Freddy Krueger.
A child of the Eighties. Freddy was played by Robert Englund first in the movie A Nightmare on Elm Street. A monster in the true sense of the word, who preyed on children before meeting a fiery death, returned from beyond to stalk a new generation in their dreams. Wes Craven’s creation has earned a place in the Monster 50.
The original film is still an often times brutal and wicked little horror film. Subsequent endeavors met with varying degrees of success. My personal favorites are Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. The latter being a precursor to Craven’s later Scream series, the former a fun premise where the prey fight back in their own dreams.
The iconic glove that Freddy wears, with the razor blade fingers, gives this monster an edge in more ways than one. As memorable as the bolts on the Frankenstein monster’s neck, or the mask of the Phantom of the Opera. I believe that it is a great part of the reason why Freddy has endured. That, and the wonderful premise that if you fall asleep, Freddy will kill you. You can only stay awake for so long, before your body must succumb. It is inevitable.
The fedora and striped sweater complete Freddy’s costume. It all adds up to a monster with some flair.
Unlike some of the monsters on this list, Freddy is one that we love to see get his just end. A monster we love to root against, yet can’t help but fall prey to his great design and construction.
The greatest contribution Freddy has given to us is, in my opinion, the awesome Eighties Dokken song Dream Warriors.
Brandon Jimison 