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Top 5 Unique (And Awesome) Deaths From The “A Nightmare On Elm Street” Franchise

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When it comes to iconic slashers, there really is no one like Freddy who can cleverly dispose of those teenage pesky “piggies”, as he so lovingly refers to his victims. The Nightmare series as a whole is filled to the brim with memorable, bloody-as-hell Freddy Krueger kills; but there are a few in my eyes that stand out among the rest in the extraordinary department of death that lies in the cleverly thought out corner of Krueger’s boiler room.

Throughout the franchise, Krueger plays on his victim’s deepest fears as a final slap, er slash rather, and more so than not, the casualties are unique and even a little artistic in a twisted fuck kind of way. One has to appreciate just how different these death scenes are from any other slasher film of the 80s’ and the originality brought to the table makes for some truly unforgettable scenes from the movies. It’s these types of deaths that have led me to believe that more modern horror franchises like Saw and Final Destination have taken notes from Freddy on how to stand out in a film when tearing someone’s head off their body.

Now reading that you might say, “Holy Mother Amanda, this bitch is one disturbed individual.” This is also fine as I am at peace with this realization I myself made years ago.

Beyond the fact I may think the death scenes in ANOES can be considered poetic art, I think we can all concur to some degree on the point I’m trying to make here. Some of these scenes are just memorable as fuck and absolutely stand out among other kills in the franchise. Note I don’t think these are the OVERALL BEST, but rather the most unique as well stated in the headline. So, enough with the babble; on to my top 5 unique Freddy Krueger kills!

5. Ron Grady

Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

For the Nightmare 2 haters, I just wouldn’t be able to sleep comfortably tonight had I left this little gem out of this list, and here’s why: Ron Grady’s inanimate death may have been basic with a mere grab and slash, but it was the nail-biting tension and Jesse’s transformation that really made his fate a memorable one. Freddy’s face busting out of a scared as hell Jesse Walsh’s chest, a scene that could even rival 1979 Alien‘s chest burster sequence, is truly spectacular to witness and when it’s all over, you have a teary-eyed Jesse in the corner realizing that the Freddy entity has just made him kill his best bud in the film. It’s actually quite tragically sad in a sense when looking at this from Jesse’s mentally strained angle.

Also, the special effects are fun as fuck.

4. Carlos Rodriguez

Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare

 Nails on a chalkboard indeed is the GODDAMN worst; so I can only imagine how the scrapping of Freddy’s glove along the latter could be enough to induce a Scanners-like scenario. Freddy takes advantage of Carlos’ disability and turns the dial up a notch in the audible kill department by dragging him through a dream sequence that suggests our victim had an abusive childhood, which may have ultimately impaired his hearing. The torture continues with Freddy slowly and aggressively working on Carlos’ eardrums until his damn head just explodes.

Carlos always felt like one of the nicest and most likable characters of the entire series; so I always felt a little bad for this guy that was given this drawn-out and seemingly painful death. Still a cool scene tho!

3. Dan Jordan

Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child

The fastest man on three legs really must have pissed Krueger off to get this kind of death. I suppose surviving the Dream Master film has its consequences, eh? The images were so brutal, or I guess too brutal for 1989 ratings, that Dan’s death scene was heavily edited to avoid an X rating from the MMPA. Luckily for us, we have the footage thanks to the fine folks of the Interwebs, as you can see below Dan’s unedited death scene in all its gruesome, twisted Ghost Rider glory. It’s truly BADASS and deserves a lot more credit.

2. Debbie Stevens

Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master

Debbie was about as tough as they come as far as potential Freddy foes, but alas, the fear of little roaches was her kryptonite; and Krueger used that to his full advantage ruthlessly. Debbie’s cockroach transformation to this day stands out as one of the godammn raddest excerpts from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Slowly succumbing to the insect kingdom, Krueger traps the body-building beauty inside a roach motel, where Debbie ultimately meets her fate. My only gripe beyond this visual excellence is that we never get to really see Debbie at her full potential in a face-off with Krueger. Damn you Katsaridaphobia!

1. Phillip Anderson

Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

I feel like this would be almost unanimous within the Nightmare community in saying Phillip’s death from Dream Warriors was clearly the most unique, and frankly coolest of all the films.

