Nightmare on Elm Street Movies: 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.
There are 2 other watch orders available – see the links up above.

A Nightmare on Elm Street
When teenagers in a small town begin dying in their sleep, Nancy Thompson discovers they're being stalked by Fred Krueger, a burned child killer who attacks his victims through their dreams. Nancy must find a way to stop this supernatural menace before she becomes his next target.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge
Jesse Walsh moves into the former home of a Freddy Krueger survivor and finds himself tormented by nightmares and violent impulses as the dream-stalking killer attempts to possess him.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
A group of troubled teens in a psychiatric ward discover they share a common enemy in dream-stalking monster Freddy Krueger. Together, they must learn to harness their dream powers to fight back against the razor-gloved killer who hunts them in their sleep.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Freddy Krueger returns to terrorize the remaining Elm Street teenagers, but when Kristen passes her dream powers to her friend Alice, a new Dream Master emerges to battle the nightmare killer.

A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child
Alice discovers that Freddy Krueger has found a new way to terrorize victims by invading the dreams of her unborn child. The deadly dream killer continues his supernatural reign of terror through an unexpected new connection.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
In the sixth installment of the Nightmare on Elm Street series, psychologist Maggie Burroughs discovers she shares horrific nightmares with one of her patients. Their investigation leads them to the infamous house on Elm Street, where Freddy Krueger awaits to turn their nightmares into deadly reality.
Related Film Series
Other Film Series
Evil Dead
A horror franchise following the battle against ancient evil forces unleashed by the Necronomicon, spanning from Sam Raimi's original trilogy to modern entries.
Hellraiser
Supernatural body horror centered on a mysterious puzzle box and the sadomasochistic Cenobites led by Pinhead.
Prom Night
A horror franchise that blends slasher and supernatural elements around the prom night setting, featuring mostly standalone films with one connected supernatural subseries.
Sherlock Holmes
Feature films based on Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective, spanning multiple eras, actors, and interpretations across nearly a century of cinema.
The Prophecy
A supernatural horror series exploring angelic warfare and humanity's role in the celestial conflict between good and evil.
Underworld
A gothic action series following the centuries-old war between vampires and Lycans (werewolves), centered on vampire Death Dealer Selene.