed glove being ripped off.
Hitting all the same narrative beats ofA Nightmare on Elm Street,Bad Dreamsis among the earliest of the films to imitate Wes Craven’s success with the insidious tale of Freddy Krueger’s revenge. The movie tells the story of the sole survivor of a New Age 70s cult, whose leader and membership willingly burned themselves alive in a mass ritual sacrifice.It’s not long before the film’s hapless protagonist is hounded by nightmares of the cult’s supposedly-dead leader, who seems to be somehow picking off the residents of the mental facility she’s staying at one at a time.
15 Great Horror Movies That Were Never Released In Theaters
From old direct-to-VHS releases to straight-to-streaming movies, some genuinely incredible horror films never received a theatrical release.
Interestingly,Bad Dreamsis very specifically an homage toA Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors,right down to the hippie mysticism and the setting of a psychiatric hospital. The film’s absurdity with its kills gradually escalates toA Nightmare on Elm Streetlevels as well, with one particular death featuring a torrent of blood cascading from air vents emulating the infamous bed scene of the first movie. For what it is,Bad Dreamsis a fairly tired recitation of ideas that were better executed elsewhere.
A decidedly bleak recitation ofA NIghtmare on Elm Street, Night Killerbears some undeniable similarities to the iconic slasher film while injecting its own dour sense of creativity.An Italian horror movie from Claudio Fragrasso, the film was hilariously billed in its home country as being a part oftheTexas Chainsaw Massacreseries, despite having zero connections to Leatherface or his ilk. The plot follows the lone survivor of a deranged serial killer and sexual predator, unable to recall her attacker’s face due to suppressive trauma.
Light on the supernatural elements,Night Killerdoesn’t at first seem all that derivative ofA Nightmare on Elm Street. However, one look at the titular murderer’s weapon and mask of choice instantly disproves this notion, with the villain touting a melted face and monstrous single clawed-gauntlet to terrorize his victims with.Despite this,Night Killeris weirdly compelling, existing at a strange intersection of ironically-enjoyable goofy rip-off and genuinely astounding morose horror.
Taking the supernatural trappings ofA Nightmare on Elm Streeteven further into the realm of fantasy,Wishmasterhas an utterly unique claim to fame as a horror movie featuring genies as the driving villains.Specifically, the film centers around the Djinn, real entities from Arabic folklore, with one in particular being freed from his opal prison after a series of coincidental events. It’s up to an ordinary jewel apprasier to stop the Djinn’s rampage before he can construct a portal that allows his brethren to invade the Earth.
The particular rules of the Djinn’s twisted wish-granting inWishmasteremulate the complicated paradigm of Freddy Krueger’s reality-warping somnambulist powers, evokingA NIghtmare on Elm Streetdespite having a very distinct plot. It doesn’t help that Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, appears in the film as the wealthy scion Raymond Beaumont. With Wes Craven as an executive producer,Wishmastercaptures the same particular brand of horror asA Nightmare on Elm Streetwhile remaining quite original.
A Bollywood take onA Nightmare on Elm Street, Mahakaalmanages to hit every beat from such a description anyone familiar with Indian-made copycat features might expect.Also billed more elaborately asMahakaal: The Monster,the Hindi-language horror film follows the same plot of the original Wes Craven flick almost beat-for-beat.
A young girl is plagued by visions of a claw-wielding murderer in her dreams, only to find out the mysterious Shakaal, the film’s version of Freddy Krueger, is a very real threat.
It’s almost impressive just how succinctlyMahakaalrips offA Nightmare on Elm Street,from the near-identical villain to the narrative beats to even one-to-one recreations of famous murder scenes, with some being lifted from later Freddy Krueger sequels likeA Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.Of course,breaking up the flagrant copyright violations are the traditional trappings of theBollywood horror subgenre,including martial arts scenes, a hilarious comic relief character, and plenty of songs.
With its very title being the same as Freddy Krueger’s otherworldly patrons, the clawmarks ofA Nightmare on Elm Streetare all over 1988’sDream Demon.The British interpretation of Wes Craven’s classic tracks a soon-to-be-wed wealthy scion Diana, as she moves into her new London flat within a sprawling, mysterious manor. It isn’t long before she starts experiencing vivid nightmares that twist her beloved fiancé Oliver into a sadistic torturer, prompting Diana to join forces with Jenny, a London punk with some connection to the eerie house.
Dream Demonassaults the senses with an otherwordly blend of terror that evokesA NIghtmare on Elm Street,peppering in dashes ofHellraiserand David Lynch, as well.The nightmare-oriented premise undeniably owes inspiration to Freddy Krueger, with the film’s enjoyably evil dream sequences evoking the same mixture of disgust and endearment.With some excellent special effects, a solid leading duo, and a fascinating dissection of the haunting nature of trauma,Dream Demonis shockingly provoking for its heavily-borrowed initial concept.
