Here's Where You Can Watch Every A Nightmare On Elm Street Movie

Although Wes Craven's 1984 film "A Nightmare on Elm Street" is typically lumped in with slasher movies — it came out right when the genre was cresting in popularity — it doesn't quite follow the same structure as its contemporaries in the horror genre. The "Nightmare" movies, because they take place largely within dreams, are slightly more cerebral, bizarre, or imaginative than many of the stalk-n-stab movies that infested theaters at the time. The series also attracted interesting and notable directors who went on to other projects. Chuck Russell ("The Mask," "Eraser," "The Scorpion King") directed part 3. Renny Harlin ("Die Hard 2," "The Long Kiss Goodnight," "Deep Blue Sea") director part 4. Stephen Hopkins ("Predator 2," "The Ghost and the Darkness," "Lost in Space") directed part 5. And Rachel Talalay ("Ghost in the Machine," "Tank Girl") directed "The Final Nightmare." 

"A Nightmare on Elm Street" marathons are common around Halloween, and steamrolling through all nine extant "Nightmare" films is an experience the series' fans have likely forced themselves through at least once. Having done it, I can report that there are highs and lows with such an experiment, and it's fascinating to have your own sleep deprivation match the sleep deprivation of the characters on screen. To watch all nine Freddy movies in a row would take 762 minutes, or about 12 hours and 42 minutes. Start at dinner time and the marathon will end at about dawn. 

Can a marathon be arranged via streaming services, though? For those who don't already own a "Nightmare" DVD or Blu-ray box set (as so many Freddy fans do), here's where to find all of the movies. We'll also be sure to mention the "Nightmare on Elm Street" anthology series "Freddy's Nightmares" for good measure.

Max is a good place to start, as they have "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge," "A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors," "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master," "A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child," "Wes Craven's New Nightmare," and the 2010 "A Nightmare on Elm Street" remake. Frustratingly, however, neither "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" nor "Freddy vs. Jason" are on Max. 

Wes Craven's 1984 original is on Max, and can be rented for $3.99 on Apple TV, Amazon, the Google Play store, YouTube, Vudu, the Microsoft store, Redbox, DirecTV, and Spectrum. The same services, except for Spectrum, also offer the film for sale for $14.99. Redbox charges $16.99. 

All the above information is also true of "Freddy's Revenge," although the sale price is only $9.99, with Redbox charging $10.99, Vudu charging $12.99, and Amazon charging $14.99. 

It's also worth it to pause and recommend the excellent 2019 documentary "Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street," a film about the star of "Freddy's Revenge," Mark Patton. It explores the theme of queerness and the denial thereof, and how those themes affected Patton's personal life. "Scream, Queen!" is on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Screambox. It can also be rented on Amazon and Vudu (for $2.99), Apple TV, the Google Play store, and YouTube  (for $3.99), and Kino Now for $4.99. It sells for $9.99 (Apple, Amazon, Vudu, Kino) or $12.99 (Google, YouTube). If you choose to include "Scream, Queen!" in your marathon, tack on 99 extra minutes. 

Handily, "Dream Warriors," "Dream Master," and "Dream Child" are available through the same services and possess the same price points as "Freddy's Revenge." 

One cannot say why, but Talalay's "Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare" is not available on any streaming services. It can be rented through Apple TV, Amazon, the Google Play Store, YouTube, Vudu, the Microsoft Store, Redbox, DirecTV, however, for $2.99, and through Spectrum for $3.99. The same services (except for Spectrum) also offer it for purchase for $9.99, while Redbox offers it for $10.99.

"Wes Craven's New Nightmare," meanwhile, is back on the same services as "Nightmare 1" through "Nightmare 5." That film's meta-narrative and Craven's involvement make it stand out among the others, being genuinely scary and even a little thought-provoking compared to the wild, haunted house, party-like atmosphere of parts 3 through 5. For many years, it seemed like this was to be the end of the series. 

Those looking to stretch their Freddy marathon into a multiple-day affair may be disappointed to learn that the 1988 TV series "Freddy's Nightmares" is not available for streaming, rent, or purchase anywhere. That series lasted for two seasons, turning out 44 episodes in toto. "Freddy's Nightmares" ran concurrently with shows like "Tales from the Crypt," and was presented in a similar fashion with Freddy (Robert Englund) merely introducing short horror stories. The series ran on network TV, which kept the violence to a minimum. 

"Freddy's Nightmares" did see a very limited VHS release back in 1995, with five episodes each getting its own volume. Internationally, eight two-episode cassettes were released in the UK and in Germany. Later, in 2003, a UK DVD was released with only three episodes. On the 2011 Blu-ray box set of the first seven movies, one could find two "Freddy's Nightmares" episodes as a special feature. 

Luckily, enterprising archivists have stored the show's first season and its second season online. 

If you include "Freddy's Nightmares," your marathon just jumped to 2,885 minutes or about 48 hours.

And, naturally, no "Nightmare" marathon would be complete without the inclusion of Ronny Yu's 2003 film "Freddy vs. Jason," the Monster Mash of its generation. Yu's film came curiously late in the broad scheme of horror trends, but it was a massive success nonetheless, and effectively — in a comic book sort of way — put Freddy and Jason Voorhees from "Friday the 13th" in the ring together. It has everything a fan might want to see in such a grudge match. Frustratingly, "Freddy vs. Jason" is also excluded from streaming services and must be rented or bought. 

For $3.99, it can be rented on Apple TV, Amazon, the Google Play store, YouTube, Vudu, the Microsoft store, Redbox, and DirecTV. It's $12.99 to buy on all the above. Redbox, however, charged $13.99 and Vuvu $14.99. 

One could be forgiven for wanting to skip the 2010 "Nightmare" remake with Jackie Earle Haley as, well, it's a pretty terrible flick. If you must include it, however, it's found easily enough, available on all the same services and at the same price points as parts 2 through 5. 

Lest you think you're done, there is one final film you might want to include if you need an exhaustive four-hour documentary looking back on everything you just saw. Daniel Farrands' and Andrew Kasch's 2010 doc "Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy" is the final word on the topic and a must for Freddy fans. That film is on Tubi, and can be rented or bought on Vudu, the Microsoft Store, Apple TV, Amazon, the Google Play store, and YouTube for $3.99 or $9.99.

It's been 52 hours. You may sleep now.