Summary

• A Nightmare on Elm Street's ending is confusing because it breaks the rules established in the film, with Freddy Krueger gaining powers in the real world that he shouldn't have.
• Nancy's request for her loved ones to be alive in the final scene is only fulfilled in the dream realm, and there are several clues that indicate the scene is a dream.
• The original ending of the film had Nancy walking into a fog without Krueger, but a different ending was chosen that led to the nonsensical, visually flashy conclusion.

Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends, who eventually learn who their tormentor is and why he's going after them.

Given Freddy Krueger’s unique modus operandi, A Nightmare on Elm Street established a couple of rules about the dream realm, its connection to the real world, and who can cross over from one realm to the other. However, A Nightmare on Elm Street seemed to forget about most of these and its ending, although shocking, doesn’t actually make sense. Still, A Nightmare on Elm Street spawned a franchise with seven sequels, a crossover with Friday the 13th, and a remake, but in order to better understand them, it’s important to break down the ending of the first movie.

Is Nightmare On Elm Street's Final Scene Real Or A Dream?

There are two moments in A Nightmare on Elm Street that are key in Nancy figuring out how she can fight and possibly defeat Freddy Krueger. First, Nancy was taken by her mother, Marge, to a sleep clinic, where she was attacked by Krueger while her sleep was being monitored. Nancy was able to pull Krueger’s hat out of her dream and bring it to the real world, which gave her the idea of pulling him to the real world to kill him. The other key moment happened shortly after, during a conversation with Glen (Johnny Depp), where he told her that, in another culture, people turn their backs on nightmares to take back their power.

Nancy applied both in the climax of A Nightmare on Elm Street, but when she claimed her energy back from Krueger, she also made a request: that her mother and friends would still be alive. Nancy then opened the door and found herself stepping outside, on a bright day that slowly started to get foggy. Marge also stepped out and told Nancy she had decided to stop drinking, and then Glen arrived in his car with Tina and Rod. Nancy’s request was fulfilled, but it all soon turned strange when the car was possessed by Krueger and drove them away, while Marge was pulled back into the house by Krueger.

Nancy’s request was granted, but only in the dream realm. There are different clues in this scene that show that it was a dream, such as the fog and the way Marge spoke to Nancy. The girls jumping the rope while singing the famous “Freddy Krueger song” are also proof of this scene being a dream, but exactly when the dream began and if Nancy was ever able to pull Krueger out of the nightmare are unclear.

Did Nancy Really Defeat Freddy Krueger?

If the ending of A Nightmare on Elm Street was a dream, then Nancy never actually defeated Krueger. After she pulled his hat from the dream into the real world, Nancy set up various booby traps all over her house so she could trap Krueger and kill him. The traps were effective as Nancy managed to light Krueger on fire and lock him in the basement, but when her father, Donald, and the rest of the police arrived, it was revealed Krueger escaped from the basement and went straight into Marge’s room to kill her – after all, he was looking for revenge against the parents that killed him.

Even when Nancy called her power back and Krueger evaporated behind her, she still wasn’t able to defeat him, as what followed was a cruel nightmare in which Nancy was tricked into believing she was back in the real world and her loved ones were alive again. Of course, this made way for a series of sequels, but made the first movie very confusing.

Freddy Krueger's Backstory & Motivations Explained

Freddy Krueger’s backstory was expanded in the sequels, but A Nightmare on Elm Street explained the basics of it. After Nancy pulled the hat from her dream and saw the name on it, Marge had no other choice than to explain to her who Fred Krueger was and how he was linked to them, her friends, and others. Fred Krueger was a child murderer who killed 20 children, but because the arrest warrant was signed in the wrong place, and as the judge was drunk at the time of the proceeding, Krueger was released.

Seeking justice, the parents formed a mob, and when Krueger was in his cabin, they doused it with gasoline and set it on fire, burning Krueger alive. Krueger’s body died but his spirit lived on within the dreams of the children of those who killed him, who he tormented there as in their dreams they couldn’t be protected by their parents. Krueger’s revenge was all about the parents who killed him rather than the teenagers themselves, whom he used to cause the parents pain. This changed as the franchise evolved and Krueger met more and more antagonists who were up to fight him in the dream and real worlds.

The Real Meaning Of Freddy Krueger's Song

One of the creepiest elements in A Nightmare on Elm Street is the Freddy Krueger nursery rhyme sung by a group of young girls playing jump rope. These girls appear at the beginning of A Nightmare on Elm Street, right after Tina’s nightmare, and again in the final scene of the movie, right after Marge is pulled back into the house by Krueger. The A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise hasn’t explained who these girls are and why they sing this specific song, but it’s widely accepted that they are some of Krueger’s victims. The song serves as a sort of omen of Krueger’s arrival, as well as a visual and musical hint of when the characters are in a dream.

Wes Craven’s Original Ending Explained

The confusing ending of A Nightmare on Elm Street wasn’t always meant to be like that. Speaking to CineFantastique, Wes Craven explained that the ending he wrote saw Nancy coming out the front door, with her mother and friends still alive, and there would have been “a tremendous fog”. Nancy was simply meant to walk off into the mist, with no signs of Krueger.

However, producer Robert Shaye wanted Krueger to be the one driving Glen’s car, but Craven didn’t like the idea. In the end, they came up with different endings with Krueger involved, and that’s how A Nightmare on Elm Street went from having a slightly happier (yet still potentially confusing) ending to a nonsensical one with ridiculous visual effects.

How Nightmare On Elm Street's Sequels Handle The Original Movie's Ending

The final ending of A Nightmare on Elm Street allowed the franchise to grow, showing that Freddy Krueger can be temporarily defeated but will always find a way to come back. The sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, avoided having to address whether the ending of the first movie was real or not by moving away from Nancy and focusing on new characters, and she was believed to have lost her mind after witnessing her boyfriend’s murder. This makes sense when ing the ending of A Nightmare on Elm Street was a dream, but the franchise took a turn in the third movie.

A new adult Nancy returned in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and she was revealed to be studying psychology and taking medication to suppress dreams. Nancy ended up helping Krueger’s new targets fight him in the dream realm, but she was ultimately killed by Krueger.

Why A Nightmare on Elm Street's Ending Makes No Sense

The ending of A Nightmare on Elm Street is nonsensical mostly because Freddy Krueger isn't supposed to have his dream powers in the real world. Krueger goes from being vulnerable enough to be affected by the booby traps and being burned alive by Nancy to reemerging from Marge's bed to try to attack Nancy, which he shouldn't be able to do. These details are what make it hard to pinpoint where reality stopped and the final nightmare ended, making the ending confusing.

A Nightmare on Elm Street's ending repeatedly violates the rule that Krueger is only supernaturally powerful in the dream world, then has Nancy defeat him, only for him to somehow win anyway. Nancy's return in Dream Warriors doesn't clear much up on that front, as no explanation is given as to how she survived riding away in the Krueger car or if that part was even real. Although Wes Craven's original ending would have also raised some questions, they would have been way easier to answer in sequels than what happened with the final ending.

Source: CineFantastique.