This page is a listing of characters from the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series.

Wes Craven's New Nightmare, which takes place in the "real world", has its own page here.
Freddy vs. Jason, a crossover with the Friday the 13th franchise, has its own page here.

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Original continuity

Freddy Krueger

See his page.

**Introduced in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)**

Nancy Thompson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/nancy_a_nightmare_on_elm_street_resized_9079.jpg

Played by: Heather Langenkamp
Appears in: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | Dream Warriors

"I'm into survival."

The heroine of the original film, who returns for the third film as well. Daughter of Marge and Donald Thompson (divorced), she's best friends with Tina, Glen (her boyfriend), and Rod.

Action Girl: By the end of the first film, she's ready to kick Freddy's ass in the real world. And she hadn't lost that step in Dream Warriors.
Arch-Enemy: The first heroine who's faced Freddy multiple times and one Freddy absolutely despises.
Freddy: (In a low hate filled growl) You...
Badass Normal:
- In the first movie, Nancy manages to hold onto Freddy and drag him into the real world, from then which she leads him through her booby trapped laden house and has him set on fire (Freddy hates fire since he was burned to death). She also survives the first movie's Cruel Twist Ending.
- This is made more explicit in the third movie (Dream Warriors). While more experienced than Freddy's other victims, she is also the only Dream Warrior without any actual dream powers. Nevertheless, she asserts herself as the leader without question and damages Freddy enough to set him up for his defeat.
Big Good: In the comics.
Big Sister Instinct: Shows some of this to the kids at Westin Hills.
Brutal Honesty: She has no qualms about talking back to her parents or her boyfriend about someone trying to kill her, even throwing in a few curse words for good measure. However, she's more amicable when she's not constantly hounded by Freddy.
Covert Pervert: In her diary, she reveals that she enjoys spying on Glen undressing from her window, even though she shouldn't be watching.
Dying Moment of Awesome: In Dream Warriors, she's fatally stabbed by Freddy, but she manages to get back up and stab Freddy in the gut with his own claws, holding on to him long enough for Neil to finish burying and consecrating Freddy's remains.
Famed In-Story: Downplayed, but what she went through is whispered about throughout the neighborhood in the second movie and in the third one her new dream therapy research has attracted a decent amount of attention and she's considered a rising star in the field.
Final Girl: The first in the series.
Hysterical Woman: She's treated as such in the first movie by all the adults, and she herself almost believes it when Freddy doesn't immediately show up to play in what she thought was the real world. Of course, since it's horror movie, she's Properly Paranoid.
Locked into Strangeness: She gets one in the first movie, after pulling Freddy's hat out of the dream and it stays with her.
Mystical White Hair: Nancy's appearance is recognizable for her gray streak in her hair.The character's hair was supposed to be entirely gray and white, and Wes Craven had a wig made but was ultimately unsatisfied; deciding for Nancy to have a streak of gray which would remain in both Dream Warriors and New Nightmare.
Pink Means Feminine: Nancy starts off the franchise as a Girl Next Door type of character and wears pink sweaters and jackets in several scenes, especially before taking a level in badass. She's also shown to have pink underwear during a brief Toplessness from the Back scene.
Taking You with Me: Freddy mortally wounds her, but she lasts long enough to stab him with his own claw and hold him long enough for Neil to finish burying and consecrating Freddy's remains.
Trap Master: In the first movie, before dragging Freddy into the real world, she rigs her entire house with booby traps to slow him down.

Marge Thompson

Played by: Ronee Blakley
Appears in: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

"[to Nancy] There's something wrong with you — you're imagining things."

Nancy's well-meaning, but struggling and occasionally neglectful mother.

The Alcoholic: Starts off slow when Krueger's murders starts to happen in the first film, but gets progressively drunk as the film goes on.
Freudian Excuse: Marge's alcoholism and refusal to entertain the notion that Freddy Krueger somehow came back, even as Nancy has physical proof something supernatural really is happening, are most definitely a result of being traumatized over killing Krueger and the multiple child deaths from so many years ago. She does not want to have to face that all over again, but at the same time doesn't realize she's effectively letting Krueger get his hands on Nancy by not helping her.
I Reject Your Reality: She sinks further and further into alcohol-fueled denial over the course of the movie. While Marge's earlier reaction to Nancy's mention of her nightmares seemed reasonable at first, her response to Nancy's session at the dream clinic are desperate stubbornness. Even when it's clear there's no way Nancy could've made those slash marks on her arm herself, nor could she truly explain how her daughter pulled out a hat that supposedly belonged to a man who's been dead for years, Marge would rather try to convince Nancy she's a sick girl and it's all a fantasy. It's pretty clear that Marge is so traumatized by Freddy Krueger's murders, that she refuses to even face the idea that Krueger has maybe returned.

Lt. Donald Thompson

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/donald_thompson_01.jpg

Played by: John Saxon
Appears in: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) | Dream Warriors

"[To Glen] There's an unsolved murder and I hate unsolved murders, especially ones that my daughter is mixed up in, what are *you* doing here?"

Nancy's father, who divorced her mother some time before. He's a cop in the Springwood sheriff's department.

The Alcoholic: Only after Marge's death, however. He does get sober enough to fight against Freddy's Dem Bones form.
Let's Get Dangerous!: While fighting Freddy.
Not Now, Kiddo: Pretty much doesn't believe Nancy before it was too late.

Glen Lantz

Played by: Johnny Depp
Appears in: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

"Oh, man. Midnight. Baseball bats and boogeymen. Beautiful."

Nancy's boyfriend in the first film, who lives across the street.

Cruel and Unusual Death: He gets sucked into his bed and is ripped apart.
Girl Next Door: Or boy rather. He's a plain, sweet and easily flustered mama's boy who feels emasculated in the presence of Tina's obnoxious macho lover.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He shows little concern for his friends and is somewhat egotistical. He also has a case of Scully Syndrome like several other characters where he doesn't believe Freddy exists. However, he does care for said friends and especially Nancy and eventually listens to her about the fact that Freddy exists. Unfortunately, by the time he does, he's too late to defend himself and he's unable to contact Nancy, allowing Freddy to actually kill him.
Overdrawn at the Blood Bank: When Glen is sucked into his bed by Freddy and killed, gallons of blood (far more than what the human body contains) suddenly spew out from it like a blood fountain. According to Wes Craven, that isn't Glen's blood, but the blood of all of Freddy's past victims.
The Watson: Plays a bit of this to Nancy as they go over what they know at times, with Glen taking a less active role.

Tina Gray

Christina "Tina" Gray

Played by: Amanda Wyss
Appears in: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

Nancy's friend in the first film.

Decoy Protagonist: The first movie begins from her point of view, and it isn't until she is killed that it becomes clear that her friend Nancy is the actual protagonist.
Disappeared Dad: He's long gone, and her stepfather is indifferent to her nightmares.
Sex Signals Death: She has the dubious honor of being Freddy’s first victim in the series. Freddy invades her dream immediately after she has sex with Rod.

