The NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET films alone gave the genre a kick in the butt and also gave our future talent a shot. Click the pic for the review and walk Elm Street with me.
 

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

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• Launched Wes Craven's career who went on to make Scream
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• Introduced actor extraordinaire: Johnny Depp (Donnie Brasco, Ed Wood)
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  Introduced Heather Langenkamp (forever Nancy)
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• Made underrated John Saxon accessible to us teens
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• Put Robert Englund on a new kind of map

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2
Freddy's Revenge

• Directed By Jack Sholder who went on to direct the cult classic "The Hidden"
  
  
• Was scored By Christopher Young who went on to score: Wonder Boys, Bless The Child, The Hurricane, In Too Deed, Hard Rain, Sliver, Species and more

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3
Dream Warriors

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  Directed by Chuck Russell who went on to direct: The Mask and Eraser (with Arnold)
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• Co-Written by Frank Darabont who went on to write: The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile
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• Scored by: Angelo Badalamenti who went on to score: The Beach, Arlington Raod, Twin Peaks and Lost Highway
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• Introduced Patricia Arquette (True Romance, Stigmata)
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• Featured Laurence Fishburne (the Matrix) 

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 4
Dream Master

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  Directed By Renny Harlin who went on to direct: Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and Deep Blue Sea
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• Co-Written by: Brian Helgeland who went on to write LA Confidential and write and direct Payback
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• Introduced the beautiful Lisa Wilcox (we love u Lise)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 5
Dream Child

• Directed By Stephen Hopkins who went on to direct Predator 2, Ghost And The Darkness, Blown Away and Lost In Space.
  
  
• Co-Written by Leslie Bohem who went on to write Dante's Peak and Daylight

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 6
Freddy's Dead

• Introduced Breckin Meyers who went on to star in GO, 54 and The Insider
  
  
• Ended Roseanne and Tom Arnold's careers (thank you)

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 7
Wes Craven's New Nightmare

• Gave Heather Langencamp her best part: playing herself
  
  
• Gave Freddy the demise he deserved