5A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Sequels may have diluted the original terror of Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street, but it’s hard not to be absolutely terrified by the concept of the first movie. A creepy burned man invading your sleep and using surreal dream logic to murder you at your most vulnerable all because of something that happened before you were even old enough to know what was going on? Absolutely horrifying. Add in the ambiguous nature of Freddy’s actual crimes against the children (a rare moment of subtlety when it comes to violence from director Wes Craven), and Freddy’s entire nature changes.
Is he sublimated guilt from childhood trauma? The growing understanding in puberty that your parents are just as flawed as you are and you might need to bear the guilt for their actions? Or is he just a terrifying demonic presence whose wisecracks and knife gloves are the signifiers of your death? Regardless, Freddy earns his presence on this list just for making a sweater and fedora combo horrifying—an outfit usually reserved for kindly grandfathers, not murderous dream monsters. Also, fun fact: that sweater is psychologically built to terrify you. Yes, really.