Dream Demons

The Dream Demons

Supernatural entities of unknown origin who gave Freddy Krueger his powers.

Eldritch Abomination: The closest thing that one could recognize as a form is a worm-like body with a grotesque human-like face.
Greater-Scope Villain: They gave Freddy Krueger his horrific powers to satisfy their love of causing evil and death.
Karma Houdini: They get no punishment for enabling Freddy to continue killing after death.
Terrible Trio: There are three of them.

**Introduced in A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)**

Jesse Walsh

Played by: Mark Patton

"Something is trying to get inside my body!"

The lead character in the second film, whose body is gradually taken over by Freddy.

Ambiguously Bi: While he appears to genuinely love Lisa, the screenplay is by the writer's own admission a pretty thinly-veiled allegory for someone coming to terms with this, and Mark Patton (who is gay in real-life) also said that he played Jesse as someone unsure of his sexuality. There's also how he's very close to his best friend Grady.
Butt-Monkey: Other than Lisa wanting to get into his pants, pretty much nothing goes right for him during the course of the film. His father treats him like crap, his mother and sister don't treat him as badly but are pretty dismissive of his problems, his biology teacher blames him for the fact that a snake escaped from its tank and attacked him, and the less said about his treatment at the hands of Coach Schneider, the better.
Calling the Old Man Out: Gets a moment of this for his dad moving them into a house where someone died without telling them.
Distressed Dude: He has to be saved by Lisa.
Heterosexual Life-Partners: He's both this and Vitriolic Best Buds with Ron Grady. At least until Freddy takes control of Jesse and kills Ron.
Mr. Fanservice: Jesse spends probably more time walking around shirtless than every other male character in the series combined. Not to mention at least two shots of his bare butt.
Painful Transformation: Whenever Freddy possesses him, his body is messily transformed into Freddy's own shape. This includes blades growing out of Jesse's fingers, his skin peeling off, and Freddy ripping open and bursting out of his chest. All the while, Jesse is screaming in agony.
Screams Like a Little Girl: Not only does he scream far more than any of the female leads in the series, he even manages to do it in an even higher pitch. Mark Patton proudly proclaimed himself the first male Scream Queen.
Supporting Protagonist: While the second film follows him for the most part, he really doesn't accomplish anything of any real note and by the end he completely transforms into Freddy, leaving Lisa to take over as protagonist.

Lisa Webber

Played by: Kim Myers

"I love you, Jesse!"

Jesse's girlfriend from the second film.

Action Girl: She does more to fight Freddy than Jesse does by the end of the movie.
Anguished Declaration of Love: How she ultimately gets through to Jesse.
Final Girl: Becomes this in the final parts of the second film, after Freddy completely takes over Jesse.
Fiery Redhead: She's already shown to have a fairly strong personality early in the film, but she really takes it up a notch in the final scenes when she confronts Freddy and takes him down.
Ms. Fanservice: Unlike most of the other Final Girls in the series, Lisa has no hang-ups about sex and wears some very revealing clothing, even going within an inch of being topless.
The Power of Love: How she beats Freddy and frees Jesse.
Spoiled Sweet: She's dubbed as the local rich girl (and the size of the house she throws her pool party supports the notion), but she's shown to be one of the series' nicest characters.

Ron Grady

Played by: Robert Rusler

A student that becomes Jesse's best friend.

Fire-Forged Friends: Bonds with Jesse over Schneider's strict classes.

Kerry Hellman

Played by: Sidney Walsh

Lisa's best friend.

Eating the Eye Candy: She's interested when Jesse's rear is accidentally exposed during gym class.
Mauve Shirt: Doesn't get too much characterization but makes it until the very end before being killed (assuming that was her and not a figment of Jesse or Lisa's dream).
Shipper on Deck: A lot of her dialogue is encouraging Lisa's crush on Jesse.

Coach Schneider

Played by: Marshall Bell

Jesse and Ron's abusive coach.

Asshole Victim: He is heavily implied to be a rapist.
Big "NO!": Last words.
Creepy Gym Coach: He is revealed to a predator.
Depraved Homosexual: He is a sexually predatory gay man working as a gym coach at a high school. He abducts Jesse when he sees him in a gay bar, and it is heavily implied that he was about to rape him before Freddy intervened and killed Schneider.

**Introduced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)**

Kristen Parker

Played by: Patricia Arquette (Dream Warriors), Tuesday Knight (Dream Master)

"The man in my dreams... he's real, isn't he?"

Succeeding Nancy as the main heroine, Kristen is one of the teenagers institutionalized at Westin Hills Asylum for an apparent suicide attempt, but is actually one of Freddy's targets.

Action Girl: She does a lot to fight Freddy in her first appearance and doesn't go quietly in her second.
Cursed with Awesome: A subversion. Kristen has the power to pull people into her dreams, but she subconsciously blocked the power for years after her parents got divorced. Years later, she isn't sure if she still has it until she accidentally pulls Nancy into her dreams in Dream Warriors. Unfortunately, Freddy turns her ability into Blessed with Suck when he uses her to pull Alice into her dream. After he kills Kristen, the power gets sent to Alice, so Freddy uses her as his new conduit so he can go after the other teenagers of Springwood.
Decoy Protagonist:
- The first few scenes of the third movie follow Kristen being attacked by Freddy and then arriving at the mental hospital, but she becomes the Deuteragonist after Nancy is reintroduced.
- Dream Master opens where Dream Warriors left off, making it look like Kristen, Joey, and Kincaid will have to go up against Freddy again. He kills Joey and Kincaid in the same night, and once he has Kristen cornered, forces her to drag Alice into her dream. In doing so, Kristen transfers her dream power to Alice, but not before passing through Freddy, ensuring that she's his new power source.
Lethally Stupid: Right after pulling Alice into her nightmare, Kristen tells her to wake up, apologizes to her for dragging her into this mess... and then charges at Freddy who immediately grabs her and throws her into the boiler.
Lonely Rich Kid: Kristen's mom has a Big Fancy House with a maid, several credit cards, and a luxurious wardrobe and is pretty dismissive of Kristen and her problems in Dream Warriors. Kristen also takes a bit of time to bond with the other kids, although by Dream Master she has a close circle of friends.
Man on Fire: A subversion. Krueger threw Kristen into a boiler and she became engulfed in flames. In the real world it looked as if Kristen fell asleep with a lit cigarette and accidentally set her bed on fire.
Passing the Torch: To Alice.
Sacrificial Lion: As the only person left knowing Freddy Krueger's real and with any actual power to stop him, Kristen's killed in front of Alice so Alice can immediately know how badly things are going to get and so she can get Kristen's power.
Smoking Is Cool: She smokes cigarettes in Dream Master.
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: She's killed off before Dream Master is half over to set up Alice as Freddy's new enemy.

