A Nightmare on Elm Street Timeline

The films in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series this is based on events and continuity clues within the series, we can construct a rough sequence. Here's how the timeline plays out in the A Nightmare on Elm Street universe and later into the Friday the 13th Timeline as well!!


Freddy Krueger is born in 1941 to Amanda Krueger!

Freddy Krueger killed his step-father Mr.Underwood in 1959 at age 18

Freddy Krueger has a daughter, named Maggie Krueger  in 1961 at 20 years old with his wife, Loretta Krueger.

Freddy Krueger is tried for the murders of the Elmstreet children and of his wife in 1968 at age 27 but was killed after a mistrail when the arresting officer didn't read him his Miranda rights and his daughter was put into foster care.


Set in 1981 (based on internal clues and the timeline of Nancy Thompson’s age). Freddy Krueger haunts and kills the teenagers of Springwood, with Nancy as the main protagonist!


Takes place approximately five years after the original, so its around 1986. Jesse Walsh and his family move into Nancy Thompson's former home, and Freddy attempts to return through Jesse, but fails.


Occurs six years after the first killings, and a year after the second killing, which is setting it around 1987, Nancy Thompson, now older, works as a therapist at a psychiatric hospital. The events bring back Freddy, who haunts the group of troubled teens.


Picks up shortly a year after the events with the Dream Warriors, in 1988. Alice Johnson becomes the central figure as Freddy seeks revenge on the surviving Dream Warriors and uses Alice to find new victims.


Events occurs almost immediately after The Dream Master, and also a year later making it 1989. And Alice is now pregnant, and Freddy tries to use her unborn child to return and gain power.


Set roughly ten years after The Dream Child, around 1999. Freddy is revealed to have wiped out majority of all the youth of Springwood, and is effecting reality around the town, and so his daughter, Maggie, helps to bring an end to his reign of terror, before Freddy turns every street into an Elm street.



Occurs 4-years after Freddy’s Dead, set in early or mid 2003 where Freddy is trapped in Hell after the town made precautions to avoid anyone acknowledging his existence, and so resurrects Jason Voorhees to regain power and terrify the residents of Springwood, but backfires as Jason does what he wants which makes Freddy enraged, and eventually having Jason winning the fight. (This film connects to both the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises.)



Exists outside the in-universe continuity. In this film, Freddy Krueger becomes a real entity, via a Demon, who is invading the real world to haunt actress Heather Langenkamp who played Nancy Thompson, so this film doesn’t fit into the standard series timeline whatsoever and is basically a standalone a work of Metafiction basically.


This film is a reimagining of the original 1984 story and does not fit into the original timeline. It establishes a new version of events, introducing a different backstory for Freddy and a new cast of characters.


The primary timeline revolves around the town of Springwood, Ohio, and spans from the 1980s to the late 1990s and stops at the early 2000s

Freddy’s death and origins as the Springwood Slasher, cements his legacy, as He was burned to death by vengeful parents before the events of the first film.

This constructed timeline aligns with the continuity within the films, even though the series has some minor inconsistencies, but the meta and remake films exist separately, adding new complexity to the overall franchise!

If fans didn't notice, but the in-universe continuity for these films also have a linear timeline with the in-universe Friday the 13th movies!!

A really comprehensive post. I never really got into watching the movies, so I have no real comments to make. I find it interesting that the NOES and F13 timelines match up.

Thanks for posting this. So far I have only seen the first NoES, the remake and Freddy vs. Jason. The first movie seemed very aged to me (I have seen it in 2023), but I still enjoyed it, just like any horror fan would. Need to see the rest someday.

ThePunisher wrote:A really comprehensive post.  I never really got into watching the movies, so I have no real comments to make.  I find it interesting that the NOES and F13 timelines match up.

I've had the displeasure of watching a few of them lol they are all unique and different but the OG will always be the best to me, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is actually good.

Ivan1987 wrote:Thanks for posting this. So far I have only seen the first NoES, the remake and Freddy vs. Jason. The first movie seemed very aged to me (I have seen it in 2023), but I still enjoyed it, just like any horror fan would. Need to see the rest someday.

It's gonna be a long "what" for you with the sequels.

Jason Voorhees wrote:

ThePunisher wrote:A really comprehensive post.  I never really got into watching the movies, so I have no real comments to make.  I find it interesting that the NOES and F13 timelines match up.

I've had the displeasure of watching a few of them lol they are all unique and different but the OG will always be the best to me, Wes Craven’s New Nightmare is actually good.

Ivan1987 wrote:Thanks for posting this. So far I have only seen the first NoES, the remake and Freddy vs. Jason. The first movie seemed very aged to me (I have seen it in 2023), but I still enjoyed it, just like any horror fan would. Need to see the rest someday.

It's gonna be a long "what" for you with the sequels.

You're not a NOES fan?