Classic horror movie slayers tend to fall into two categories: those that are silent stalkers and those who refuse to shut up. Freddy Krueger of the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise falls into the latter category, but his chatty personality and killer one-liners are what make him such a beloved monster.
Freddy's terrible puns and jokes are almost as well known as his iconic striped sweater and claws. The infamous dream killer has made his mark on pop culture history and although his corny dialogue might seem a bit dated, his vicious sense of humor and penchant for imaginative murders continue to set him apart from all other horror movie slashers.
10 "No Running In The Hallway" (A Nightmare On Elm Street 1984)
Freddy Krueger might not be able to get his claws on teenagers in reality, but in dreams, all bets are off. When Nancy falls asleep in class at school, she inadvertently enters Freddy's nightmare realm and finds herself following a bloody body bag through the halls.
Nancy bumps into the hall monitor who seems normal at first but changes into Freddy's voice when the teenager starts to run away.
9 "Well It Ain't Dr. Seuss" (A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master)
Going into a hospital is scary enough, but when one of the doctors is trying to steal your soul, the terror is turned way up. In the fourth film, Dan goes into the hospital for surgery, which of course means he will be asleep.
Freddy uses this predicament to his advantage by initially pretending to be a doctor, but when he pulls his facemask off and utters this classic line, the chase is on.
8 "Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones, But Nothing Will Ever Kill Me" (Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare)
It seems almost impossible to actually stop a slasher film's killer, they just keep getting back up again and again. This spooky scene occurs in the sixth film after Doc does the thing so many viewers have thought of doing before, fighting back against the maniac.
It seems as if his strikes are working against the murderer, but Freddy promptly pulls himself up to let Doc know what the rules are in dreams. They can try all they want, but Freddy will always be in their nightmares.
7 "How's This For A Wet Dream" (A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master)
Another classic line from the fourth film, this retro scene exhibits Joey falling asleep in his uber '80s room on his waterbed. Joey discovers one of his pinup models swimming in the waterbed in what seems like a dream too good to be true.
Of course, it is. Freddy pops out of the bed and grabs Joey in an attempt to drown him, but not before squeezing in a quick joke.
6 "This Is It, Jennifer, Your Big Break In TV" (A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors)
The third film switches things up a bit by placing the characters in a psychiatric hospital. Of course, things get creepy when Freddy follows and enters the patient's dreams.
Jennifer is one such patient, a troubled youth with dreams of becoming a television actress. In one of the more creative deaths in the franchise, Freddy invades Jennifer's TV and snatches her up with what can only be described as wire arms. He proceeds to ram her head into the TV after uttering this ridiculous line.
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In the first film, Freddy is less comical and strictly focused on terrifying his prey to death. When Tina finds herself on the run from the menacing slasher, she can't help but blurt out the words, "please God," to which Freddy dangles his claws and retorts with his infamous quote.
It's an unsettling scene, to begin with, but the inclusion of that line stands out as one of the darkest moments in the whole series, which is impressive, to say the least.
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In one of the weirder scenes of the series, Krueger plays coy in a diner and indulges his appetite for souls in the form of a pizza covered in his victim's faces on sausages.
It's one of those ridiculous scenes that make the movie so bad it's good. The CGI is very late '80s as is the whole movie, but the bizarre special effects are a nice touch nonetheless.
3 "What Do Ya Know, I Beat My High Score" (Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare)
A colorful homage turns bloody in the sixth film when Freddy gets into video games. As his victims are trying to escape, Freddy takes control with his own Power Glove, a classic Nintendo accessory that is often forgotten about these days.
Freddy literally takes control of one of his victims and forces him to repeatedly jump up and down by mashing the button on his glove. It's a cool nod and a wink scene and definitely more comedic than one would expect from a horror film.
2 "Every Town Has An Elm Street" (Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare)
For being such an intricate and populous series, it doesn't really stray far from home. But in the sixth film, Freddy admits that Elm Street isn't just one place, strongly implying that he is all over the world spreading nightmares to those asleep.
It's a creepy and sarcastic line that shows how sadistic Freddy can be with just his comebacks.
1 "I'm Your Boyfriend Now, Nancy" (A Nightmare On Elm Street 1984)
Freddy Krueger uses his dream omnipotence to mess with his victims just as much as he uses it to kill them. He is a horrible monster of a villain, but his love for one-liners makes him more comical than other slashers.
In the first film, Nancy gets a phone call at night and picks up her landline, walking right into a horrible joke and a grotesque mouth attempting to kiss her. It's very corny, but it sets a tone of dark humor that continues throughout the series.