Kincaid

Roland Kincaid

Played by: Ken Sagoes

"Let's go kick the motherfucker's ass all over Dreamland."

One of the teenagers institutionalized at Westin Hills, and one of Freddy's targets.

Black Dude Dies First: Averted in Dream Warriors, where he survives the whole film. Played straight in Dream Master, where he's Freddy's first kill.
Defiant to the End: See See You in Hell below.
Heroes Love Dogs: In Dream Master, he's revealed to own a dog named Jason.
See You in Hell: His last words to Freddy once Freddy stabs him. Freddy responds, "Tell 'em Freddy sent ya."
Sour Outside, Sad Inside: Probably the angriest of the Westin Hills inmate, but it comes form being a very scared kid desperate to stay awake and avoid Freddy.
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: When Freddy returns in Dream Master, Kincaid is his first victim.
Super-Strength: His dream power. He's strong enough to bend metal chairs with his bare hands, punch holes through walls, and pushes cars.
What the Hell, Hero?: He and Joey both give this to Kristen for pulling them into her dream out of fear that Freddy is coming after them again, pointing out that her dreaming about Freddy may stir him up again.

Joey Crusel

Joseph "Joey" Crusel

Played by: Rodney Eastman

A mute patient at Westin Hills due to his refusal to speak or sleep after experiencing horrific dreams.

Big "NO!": Joey gets his voice back by shouting a Big "NO!" at the sight of the other protagonists being snatched away by the Mirror-Freddies.
Bring Help Back: When he sees Phillip apparently sleepwalking to his death, he doesn't have the voice to yell out, but does race around banging on the walls to alert people.
Chained to a Bed: Freddy poses as Hospital Hottie to lure Joey into an empty room where he ties him to the bed with giant human tongues.
Erotic Dream: Joey has one in Part 3 and Part 4 each, but both times they turn into nightmares by Freddy.
Freddy: [bursting through Joey's waterbed in Part 4] How's this for a wet dream?
Glass-Shattering Sound: Joey's dream power is to scream loud enough to break a set of mirrors and free his friends, who were trapped within them, which contrasts with his muteness in the real world.
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: When Freddy returns in Dream Master, Joey is his second victim.
Throwing Off the Disability: Joey manages to overcome his muteness to scream the Big "NO!" that shatters the mirrors and saves his friends.

Taryn White

Played by: Jennifer Rubin

A patient at Westin Hills hospital due to her difficulty sleeping following a series of horrific nightmares, with a history of drug abuse.

Body Horror: When Freddy threatens her with syringes full of heroin, her old injection scars turn into greedy, sucking orifices, clamoring for their fix.
Closet Geek: Taryn is a tough-talking girl who's fond of punk clothing, but she also plays a fantasy role-playing game with Will and Joey.
Death by Irony: She has a history with drugs. Her death ends up being from Freddy lethally injecting her with multiple syringes of heroin.
Playing with Syringes: Freddy kills Taryn by turning his fingers into heroin syringes, which he then thrusts into her arms.
Shut Up, Hannibal!: She angrily rebukes the orderly who offers her drugs for sex.
Took a Level in Kindness: Taryn is initially a moody and quick-tempered girl and harshly calls out how Will is lying about what caused his paraplegia (a suicide attempt). However, it's implied that this attitude is due to sleep deprivation and resentment over Dr. Sims and Neil not understanding what's going on with her. Phillip's death deeply affects her, and Nancy believing the group and helping them so much causes Taryn to become a more caring and protective member of the group.
Vasquez Always Dies: She is the more butch, action-oriented Dream Warrior, and gets killed.
What the Hell, Hero?: Taryn angrily rebukes Kincaid for saying Phillip died because he was weak.

Dr. Neil Gordon

Played by: Craig Wasson

A doctor in charge of trying to treat the children at Westin Hills for their refusal to sleep and experiences of bad dreams. After meeting Nancy Thompson, he begins to believe that their dreams may be more than group delusion, eventually teaming up to stop Freddy.

All Therapists Are Muggles: Subverted. While skeptical at first, he is willing to admit the possibility that the Freddy-plagued kids he is counseling and Nancy are faced with a supernatural threat.
Determinator: Despite getting beaten up and then knocked out with a shovel by Freddy's skeleton, manages to wake up, get the bones into the grave, and give him the Last Rites to put an end to him.
The Shrink: He is mostly an Awesome Shrink, but subverts it when he's willing to use drugs (Hypnocil) to aid his patients.

Sister Mary Helena (SPOILERS)

Sister Mary Helena / Amanda Krueger

Played by: Nan Martin (Dream Warriors), Beatrice Boepple (Dream Child)

The mother of Freddy Krueger. After deciding to become a nun and choosing "Mary Helena" as her name in Christ, Amanda Krueger was given as her first assignment to care for the inmates of the Westin Hills Hospital, but was accidentally locked inside with some of the worst psychopaths and killers housed at the hospital and left for several days over the Christmas period. During this time she brutally raped, and when she is finally found, she is barely alive and pregnant. Amanda gives birth to Freddy Krueger and immediately gives him up for adoption. She died at some point after Freddy got Off on a Technicality, before returning as a spirit by the time of the events of Dream Warriors to aid Neil Gordon in defeating her son. Her backstory is revisited more in depth in Dream Child, where her final fate is crucial to defeating her son again.

Barrier Maiden: What she becomes in the fifth movie, thanks to Freddy using her to come back once he had enough power from Jacob. He knows she can seal him away again and is terrified of going near her, even if she's stuck at Westin Hills.
Big Good: Generally plays this role in the movies, as a recurring benevolent figure providing valuable aid to our protagonists in fighting Freddy. Particularly in the fifth movie, given how he's explicitly warded off and given pause by her appearance.
Nuns Are Spooky: Sister Mary Helena comes off as eerie, what with her cryptic conversations and Stealth Hi/Byes. Justified because she really is a ghost.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Sister Mary Helena does it to Neil when he sees her for the first time by disappearing behind a crowd.
Tragic Hero: In life, she was a nun who suffered horrific sexual abuse when she was held captive and repeatedly raped by a bunch of maniacs. After being forced to give birth to a child that was only a reminder of her trauma, she lived her life being haunted by Freddy's crimes until she hung herself when he was let go on that technicality. Unable to move on, she's stuck on Earth trying to do what she can to stop Freddy no matter how painful that is for her.
Uncertain Doom: Freddy somehow managed to break free of her between the fifth and sixth films, with no mention of what happened to her spirit.
Vehicle Vanish: The first time Dr. Gordon sees Sister Mary Helena she vanishes when a group of people walk in front of her and block his view.

