40 years ago, slashers took a terrifying turn, when Wes Craven suggested that we could not only be haunted by our nightmares, but also die from the creatures within them.

Craven's creation of Freddy Krueger stemmed from a haunting childhood memory that inspired the character - called Fred Krueger in this movie only - and the true unexplained deaths of Cambodian immigrants who randomly died in their sleep. While cinema was becoming saturated with cheap, clichéd knock-offs after Halloween and Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street would successfully reinvent the genre; blending supernatural slasher horror with innovative visual effects on a low budget.

Despite initial rejections from major studios, New Line Cinema took a chance on this unique horror concept, leading to huge success for the fledgling independent production company, and Robert Englund's portrayal of Freddy Krueger would become one of horror's most iconic villains, and make Englund synonymous with the character across the franchise.

But don't pour blood-coloured water on live electrics...

I would love to hear your thoughts on A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) !

Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! I won the Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards recently. I am beyond thrilled, and hugely grateful to the Ear Worthy team. It means so much to me to be recognised by a fellow indie outlet, and congratulations to all the other winners!

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ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA

Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio

Patrons: Sade, Claudia, Simon, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Jack, Dave, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip M, Michele, Xenos, Sean, Ryno, Philip K, Adam and Elaine

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