Not only for me personally, was this the most terrifying and original- excuse me, creepy Freddy puppet everyone– of the entire franchise, but it also looks painful AS FUCK! Your tendons used as some twisted marionette show that leads you to a fatal leap off the top floor of Westin Hills- all while your friends are watching nonetheless. The whole scene is just filmed so beautifully and when I think of Dream Warriors, this is the first image that always comes to mind. Phillip being puppeteered through the hospital halls in agonizing pain with a look of absolute terror on his face is downright chilling and most definitely, the most unique way to utilize one of our victim’s hobbies against him.

Honorable Mention: All the kids at Lisa’s pool party

A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge

While still to this day, Freddy’s Revenge gets a monumental amount of shit, there’s no denying in a true horror sense that the pool scene in Nightmare 2 is one of the greatest in the franchise-PERIOD. It truly is the only time in the whole franchise we see Freddy go absolutely APESHIT on a bunch of kids and I respect that. Also, I really love to see his uncontrollable rage towards the youth of Springwood. Let us also have a moment of silence for the poor “fucker” that thought it would be a good idea to try and calm Mr. Krueger down.

I’ll never not think that isn’t funny.

Editorials

Hot Take: Rachel Carruthers: The GREATEST Final Girl in the “Halloween” Movie Franchise

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I might be going to Halloween Hell for this but you have to hear me out here before throwing me down a well while I wash away in a river only to end up at some hermit’s shack. Rachel Carruthers is the true answer to the Halloween heroine series and 30 years later I’m still fairly pissed about how dirty they did her in Halloween 5.

Now, I know what you’re saying, “Excuse me, but what about Laurie?”

A very valid question and I’ll give a simple answer. Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) was at her best in the original 1978 film and honestly, I just didn’t register her as anything special or in fact relatable in any way whatsoever. She’s likable just enough in the original film but in a very generic sense as the character barely has any depth and some very corny one-liners to boot in the first few films. It wasn’t until H20 that Laurie’s character came out of her shell and gave us more than a shy girl next door- which is my favorite version of her mind you. That persona continues on in the current Halloween films (2018, Kills, and Ends), skipping over Resurrection as she was just outlandishly cartoonish; but the damage has already been done for me whereas she just ain’t hitting those notes like another has for me. Plus, I have a little bone to pick with someone who claims that parents who watch Halloween with their children are “the worst human being(s) on the planet.”

Look lady, most of us that grew up in the 80s and 90s did exactly that and watched these films as kids; renting them from our local mom-and-pop video stores. So just settle down there JLC and realize you have a fan base because of US and insulting parents who choose to share their passion for the genre and the Halloween films with their crotch fruit is no one’s business. Parent shaming is so gross.

That being said, Ellie Cornell who plays the “new and improved” girl-next-door type, Rachel Carruthers makes her first appearance in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, and oh man she came in swinging right away with that part. She just felt REAL. As if Ellie WAS Rachel and we weren’t watching an act.

Aside from my opinions, Cornell had some pretty big loafers to fill when stepping up to be the fresh face for Halloween after JLC’s role in the series was presumably over, and she delivered a powerhouse final girl performance to become the now, unsung heroine of the entire franchise.

Rachel was the epitome of a typical high-school girl in the 80s but with a lot more to offer. Beyond watching her figure, (she didn’t want her mom to have an oinker for a daughter) and daydreaming of her future with Haddonfield hunk Brady, Rachel had a lot on her plate to deal with for a teenage gal. Taking on the role of older foster sister to Jamie, (Danielle Harris) who is now deceased Laurie’s daughter, she is wise beyond her years in offering advice to the young troubled, and also, hunted girl. She also, at first begrudgingly, is willing to give up her “engagement, marriage, and children” all to babysit on Halloween night just to help out the family, taking it a step further and taking Jamie out for ice cream costume shopping after school. What a gal. Of course, some of this may have been due to guilt after throwing a tad of a hissy fit, but she IS a teenager, and most girls her age would be annoyed at this task. She, of course, shows maturity and rights her wrong which is commendable.

Ok, so we know Rachel is a down-to-Earth good girl. But she’s also a mega-badass.

When faced with the threat of Michael Myers hot on the sisters’ tail on Halloween night, Rachel goes from teenage dynasty to full-blown survival final girl mode. This young girl with boy troubles and a thrust-upon role model for Jamie becomes a fighter with every inch of her being by night’s end and does everything in her power to keep her foster sister safe from harm. She carries Jamie on her back onto a roof escaping from the Meeker’s house and MacGyvers’ the shit out of some rope to make an escape ladder all while Myers is flailing his knife around at them.