Will Stanton

Played By: Ira Heiden

Ascended Fanboy: Will is fond of playing role-playing games and gains genuine magical powers in the dream world.
Broken Pedestal: Will's reaction to being told that his parents participated in a vigilante execution is one of shock, brief disbelief, and sadness.
Bungled Suicide: Will initially says that he’s in a wheelchair because of an “accident”, but Taryn and Kincaid reveal that it was a failed suicide attempt.
Nerd Glasses: Will is a fan of role-playing games and wears glasses with lenses about the size of his mouth.
Nice Guy: Will is one of the more polite and well-meaning kids at the asylum.

Phillip Anderson

Played By: Bradley Gregg

Death by Irony: He's a sleepwalker who makes marionette puppets. Freddy kills him by puppeteering his body via his own arteries as if he were sleepwalking and making him walk off the building.
Genre Savvy: He's quick to logically argue against Dr. Sims' claims about Freddy being a mass hallucination.
Nice Guy: From what we see of him he's very friendly.

Jennifer Caulfield

Played By: Penelope Sudrow

Cigarette Burns: Does this to herself to stay awake (along with watching TV).
Death by Irony: She dreams to be an actress on TV, and frequently watches it to keep her awake. Freddy kills her by slamming her into a TV.
Dramatic Irony: A Shrinking Violet whose dream is to be an actress on TV.
Sacrificial Lamb: She shares this role with Phillip, as the only two of the teenagers in Dream Warriors who don't get to show off any special powers.
Shrinking Violet: Especially compared to Kristen and Taryn.
Translator Buddy: She acts as one for Joey since his nightmares have left him mute from traumtization.

Dr. Elizabeth Simms

Elizabeth Simms

Played By: Priscilla Pointer

Another doctor at Westin Hills, one who refuses to consider Freddy Krueger exists and unintentionally acts as a detriment to the teenagers as well as Neil and Nancy.

Dr. Jerk: A unintentional example on her part. Simms wants to help the kids, but refuses to budge on her perception that the kids are being plagued by guilt complexes and repressed sexual desires when even other doctors could see there's something else going on with them.
Ignored Epiphany: For a moment, Sims looks troubled and hesitant after Kristen calls her a stupid bitch and yells that her methods are killing the kids she's trying to help. She quickly brushes it off though, and continues to have Kristen sedated.
Karma Houdini: She last appears having Kristen sedated and dragged into the Quiet Room, with no indication Simms ever paid for her actions that allowed Freddy to claim other victims. Although, she did have the best of intentions and sincerely thought that Freddy was just a collective delusion that the teens were reinforcing on each other.
Know-Nothing Know-It-All: How she ultimately comes across in her diagnosis of what's harming the teenagers. Elizabeth assumes their nightmares are all due to extreme guilt and repressed sexual anxiety, and she stands by this for the entirety of the movie. Even when it's logically pointed out how unlikely it is that every kid would've dreamed up the same man and how it's obvious there is something deeper going on than just a guilty conscience, Elizabeth still thinks the kids need uninterrupted R.E.M. sleep.
Took a Level in Jerkass: In her first scene, Sims is friendly with Neil, speaks encouragingly about their new coworker (Nancy), and shows some sympathy for the kids (although she does consider putting Kincaid in isolation permanently). In her following scenes, she's a lot more cold and condescending to both her colleagues and her patients. Since the teens under their care keep killing themselves and Neil's experimental, carefree methods have apparently proved counterproductive, one can understand why Simms would think that a firmer hand was necessary.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: She's honestly trying to help Kristen and the other kids, but fails to realize her methods are counterproductive are only making them easy targets for Freddy.

Elaine Parker

Played by: Brooke Bundy

Kristen Parker's apathetic mother, who brushes off Kristen's problems as a spoiled brat's cries for attention.

Adults Are Useless: Par for the course with the Elm Street parents, to the point she is so quick to ignore Kristen's issues that in Dream Master she drugs Kristen's lemonade with sleeping pills to make her get some sleep.
Break the Haughty: She gets thoroughly shattered as soon as Elaine opens Kristen's bedroom door to find the bed's on fire and Kristen's dead.
Jerkass: She is very rude to Kristen, Nancy, her own housekeeper, and just about everyone except her boyfriends.
Lack of Empathy: Elaine's concerned enough about Kristen's supposed suicide attempt to put her in Westin Hills, but thinks this is some attempt at getting attention. She gets worse in Dream Master where Elaine genuinely doesn't appear to give a shit about Kristen losing both her friends in a single night.
My God, What Have I Done?: You can see it on her face that she realizes Kristen wouldn't have died if Elaine hadn't drugged her, though she assumes it's because Kristen might've fallen asleep with a lit cigarette and not Freddy Krueger.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She drugs Kristen with sleeping pills and sends her right into Freddy's clutches, which not only gave Freddy the last Elm Street child but a conduit for new victims in the form of Alice Johnson. Literally every death that occurs from Dream Master is thanks to Elaine unwittingly helping Freddy establish a connection to the rest of Springwood's children.

Max

Played By: Laurence Fishburne

The main orderly at Westin Hills.

Deadpan Snarker: Max enjoys making snarky comments.
Neil: [Sims] thinks it's nothing but sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll [that's causing the nightmares and suicides].
Max: Shit. That's what keeps people alive.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Max is willing to help restrain the kids for sedation and can get a little irritated with them, but he's just doing his job and treats them with respect and kindness for the most part. He doesn't seem to believe that there's anything supernatural about what's going on, but does help the kids out in other ways.
- He lets Jennifer stay up late due to seeing how afraid she is of going to sleep.
- He lets Nancy back into the hospital after she's fired so she can say goodbye to the kids.
- Taryn trusts him enough to threaten Lorenzo to tell him about Lorenzo's attempt to coerce her into sex.

Lorenzo

Played By: Clayton Landey

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Lorenzo is introduced firmly but professionally helping subdue Kristen when she starts lashing out rather than be sedated. Later, he has a friendly conversation with one of the nicer nurses and offering to walk her down a dark hall. Then he offers Taryn drugs if she'll sleep with him and cruelly mocks her when she refuses.
Hate Sink: Lorenzo is a disgusting Smug Snake who uses his position to sexually harass patients, calling him unlikeable is putting it lightly.
Karma Houdini: Lorenzo is the vilest character in the movie after Freddy himself, but Freddy has no reason to target him and there are no witnesses when he goes after Taryn, so he never gets any comeuppance and is still free to harass the patients, one can only hope that Dr Simms or Max caught him. Worst still his main victim, Taryn, doesn't get out of the film alive, but he does

**Introduced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)**

Alice Johnson

"Come on, you fucking coward!"

Played by: Lisa Wilcox

"Now I lay me down to sleep. The master of dreams, my soul I'll keep. In the reflection of my mind's eye, evil will see itself and it shall die."

The lead protagonist of the fourth and fifth films, and a high school friend of Kristen.

