For more than 40 years, Freddy Krueger has been haunting the dreams of Elm Street teens, but some nightmares are worse than others. Across six mainline installments, a spin-off, a crossover and a remake, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” has certainly left its claw marks on the horror genre.

I’ve seen every installment in the franchise, from the legendary original to the churned-out sequels that saw the once fear-inducing Freddy become more of a comical figure (Krueger even had a brief career as a rap artist in the late ‘80s. Yes, really). Despite its many lows over the years, I still have a fondness for this franchise. After all, it was my gateway into the slasher subgenre.

With Halloween 2026 approaching, it’s the perfect time to stock your seasonal watchlist with some great horror movies. So if you’re looking to take a trip to Springwood this spooky season, here are all nine “A Nightmare on Elm Street” movies ranked from worst to best.

“They saved the best for last,” reads the poster, a statement so patently untrue it's basically false advertising. By the 6th mainline installment in the “Elm Street” franchise, Freddy was running on fumes. Any scariness had long been washed away by campy comedy and a desire to make kills more elaborate to the point of them becoming nonsensical. Freddy was always a cartoonish evil villain, but “The Final Nightmare” plays out like a literal cartoon.

“Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare” also marked New Line Cinema’s first 3D theatrical release, but this was the ‘90s, so we’re not talking “Avatar” quality 3D; no, Freddy’s finale was presented in the old-school red-and-blue kind.

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