Fun fact: The badassery spills over into reality as Ellie did ALL her own stunts on that roof. No, it wasn’t a set folks. They actually filmed on top of a house for that scene and it was pretty high up. The crew wouldn’t let her do the free-fall but everything else is Cornell and not a stuntwoman.

Shortly after an incident with Loomis, Myers, and Jaimie at the school, Rachel pops up like mother fuckin’ Rambo with a fire extinguisher and gives the sisters a chance to get away. They escape with the redneck Haddonfiled lynch mob in a truck and it seems as if their night of hell has come to a close as they drive away from Haddonfield to a safe place.

Ugh. How boring would that be! As Michael was hiding somehow underneath the truck the whole time just waiting for the perfect moment to make an appearance. After killing off every vigilante, Rachel is now tasked with saving her and Jamie from imminent death.

The whole scene is badass but not over the top where it isn’t believable. These girls have been through one traumatic night, Rachel snapping into murder mode by plowing into him with the truck instead of just driving off showcases the evolution of her character from the Rachel we got at the beginning of Halloween 4, and the end of the film. You’re goddamn right; Rachel went full Heisenberg.

Rachel Carruthers deserved better than that bullshit death in Halloween 5 and certainly warrants more recognition for her achievements in breathing new life into the Final Girl persona of the genre. She’s just so damn likable. You may disagree with my thoughts here and you’re welcome to tell me I’m wrong- but first let me get that coffee for you.

News

Nightmare Nostalgia’s 2022 Big Halloween Giveaway!

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It’s that time again nostalgic nuggets! A little more than five years ago, I started this blog after writing for various horror outlets as a means to express myself fully as well as a useful therapy tool. Because, hey… nothing makes me happier than talking about Halloween, horror movies, and retro pop culture of yesteryear. Well, maybe except giving away stuff and this year is a doozy! Throughout the year, I scavage through antique, thrift stores, and the internet to find just the right treasures to give to one lucky fan during the Halloween season, and I think I may have outdone myself this time around. Nothing really makes me happier than making other people smile and boy I could use it this time around,

I recently lost my best friend of 14 years, my little old lady and emotional-support animal, Lydia. Things have been very tough for me since having to cope with this devastating loss so with this website reaching a milestone of five wonderful years and over 50,000 followers, I wanted to express my gratitude to those who offered some kind words during this difficult time. The same people who have been following my incoherent ramblings for close to a decade now. So thank you truly from the bottom of my dark heart for that. And with respect, I wanted to dedicate this Halloween haul to the little pup who always sat in my lap while writing these trash articles for you guys.

Miss Lydia Deetz Pauley

Now, that being said, from vintage McDonald’s Halloween totes to a retro Fright Night Bud Light Mug let’s get into the giveaway goodies!

BEHOLD. THE GLORIOUS HAUL FOR ONE LUCKY READER!

One winner will receive:

  • 1990 McDonald’s Halloween witch tote
  • 1987 Bud Light Fright Night Plastic Mug
  • 1998 General Mills Count Chocula Plush
  • 2006 Edition of HorrorHound magazine
  • Loot Crate Camp Crystal Lake Flag
  • TWO Trick R Treat Keychains
  • ONE Garbage Pail Kids Keychain
  • Basket Case Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Cassette Tape from TerrorVision
  • Vintage “30 Tales To Give You Goosebumps” Book
  • “The Others” Blu-Ray (this is so random, I know but screw it- It’s a pretty good movie!)
  • 1990 TMNT Movie Topps Cards (Unopened)
  • Official Jaws 2 Topps Cards (Unopened)

Not a bad haul eh?

NOW HOW TO ENTER:

Entering is easy peasy, you MUST be following my Facebook page to enter and share this article. Make sure when you share, it’s public so it can be counted. And that’s it! You can share as many times as you want and each share is counted as an entry!

Bonus Entries:

Additional entries can be made by following my Instagram account and by either reposting the pinned picture of the giveaway to your stories and or feed and also tagging me along with the hashtag #NNgiveaway. If you’re not following me on IG, then for shame and you can remedy that here!

You can also enter on Twitter by sharing this article there with the same hashtag, #NNgiveaway.

Welp. I tried to make it as painless as possible. Good Luck! The winner will be announced on Monday, September 12th. 2022 on all three platforms and will be contacted via DM. Happy Halloween season nostalgic nuggets!