Abusive Parents: Alice and her brother Rick had to deal with emotional abuse from their alcoholic father for years. Following Rick's death their dad started going to Alcoholics Anonymous and by Dream Child has become a more loving and attentive father.
Action Survivor: Alice is the only protagonist to survive two films straight.
Arch-Enemy: She becomes the most powerful of the Elm Street heroines as the Dream Master and the one whom Freddy legitimately loathes and fears the most. She's the only one who made it difficult for him to come back. Once she killed him in Dream Master he had to find another way to invade dreams as she was too powerful for him to overcome directly. He spends the majority of Dream Child taunting Alice through murdering her boyfriend and friends, but can't actually do anything to her because he could end up harming Jacob in the process. She is also the only one capable of really pushing his Berserk Button to the point of dropping his sick sense of humor and taking her seriously as an enemy.
Big Damn Heroes: Has the distinction of being a rare heroine to save one of her friends (Yvonne) from Freddy.
Blessed with Suck: With Kristen's dream power, Krueger used Alice to pull people into her dreams so he could murder them.
Character Development: Alice goes from a quiet and demure Shrinking Violet to a Genre Savvy and confident Action Girl over the course of two films.
Combat Pragmatist: Alice is compared to MacGyver with how handy she can be, same as Nancy.
Dream Weaver: She's the titular Dream Master.
Fiery Redhead: Was this by the end of Dream Master. In Dream Child Alice became blonde, but her personality stayed the same.
Final Girl: And the only one to survive two movies in a row.
Good Parents: She becomes this in Dream Child by reaching out to Jacob in the dream world, assuaging his fears that she doesn't want him and stopping Freddy from corrupting Jacob. In this way Alice actually triumphs in a manner Marge Thompson and the other Elm Street parents failed, as she is out to protect her son from Freddy Krueger and she is emotionally there for him.
Hates Their Parent: In Dream Master Alice would fantasize about screaming at her dad for being such a useless, horrible person. Their relationship's been repaired by Dream Child thanks to him getting sober, to the point Alice is happy to know Dennis was at her graduation ceremony.
It's All My Fault: Her reaction when she realizes that Freddy is using her to kill new victims.
Magical Girl Warrior: Barring the lack of a Transformation Sequence^note and the aesthetics of the genre, she's about as close as you can get to this in a Western horror movie, and an example of what happens when you make one the Final Girl. It's a decidedly darker take, since her dream powers at first only serve to make everyone around her bigger targets for Freddy, and All Your Powers Combined comes from her absorbing her friends' powers as Freddy kills them. Otherwise, it has the typical tropes: shy and insecure teenage girl receives magical powers one day (from Kristen, the previous Final Girl) and, over the course of the movie, overcomes her insecurities and matures into her role as the titular Dream Master, freeing the children's souls from Freddy while getting the hot guy and reconciling with her abusive father.
Mama Bear: The whole point of Dream Child was that she wouldn't let Krueger get away with warping her unborn child.
Missing Mom: Her mother is not in the picture.
Personality Powers: An inversion. As Krueger killed off her friends, Alice began inheriting their dream powers and pieces of their personalities.
The Power of Friendship: The power she gains from her friends gives her the strength to face Krueger on her own, but it's also that their power gave her the strength to find her own strength, which is what ultimately stops him and frees his enslaved souls in Dream Master.
Shrinking Violet: Originally.
Superior Successor: She's the strongest of all the Elm Street heroines and outclasses both Nancy and Kristen in terms of power and the ability to survive.
Take Up My Sword: From Kristen.
Teen Pregnancy: She's pregnant in Dream Child.
This Cannot Be!: Her reaction in Dream Child when she witnesses Freddy's return.
Alice: You can't come back! I locked the door on you!
Freddy: But I found the key.
Took a Level in Badass: When Dream Master began, Alice was rather meek and spent most of her time in daydreams. By the end of the film, she became someone who took Krueger on by herself.
Alice: [as Freddy is harassing Dan] Get away from him you son of a bitch!

Dan Jordan

Daniel "Dan" Jordan

Played by: Danny Hassel

A star high school football player who is friends with Rick Johnson, the latter who introduces him to Alice Johnson, who has a crush on him.

Academic Athlete: In addition to being a fit jock, Dan is the valedictorian of his class.
Body Horror: Dan is killed in The Dream Child by getting fused with a motorcycle.
Distressed Dude: Alice's confrontation at the end of The Dream Master is prompted by her having to save Dan from Krueger. He attempts to not be this and tries to help Alice fight Krueger at the end, but he's woken up during his surgery after the doctors finish and they won't put him back under despite his protests. Unfortunately, she's unable to save him in The Dream Child.
Lovable Jock: Dan is a popular sports jock whom Alice crushes on, is an all-around nice guy who avoids the mean behavior.
Nice Guy: He's a genuine sweetheart and exactly as Alice imagined him to be as a boyfriend, sticking by her side and offering to fight Freddy alongside her.
Shirtless Scene: Gets a couple in The Dream Child.
Sophisticated as Hell: Dan ends his graduation speech on a deliberately unsophisticated line.
Dan: And as adults, we must now prepare for our new life outside this wonderful environment known as Springwood High. So let's blow this pop stand!
Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome: After having barely survived in The Dream Master, Dan dies early on in The Dream Child.
Unwilling Roboticisation: Dan's fatal nightmare is him being fused to the motorcycle he is riding, and dying in a car crash in real life.

Rick Johnson

Played by: Andras Jones

Alice' brother and Dan's friend, who is Kristen's boyfriend by the time of The Dream Master and a martial arts enthusiast.

Cool Big Bro: Rick is an energetic, entertaining guy who treats his Shrinking Violet sister pretty well.
Death by Irony: Rick is a martial arts enthusiast. Freddy kills him by summoning a dream dojo where he beats him up before propeling his knived glove at him, killing him.

Sheila Kopecky

Played by: Toy Newkirk

A teenage genius who is asthmatic.

Black and Nerdy: An African-American straight-A student.
Kiss of Death: Freddy kills her by kissing her and leaving her a withered husk in her nightmare, causing her to have a fatal asthma attack in the real world.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: She's the Girly Girl to Debbie's Tomboy, but only slightly.

Debbie Stevens

Played by: Brooke Theiss

A tough teenager who's afraid of bugs.

