Synopsis
A teenage boy is haunted in his dreams by deceased child murderer Freddy Krueger, who is out to possess him in order to continue his reign of terror in the real world.
Scores
Overall Score
80.3
Popularity Percentile (Year)
96.5%
Box Office Percentile (Year)
81.3%
Review Aggregate
42.1
Critic Consensus
Critic reception is mixed, with 44% of 27 logged reviews marked Fresh. Across reviews, critics repeatedly emphasize dark, character-driven, visually striking. Common reservations focus on execution consistency, even when reviewers praise standout elements.
darkcharacter-drivenvisually strikingmacabrefunnyscarycoming of age
Cast
| Cast | Year | Reported Salary | Inflation Adjusted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Patton | 1985 | $156,000 | $456,000 | (est) |
| Kim Myers | 1985 | $96,000 | $281,000 | (est) |
| Robert Rusler | 1985 | $73,000 | $211,000 | (est) |
| Clu Gulager | 1985 | $59,000 | $173,000 | (est) |
| Hope Lange | 1985 | $51,000 | $148,000 | (est) |
| Robert Englund | 1985 | $45,000 | $130,000 | (est) |
Aggregated Reviews
Rotten Tomatoes critic score42.0
RT critic review count31
Rotten Tomatoes audience score33.0
RT audience rating count250,000
IMDb rating5.5
IMDb votes83,026
Box Office ?
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 1985 | $29,999,213 | $87,460,531 |
| International | 1985 | N/A | N/A |
| Worldwide | 1985 | $29,999,213 | $87,460,531 |
Earnings / Profitability
| Category | Year | Reported | Inflation Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | |||
| Theatrical Net Revenue | 1985 | $14,999,606 | $43,730,265 |
| Digital Rentals ? | 1985 | N/A | N/A |
| Digital Purchases ? | 1985 | N/A | N/A |
| Physical Rentals ? | 1985 | $23,080,000 | $67,288,067 |
| Physical Purchases ? | 1985 | $10,152,000 | $29,597,420 |
| TV & Streaming Revenue | 1985 | $7,499,803 | $21,865,133 |
| Total Revenues | 1985 | $55,731,410 | $162,480,885 |
| Expenses | |||
| Budget ? | 1985 | $3,000,000 | $8,746,283 |
| Print & Advertising (P&A) ? | 1985 | $3,750,000 (est) | $10,932,853 (est) |
| Participations | 1985 | $4,459,000 | $12,999,891 |
| Residuals ? | 1985 | $2,810,000 | $8,192,351 |
| Interest & Overhead | 1985 | $600,000 | $1,749,257 |
| Total Expenses | 1985 | $14,619,000 | $42,620,635 |
| Movie Net Profit or Loss | 1985 | $41,112,410 | $119,860,250 |
Similar Movies
| Poster | Movie | Year | Match | Overall | Est. Profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 1987 | Shared franchise (1) | 87.1 | $59,823,916 |
 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | 1984 | Shared franchise (1) | 86.5 | $33,675,385 |
 | A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master | 1988 | Shared franchise (1) | 83.4 | $65,062,424 |
 | Freddy vs. Jason | 2003 | Shared franchise (1) | 82.3 | $61,328,980 |
 | New Nightmare | 1994 | Shared franchise (1) | 75.6 | $53,697,358 |