We Figured Out the Right Way to Watch all the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' Movies in Order

Freddy Krueger is one of those incomparable horror icons. He's what you think of when you picture the most terrifying movies of all time, with his instantly recognizable bladed glove, his striped sweater and his fedora hat. (He's tailor-made for a scary Halloween costume.) And he's one of those characters who you know is the villain, but he's also kind of the hero; he's the reason you keep coming back to see film after film in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise — to see his kills and his quips — and not really any of his opponents.

But Freddy Krueger has been around for almost four decades now, chopping his way through countless sequels, re-imaginings, reboots and crossovers. There was even an anthology TV series, A Nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy's Nightmares, which ran for two seasons in syndication (and is sadly not really available to stream, though you can find videos of it online). With all of that floating around, it's easy to lose track of just how many movies Freddy's been in and when they all came out.

Here's how to watch all of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies in order. The original six films are pretty straightforward, but after The Final Nightmare — which was in no way the actual, final nightmare — the timeline starts to get confusing. So bookmark this list, brew some coffee and try not to let Freddy haunt your dreams.