Book Dumb: She's bad at math because she spends more time watching soap operas and often gets Shelia to help her.
Creepy Cockroach: Debbie hates roaches. She is turned into one in her nightmare and is trapped in a roach motel.
Cruel and Unusual Death: Even by the standards of the franchise, hers was incredibly drawn out and horrifying.
Dark Is Not Evil: Wears a black punk outfit in several scenes, and a black dress to Rick's funeral but is a loyal and caring friend.
Death by Irony: In Debbie's first scene she's shown to hate cockroaches, and she squashes one under her boot. Later on she gets turned into a cockroach by Freddy, who then crushes the roach motel she's trapped inside.
Forced Transformation: Freddy turns Debbie into a giant, helpless cockroach, puts her inside a roach hotel and then crushes her.
Mama Bear: Is openly protective of Shelia and frequently steps in when she gets accosted by assholes.
Painful Transformation: How does Freddy transform Debbie into a cockroach? By breaking off her arms and then forcing her to rip her face off to reveal the insect parts underneath. The worst part is before she dies, we see her legs are still human which means she wasn't even fully turned.
Skeptic No Longer: After Rick's death.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: The Tomboy to Shelia's Girly Girl. She's a weight lifting tough girl.
Tomboy with a Girly Streak: The above being said, she also loves Dynasty and is terrified of bugs.
Transformation Horror: Debbie's transformation into a cockroach is as disgusting as it is disturbing, with her screaming in pain and horror nearly the entire time

**Introduced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)**

Jacob

Jacob Daniel Johnson

Played by: Whit Hertford

The son of Alice Johnson and Dan Jordan. After being defeated by his mother, Freddy Krueger returns using Jacob's dreams while he is still a fetus, and feeds the souls of his victims to him to make him like Krueger. The spirit of Jacob as a young boy appears to his mother to help her defeat Freddy, though she is unaware of his true identity at first.

Creepy Child: Jacob gradually turns into one due to Freddy's influence.
Fetus Terrible: Freddy's aim is to turn Jacob into this, feeding the fetus souls to strengthen it, presumably intending to either make the baby into his agent, or possess it.

Greta Gibson

Played by: Erika Anderson

A friend of Alice Johnson who is subject to an overbearing mother. She dreams of becoming a supermodel.

And Show It to You: A non-heart example. During her nightmare Freddy cuts out a chunk of her stomach to show that he's been making her eat her own organs.
Antagonistic Offspring: A heroic example. While her mom still has a lot of control over her, Greta does have her ways of fighting back against Racine. Despite everything, Greta became a loving, compassionate person who will put up with her mom's bullshit when it only effects her but will openly express her anger when Racine insults her friends.
Autocannibalism: Freddy force-feeds her her own innards.
Body Horror: Even without counting the whole "force-feeding her her own organs" thing, Greta is force-fed until her cheeks swell up to a grotesque size from both the "food" she's eating plus her own vomit.
Calling the Old Man Out: She gets pissed off at her mother shamelessly chiding her for not being appreciative when one of the sleazy guests at Racine's dinner party claims he has an in with a fashion bigwig, to which Greta responds she'd appreciate time to mourn her dead friend.
The Chew Toy: After she's killed, Freddy continues to torment her by using her soul to mock Alice and Mark.
Dating What Daddy Hates: Defied all over the place. While she never went as far as to date Mark, one would assume a rich girl like Greta's only reason for associating with Mark, Alice, Yvonne and Dan was for the sake of annoying Racine. Greta mourning Dan is the clearest demonstration her mom had nothing to do with Greta joining Alice's group.
Death Glare: When one of her mom's guests states "Greta certainly has the perfect body for modeling," the expression Greta gives the guy is one of both exhaustion and one that clearly indicates she would murder him if she had the energy.
Due to the Dead: Cries over Dan's yearbook photo and the graduation photo taken earlier in the day.
Force Feeding: Freddy force-feeds Greta until she chokes to death.
Go Through Me: Promises Alice that Freddy will have to do this if he does exist. This only worries Alice, and with good reason.
Hates Their Parent: Every interaction between Greta and Racine makes it abundantly clear Greta cannot stand her mother due to her controlling behavior.
The Heart: Greta's death is what clearly shakes up Alice's group to the core, more so than Dan's. While Alice and Greta are both shown visibly upset at Dan's passing, Greta's murder shakes up both Yvonne and Mark indicating they were closer to her than they were Dan.
Hidden Depths: At first glance Greta looks like she's another spoiled, vain rich girl. It's quickly established she's not particularly hung up about her looks or being rich, is insecure about her feelings for Mark, and cares deeply about her friends to the point she openly mourns Dan's death and cries over his photo.
I Just Want to Be Normal: While she's indeed interested in having a modeling career, how much of it is what she wants and what her mom wants is up for debate. Greta makes it clear she knows exactly how obnoxious her mother and people in their social circle are and wants no part of any it, if only Racine wasn't so controlling.
Indifferent Beauty: Yes, Greta wants to be a model, but isn't particularly boastful of her good looks. Her mother Racine, on the other hand, does the boasting for Greta.
Light Feminine Dark Feminine: She's the light to her mother's dark as exemplified during the dinner party scene. Greta wears a stylish white dress with her hair its natural color and loose and is considered the child of the two, contrasted to Racine's somewhat dated black dress, dyed red hair, and noticeable make-up making her the adult. The conversation between them concerns Greta's modeling career, with Racine happy as men talk about Greta's "perfect body" while Greta doesn't bother to hide her annoyance and disgust. Ultimately played with in that the light character is angry and frustrated while the dark character is seemingly happy.
Like Father, Unlike Son: She's the direct antithesis of her mother Racine. Racine's all about looks and connections, is domineering, and generally lacking in sympathy or consideration. Greta doesn't particularly care that much about her looks or knowing important people, is supportive, and is capable of great empathy and compassion. The dinner party best highlights this, comparing Racine's severe cut, dyed red hair, make-up and black dress, to Greta's loose, natural brown hair, lack of make-up, and white dress. To put it simply, Racine's all artificial while Greta's the real deal.
Mama Bear: A subdued example and rather atypical considering Greta's also the designated "hot girl" in the cast. She cares deeply about her friends, is willing to stand between them and whatever might try to hurt them, and will openly blast her mother in public if Greta thinks her loved ones are being insulted.
Racine: Greta, you're being offered the opportunity of a lifetime. I think you should show a little gratitude?
Greta: (in a very "what the fuck is wrong with you" voice) One of my friends died yesterday, mother. Do you mind if I take a few hours off to remember him?
My Beloved Smother: Greta's mom, Racine Gibson, mixed in with Stage Mom. She thinks that the best way to help Greta's dreams of becoming a supermodel is to constantly starve her.
Nice Girl: Is easygoing, sweet, cares a lot about her friends, and while she doesn't believe Freddy is real she still supports Alice.
True Companions: She considers herself this with Alice and the others in Dream Child. Greta's deeply upset about Dan's death, and is the first to assure Alice whatever might be after her will have to go through Greta and the rest. She's particularly disgusted at her mother's apathy regarding Dan's death when Racine tries to assure one of her guests that they weren't close.
Weight Woe: Greta's mother is constantly "slapping her wrist" about her weight and what she eats. This was toned down from the script, where Greta herself was the one afraid of what junk food and eating too much would do to her skin and body, while in the finished film she's just worried about Racine giving her crap.
What You Are in the Dark: Her kindness is shown to be genuine when she's found mourning Dan's death alone in her room with none of the other characters nearby or even aware it's happening.