It’s hard to say that 1989’sShockerlifted directly fromA Nightmare on Elm Streetconsidering its status as another movie by Wes Craven, horror visionary and creator of the Freddy Krueger mythos. For every popular franchise he started, there are severallesser-known Wes Craven moviesfilling out the ranks of his filmography. Among them sitsShocker,which is a clear variation on the same themes ofA Nightmare on Elm Street.The story centers on a serial killer who is sentenced to die via the electric chair, only to come back to haunt his killers as an electrified ghost.
Other than being centered on a murderous entity borne from a real-life serial killer,Shockermay seem largely untouched by the influence ofA Nightmare on Elm Streetat first glance. However, the protagonist, Jonathan, has a special connection in his dreams to the high-voltage ghost as the villainous Pinker’s long-lost son.Beyond the similar imagery of these nightmare sequences, Pinker’s limitations as a being made of pure lightning bear some similarities to Freddy Krueger’s own woes as a dream-bound entity.
Nothing provokes the terror ofA Nightmare on Elm Streetbetter than a single, memorable supernatural antagonist, and 1995’sSleepstalkernails this aspect with flying colors.Reaching across the horror aisle to grab a few ingredients fromChild’s Playas well,Sleepstalker’s villain is the bloodthirsty serial killer known as “The Sandman”, who partakes in a voodoo ritual on the eve of his execution to live on as a shifting silicate monster. To complete the ritual, The Sandman seeks the blood of his estranged little brother, Griffin.
For as creative as its villain is,Sleepstalkerstill unambigously borrows fromA Nightmare on Elm Street,with The Sandman’s face makeup feeling like a variation on that of Freddy Krueger’s.The Sandman’s sense of humor and penchant for singing creepy lullabies further identifies him with the more famous dream-bound killer. It’s a shame his film’s laughable CGI can’t stand the test of time as well as the practical effects ofA Nightmare on Elm Street.
While quite similar toA Nightmare on Elm Streetin practice,Dreamaniacat least puts some psycho-sexual twists on the typical formula of the lauded horror franchise.The plot revolves around a heavy-metal lyricist who, in the wake of an upcoming sexually-opportune sorority party, summons a satanic succubus to help make him supernaturally irresistible to the ladies. The catch? The demon plans to feed on each partner the musician manages to charm.
Sprinkling in a hefty dose of eroticism into the typical horror formula,Dreamaniacis unsurprisingly the first not (entirely) pornographic film from director David DeCoteau.As a result,Dreamaniacwatches like an adult parody ofA Nightmare on Elm Streetwith some notably cheaper production value, imitating the same visual grime and art stylings of its predecessor. The film is also an early example of a queer-coded horror movie, not unlike theLGBTQ+ themes of Freddy Krueger’s second movie appearance.
Indonesia has long cemented itself as an international hotspot for horror movies, so it’s no wonder that the country would end up producing its own take onA Nightmare on Elm Street.Interestingly, this film’s replacement for Freddy Krueger is a vengeful Dutch ghost, sprinkling in touches ofThe ExorcistandPoltergeiston top of the already clear influence ofA Nightmare on Elm Street.Of all the films to “borrow” from Wes Craven’s classic,Satan’s Bedhas perhaps the fewest original ideas.
Satan’s Bedrecreates every iconic moment of the originalA Nightmare on Elm Streetwith little deviation, such as Freddy slowly pushing his face through a wall or breaching the surface of a bubble-bath claw-first.
Of course,the central villain haunting the narrative ofSatan’s Bedhas a disfigured face and wields a claw with bladed fingertips, but he does at least have some partners in crime, including a spectral ghost wife.Still,Satan’s Bedrecreates every iconic moment of the originalA Nightmare on Elm Streetwith little deviation, such as Freddy slowly pushing his face through a wall or breaching the surface of a bubble-bath claw-first. Factor in the cheap production value, andSatan’s Bedremains a suitable film for completionists only.
Smashing together the influences ofA NIghtmare on Elm Streetandthe Hellraiser movies,Hellmasteris an overlooked early 90s horror offering that doesn’t quite master the sensibilities of either.On paper, the premise seems quite original, following a mad scientist of a college professor who toys with twisted experiments, turning helpless students into horrific killer mutants. In practice, however, the film’sA Nightmare on Elm Streetaffiliations become quite obvious.
For one, actor John Saxon,A Nightmare on Elm Street’s own Lieutenant Don Thompson, stars as the central antagonist, chewing the cheap scenery as the nihilistic Professor Jones. Jones is also the paranormal survivor of a mob-justice arson case, returning twenty years later after being supposedly burned alive. Most of all, it’sHellmaster’s wacky, played up practical effects that bring to mind the imagery ofA Nightmare on Elm Street,not to mention the presence of a psychic character that brings to mind the subconscious battles of Nancy Thompson.
