Nightmare on Elm Street movie order: Full Freddy timeline

Freddy Krueger is one of the most iconic horror villains of all time, and not just because he's an easy Halloween costume. Freddy has rampaged through nine theatrical releases, spanning over three decades and leaving plenty of terror in his wake.

Whether you're in it for the witty quips or the creative kills, there's a lot to love about the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. But, if you want the whole story, then there's a lot of watching to do. So, where should you start?

We've broken down the best order to watch all of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies, as well as providing a bulleted spoiler-free version at the bottom. It's basically chronological, but the names of the films can make it a little confusing, so we've laid it out for you, complete with info on how the story progresses.

For true completionists, we've also outlined the extended universe order, which includes all of the Friday the 13th movies that lead up to Freddy vs Jason.

What is the best order to watch the Friday the 13th movies?

Nightmare on Elm Street movies: Best viewing order
Chronological movie order (spoilers)	Chronological movie order (spoiler-free)
Freddy vs Jason extended universe order (spoiler-free)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 8 — New Line Cinema

The best place to start is where it all began. Wes craven's classic slasher introduces Freddy Krueger, a disfigured killer with a bladed glove who hunts down teenagers in their dreams. The catch is, that if Freddy gets you in your dreams, you die in real life.

It's up to Nancy Thompson and her friends to uncover the dark truth behind the dream killer.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 7 — New Line Cinema

Set five years later, a new family has moved into the fateful house on Elm Street. And, as you might expect, things start getting pretty creepy in the kids' dreams.

This time, Freddy aims to possess a teenage boy in order to cause chaos in the real world.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 6 — New Line Cinema

Part three is set one year after part two. In this instalment, the action takes place in a psychiatric hospital where the children's dreams are being visited by our favourite blade-handed demon.

We are reintroduced to Nancy, from the first movie, as she comes to work at the hospital. All too familiar with the situation unravelling, Nancy discovers that one of the children, Kristen Parker, has a gift which may help to defeat Freddy once and for all.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 5 — New Line Cinema

The third film leads us to believe that Freddy has finally been defeated, but part 4 would be pretty boring if that were the case. Indeed, Freddy is seemingly resurrected and attempts to hunt down and kill the surviving Elm Street kids.

New characters are introduced, including Alice Johnson, who may wield the power to finally put Freddy to rest.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 4 — New Line Cinema

Alice, having survived the fourth film, becomes pregnant and finds Krueger infecting the sleeping mind of her unborn child. Freddy has set his sights on being born into the real world.

It's up to Alice to save her son, and in turn, prevent Freddy from entering the real world.

Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 10 — New Line Cinema

This title may suggest this is Freddy's final outing, but fear not, there's plenty more brutality to come.

This one takes place a decade later, and Freddy has finally killed all of the children in his hometown. Now, he seeks greener pastures and finds himself tormenting the inhabitants of a home for troubled teenagers.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 9 — New Line Cinema

This entrant marks a new direction for the franchise and things get very meta. The story follows Heather Langenkamp, the actor who played Nancy in previous movies. She's got a stalker and it becomes apparent that he bears some striking similarities to her fictional adversary, Freddy Krueger.

Somehow, a demonic force has willed Freddy into the real world and Langenkamp must reprise her role as Nancy in order to save the day.

Freddy vs Jason (2003)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 3 — New Line Cinema

It's time for the clash of the slasher titans. Many quiet years have passed on Elm Street, and local kids are fed dream-suppressing pills to keep them safe. But, Freddy's not done tormenting, so he seeks another option.

Freddy manages to resurrect Jason and sends him over to Elm Street to terrify the inhabitants, but things don't go according to plan. When Freddy feels that Jason is stealing some of his well-deserved kills, a battle for the ages ensues.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

What is the best order to watch the Nightmare on Elm Street movies? photo 2 — New Line Cinema

Finally, we have the 2010 remake. We don't feel that it's essential viewing, but it does dive into Freddy's origin story a little more than the original. Meanwhile, Jackie Earle Haley, who you might recognise as Rorschach from the Watchmen, puts an extremely creepy spin on the character.

Spoiler-free movie order

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
Freddy vs Jason (2003)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Freddy vs Jason complete order

If you want the whole story leading up to the Freddy vs Jason crossover, then you've got a whole lot of films to watch. The good news is, there are some absolute belters in the mix.

This list will take you through the entire story behind Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger in chronological order, before culminating in their epic showdown.