Mark Gray

Played by: Joe Seely

A friend of Alice Johnson who is obsessed with comic books and is a talented comic book artist.

Afraid of Blood: He's notoriously squeamish around blood in real life, which Greta teases him about since his comics are so gory. This actually saves Mark's life. After Freddy's first attempt to kill him leaves Mark with several cuts on his hands. Upon seeing how bloody his hands are, Mark faints in the dream sending him back to the waking world. Freddy works around it by turning him into a drawing.
Cannot Spit It Out: Can't voice his crush in Greta, something he deeply regrets. He is, however, able to phrase his affection as a joke so Greta won't take him seriously. During graduation she sees him with a giant lollipop and we get this exchange.
Greta: What is that?
Mark: My undying love, have some.
Curb Stomp Cushion: He manages momentarily fight off Freddy by consciously turning into his comic book character. It doesn't work, but he put more fight than most.
Forced Transformation: Freddy turns him into a two-dimensional drawing before slicing him to bits.
The Lancer: For the fifth movie, believing Alice fairly quickly and doing the most to help keep her safe and combat Freddy.
Rotoscoping: How Mark being sucked into the comic-book dreamscape is represented.
Serendipitous Survival: The first time Freddy attacks him he gets randomly woken up just in time.
Took a Level in Badass: He tries to attempt this by transformation into his comic character, the Phantom Prowler, so he can fight against Freddy. Freddy unfortunately proves too powerful.

Yvonne Miller

Played by: Kelly Jo Minter

A friend of Alice Johnson.

Big Damn Heroes: Helps find Amanda's remains and gets her spirit involved in the climax.
Cassandra Truth: Yvonne is the only one of Alice's friends who outright doesn't believe her about Freddy... until Freddy comes after Yvonne and Alice bails her out.
Closer to Earth: She's the most grounded and realistic of Alice's new friends (not that any of them are foolish or anything). Whereas Greta's a rich model-in-training and Mark's a squirmish pseudo-Goth comic nerd, Yvonne's a diver who works at the hospital. She's of the same social class as Mark, but her interests are more practical. When dealing with Alice supposedly being "deluded" about Freddy, Yvonne doesn't simply tell Alice she's crazy. Yvonne phrases it as Alice needing to deal with reality for her sake and the sake of her unborn child.
The Determinator: Whatever Yvonne puts her mind towards, she will accomplish. She keeps working and practicing despite losing two friends in two days, and upon realizing Freddy Krueger's real Yvonne does all she can to help Alice defeat him.
Empty Swimming Pool Dive: When Yvonne does her swimming pool dives at night, Freddy attacks her by turning the swimming platform into a giant hand to crush her. She jumps off the platform to escape, but the pool morphs into an empty one in mid-jump. Yvonne only avoids plummeting to her death when she manages to dive into a puddle in the pool floor, which unfortunately sends her straight into Freddy's clutches.
Hidden Depths: Yvonne seemingly comes across as stubborn and bullheaded during her confrontations with Alice about Freddy's existence, but it's later shown she's clearly dealing with a lot and the last few days have left a visible mark on her. Between juggling her job and swim practice while dealing with two friends dying and her other two insisting they were killed by some monster, Yvonne visibly appears worn out and somewhat depressed over how shitty things turned out after graduation.
The Lancer: She takes this role from Mark after he dies, doing stuff in the real world while Alice fights Freddy in the dream realm.
Only Sane Man: Subverted. Yvonne thinks she's this when Alice and Mark both start focusing on ways to beat Freddy, and assumes that stress is making them act crazy. The moment she realizes Freddy is real, her help proves so crucial if it hadn't been for her finding Amanda Krueger, Alice and Jacob would've lost.
Sassy Black Woman: She has some shades of this, but it's thankfully not her entire character.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After learning Mark's hopped on the Freddy bandwagon, Yvonne storms out of Alice's house in disgust at the thought both her friends are now deluding themselves.

Racine Gibson

Played by: Pat Sturges

"Greta! That's NOT what a cover girl puts in her body!"

Greta Gibson's mother, a domineering twit obsessed with turning Greta into a world famous supermodel no matter how much it makes Greta hate her.

Abusive Parents: Emotionally and mentally, she controls nearly everything Greta does and shows no consideration to Greta's feelings about anything. It's a wonder how Greta managed to stay friends with Alice and the others with Racine breathing down her neck about everything. Everything that happens in Greta's nightmare are all indicators of what Racine's done to Greta over the years.
Adults Are Useless: It doesn't get any more useless than watching your child violently choke to death in front of you and doing absolutely nothing about it.
Dramatic Irony: She micromanages and dominates Greta's life so her daughter will have a career as a model. Freddy Krueger utilizes everything Racine's done to Greta in order to kill her, ending Racine's plans and taking away her only child in the process.
Evil Redhead: It's an obvious dye job, but she still fits the bill.
Hate Sink: Is quite frankly one of the worst people in the franchise due to how controlling and smug she is even if she doesn't cross the line into outright sexually abusing or murdering others.
I Reject Your Reality: Racine tells people with a straight face that she and Greta are frequently confused for sisters.
Lack of Empathy: She doesn't care at all about Dan's death or how it affects Greta, and instead tries to downplay Greta's connection to Dan so people won't think poorly of her daughter being associated with a supposed drunk driver. Racine takes this to an almost absurd degree, as she is so oblivious to the pain and frustration Greta's dealing with Racine literally could not tell Greta was choking to death in front of her.
Outliving One's Offspring: She watches Greta choke to death right in front of her.
Stage Mom: It's painfully obvious she's trying to live through Greta, and her goals for Greta's career are mainly so Racine can vicariously live through her accomplishments. Racine's perfectly happy with grown men leering at Greta if it means furthering Greta's career.
Upper-Class Twit: Racine's almost a parody of this trope due to how out of place she seems in a town like Springwood. She talks like she's old money and she surrounds herself with an entourage of sleazy assholes who supposedly have ins with the fashion industry.

**Introduced in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)**

"John Doe"

Played by: Shon Greenblatt

"Freddy won't hurt me. I'm family."

The last surviving child of Springwood, who manages to escape from the town, only to be brought back to investigate exactly what has happened there. As time passes, he starts to suspect that he's related to Freddy.

Decoy Protagonist: Freddy's Dead treats him as the main character until the survivors try to escape Springwood, after which Freddy kills him, and Maggie takes over as the protagonist.
His Name Is...: Manages to tell Maggie a little about Freddy's real child which, although incomplete, is still enough to put her on the right track.
Mysterious Past: We never actually find out his real name or anything of any real significance about his backstory.
No Body Left Behind: After Freddy kills him, his body vanishes, and aside from a brief mention by Maggie, he's never seen or mentioned again. Not only that, all evidence indicates that he was erased from history.
Unwitting Pawn: Freddy fully planned for him to bring some fresh victims and, most importantly, his daughter to Springwood.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: After bringing Freddy's daughter, Maggie/Katherine to Springwood, Freddy no longer has any real need for him, and kills him with a bed of spikes.

