Nightmare on Elm Street - Watch Order: Core Saga
The core Freddy Krueger saga encompasses six films that tell the complete story of the Springwood Slasher's reign of terror. Beginning with his introduction and ending with his supposed final defeat, this watch order excludes the later meta-commentary and crossover films.
This represents the traditional Elm Street experience, following Freddy's evolution from terrifying nightmare stalker to the more comedic horror icon of the later sequels. These six films form the canonical Freddy mythology before the franchise expanded into different territories.

A Nightmare on Elm Street
Teenagers in a small town are dropping like flies, apparently in the grip of mass hysteria causing their suicides. A cop's daughter, Nancy Thompson, traces the cause to child molester Fred Krueger, who was burned alive by angry parents many years before. Krueger has now come back in the dreams of his killers' children, claiming their lives as his revenge. Nancy and her boyfriend, Glen, must devise a plan to lure the monster out of the realm of nightmares and into the real world...

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge
Jesse Walsh moves with his family into the home of the lone survivor from a series of attacks by dream-stalking monster, Freddy Krueger. There, he is bedeviled by nightmares and inexplicably violent impulses.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
During a hallucinatory incident, Kristen Parker has her wrists slashed by dream-stalking monster, Freddy Krueger. Her mother, mistaking the wounds for a suicide attempt, sends her to a psychiatric ward, where she joins a group of similarly troubled teens.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Freddy Krueger is resurrected from his apparent demise, and rapidly tracks down and kills the remainder of the Elm Street kids. However, Kristen, who can draw others into her dreams, wills her special ability to her new friend, Alice.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child
Alice finds the deadly dreams of Freddy Krueger starting once again. This time, the taunting murderer is striking through the sleeping mind of her unborn child.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
Just when you thought it was safe to sleep, Freddy Krueger returns in this sixth installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street films, as psychologist Maggie Burroughs, tormented by recurring nightmares, meets a patient with the same horrific dreams. Their quest for answers leads to a certain house on Elm Street -- where the nightmares become reality.
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