Wes Craven’s 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street became an instant classic- not particularly because of the cerebral plot or the sublime acting, but because of the terrifying villain Freddy Krueger. Not only is he a killer, but we are all vulnerable to the monster because we all sleep -although after watching the movie, we tend to stay awake for as long as possible. Even if you’ve seen Elm Street quite a few times in the past thirty years, there are some behind-the-scenes trivia you might not know, like
2. The movie was inspired by real-life events.
Craven decided to make A Nightmare on Elm Street after reading a series of L.A. Times articles about a group of teenage Khmer immigrants who, after moving to the U.S. from refugee camps, died in their sleep after suffering from disturbing nightmares.
4. Freddy’s sweater is scientifically scary.
Craven designed Freddy’s striped sweater after reading in Scientific American that the human eye has difficulty recognizing those particular shades of red and green side by side. Therefore, looking at it is subliminally unsettling.
Relive the glorious memories of the first time you met Freddy Krueger while reading the rest of this trivia list at mental_floss.