Freddy Krueger remains one of horror's most recognizable and imaginative killers, the brainchild of A Nightmare on Elm Street together from a variety of different sources of inspiration, but the most surprising and discordantly funny of his influences is the smooth pop single "Dream Weaver", which was written and performed by soft rock auteur Gary Wright.
Wright's calming 1975 hit may evoke a dreamy, middle-of-the-night serenity, but the gratifying harmonies from Wright's rich, velvety vocals and synthesizers are a far cry away from the nightmarish dreamscapes of Wes Craven's slasher flick. However, the aesthetic conflict between Craven's inspiration and creation reveals how Freddy Krueger's image may have changed from spooky to silly over the course of franchise sequels, but the slasher started off as a viciously original horror icon.
Craven concocted the premise of A Nightmare on Elm Street from a combination of disparate real-life events and experiences. In one way, the film was based on a story he read in the L.A. Times about a Cambodian refugee who had fled the oppressive regime of the Khmer Rouge only to suffer from debilitating nightmares. Reportedly, the boy was so troubled by his dreams that he refused to fall asleep, and when he eventually did succumb to slumber, his parents heard him screaming and woke up to find him dead. On the other hand, Craven also based Freddy Krueger on his own personal experiences of getting harassed by a school bully named Fred Krueger.
Why Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" Inspired Wes Craven
The deadly night terrors of a traumatized boy and Wes Craven's childhood tormentor may seem like apt inspirations for a supernatural murderer, but the comfortingly cosmic chords and spiritual lyrics of Gary Wright's "Dream Weaver" certainly don't seem like the background tune to a killing spree. Nevertheless, Craven claims that the song acted as a sort of springboard for Craven to finish forming the concept behind his film. Although the song, inspired by yogi Paramhansa Yogananda's poem "God! God! God!", references the peaceful process of the mind "weaving" dreams in tune with a mystical force, Craven twisted and inverted the concept to a much more sinister effect. If Wright was talking about a benevolent God, Craven wanted to form a dream demon.
If this seems like a stretch to some, the opening and closing riffs provide harder evidence of the song's influence. Despite the uplifting chorus and the fun, spacey sheen of Wright's synthesizers, the bookending sections of the song sound ominous when recontextualized in Craven's foreboding, classic score. The transformation of a '70s hit tune to the iconic theme song of an '80s slasher provides an example of A Nightmare on Elm Street's inspired creativity that aided the film's longevity even past the unfortunate demise of the film's director.