Maggie Burroughs (SPOILERS)

Margaret "Maggie" Burroughs (aka Katherine Krueger)

Played by: Lisa Zane

"Freddy's dead!"

A psychologist who appears in Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, investigating the appearance of the mysterious "John Doe" and the deaths of every child in Springwood. In reality, she's Freddy's long-lost daughter, and the only person who can finally destroy Freddy.

Alliterative Name: Her real name, Katherine Krueger.
Dark Secret: One that even she doesn't know about; she's Freddy's daughter, and witnessed him murdering her mother.
Final Girl: As with Lisa Webber, she's initially not the film's focus character, but takes over the role in the final act when Freddy kills "John Doe".
Parental Abandonment: Her mother was killed by Freddy. Something that's all the worse when you consider that her father is Freddy!
Self-Made Orphan: She kills Freddy, her father. However, he was already a horrifically evil serial killer, so it's hard to blame her.
Straight Man: The sole voice of reason among the generally dysfunctional characters in the sixth film.
Strong Family Resemblance: Her natural hair color is the same sandy brown as her mother and father.
Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome: In the non-canon comic series Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash: The Nightmare Warriors, she betrays the group of heroes confronting Freddy and Jason, revealing her true allegiances as her father's ally, before being killed shortly thereafter.
Unwitting Pawn: She unknowingly helps carry Freddy out of Springwood, leaving him free to attack the entire world.

Carlos

Played by: Ricky Dean Logan

A youth under the counsel of Maggie Burroughs who was physically abused by his parents, leaving with him a hearing disability.

Bury Your Disabled: The deaf kid Carlos becomes Freddy's first dream victim.
Desperate Object Catch: Afflicted with hyper-sensitive hearing in his nightmare, Carlos sees Freddy preparing to drop a pin from a high balcony, and catches it with a frantic Diving Save. Too bad Freddy had a whole handfull of additional pins...
Ear Ache: Freddy kills him by replacing his hearing aid with one that makes all sounds ultra-loud, then gets out a chalkboard and repeatedly scratches it with his knives until his head explodes. Much earlier, he drives a giant q-tip through his ear, replicating the way his mother deafened him in the first place.
Twofer Token Minority: Carlos is both Hispanic and deaf.
Your Head A-Splode: Freddy eventually makes Carlos's head explode.

Spencer

Played by: Breckin Meyer

A youth under the counsel of Maggie Burroughs. He is sent to the shelter because his father's demanding expectations have driven him to drugs. He has a strong fascination with video games.

Deadpan Snarker:
Spencer: We're in Twin Peaks here.
Denser and Wackier: The circumstances of his death makes it easily the silliest in the entire franchise; being turned into a video game character and dying by falling into a giant pit.
Drugs Are Bad: He falls asleep while high and left his fate to be sealed, as he was so stoned that he couldn't be awakened.
Ironic Echo: "Be like me!", his father's statement to him during one of his lectures and also what the video game antagonists in his visage chant at him.
Jock Dad, Nerd Son: His father is a tall and strong former tennis player while he is short and spends his time divulging into video games and marijuana.
The Stoner: He takes up marijuana because his father's demanding expectations.
"Well Done, Son" Guy: Subverted; he hates his father and knows that he is unable to please him so he does his best to both ignore him and piss him off.

Tracy

Played by: Lezlie Deane

A youth under the counsel of Maggie Burroughs who was sexually abused by her father.

Abusive Parents: She was sexually abused by her father until she finally killed him in self defense.
Hates Their Parent: Freddy takes on the role of Tracy's sexual abusive father to terrify her. It instead enrages her to the point Tracy attempts to beat him to death with a coffee pot, with the implication that was how she killed him in real life.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: When confronted by an apparition of her dead father, Tracy proceeds to beat the shit out of him before grabbing a coffee pot and completely destroying his face.
Only Sane Woman: She's shown to be the most levelheaded of the initial trio, to the point she knows how to willingly enter a dream state on her own and is smart enough to wake herself up before Freddy can get his hands on her. It's why she's the only survivor of the kids.
Took a Level in Badass: Helps defeat Freddy in the climax with a pipe bomb.
Trauma Button: Freddy tries pressing her's by manifesting as Tracy's sexually abusive father. Instead of being scared, Tracy snaps and beats the ever loving shit out of her "dad."
Tracy (while smashing her "dad's" face in with a coffee pot): Here! Do you love me now?! DO YOU LOVE ME NOW?!

Doc

Played by: Yaphet Kotto

A counselor at Maggie Burroughs shelter.

Adults Are Useless: One of the biggest aversions in the franchise due to his expertise in dream therapy and ability to understand kids like Tracy.
The Mentor: He's something of an expert on dreaming, similar to Nancy's role in Dream Warriors.
No-Sell: Freddy's attempt to erase Carlos, Spencer, and John from everyone's memories doesn't work on Doc because he has better control over his dreams.
Parental Substitute: He acts as something of a parental figure to Tracy to the point he's the only adult in her life besides Maggie she'll trust.
Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: Doc still remembers Carlos, Spencer and John even after Freddy erases them from everyone's memories.

Remake continuity

Freddy Krueger

See his page.

Kris Fowles

Christina "Kris" Fowles

Played by: Katie Cassidy

Adaptation Name Change: Her surname in the original is Gray rather than Fowles. Furthermore, while in both cases they have the first name Christina, here she is nicknamed "Kris", while in the original she was nicknamed "Tina."
Decoy Protagonist: Although anyone familiar with the original expected Nancy to take the spotlight sooner or later.

Jesse Braun

Played by: Thomas Dekker

Adaptation Name Change: The character in the original movie whose role he's fulfilling was named Rod Lane.
Decoy Protagonist: The narrative follows him briefly after Kris' death.
Torso with a View: Krueger thrusts his gloved hand into his back and pushes it through his body, making it erupt from the chest.

Nancy Holbrook

Played by: Rooney Mara

Adaptation Name Change: Her surname in the original is Thompson rather than Holbrook.
Supporting Protagonist: This Nancy is more of a reactive character, dealing with Freddy's torment, while Quentin comes up with solutions on how to counter him.

Quentin Smith

Played by: Kyle Gallner

Adaptation Name Change: He's the Glen Lantz equivalent in the movie.
Calling the Old Man Out: He confronts his father about his hole in Freddy's death after learning the truth.
Deuteragonist: He's the most prominent character behind Nancy.
Guest Fighter: Appears alongside Freddy in Dead by Daylight.
Nice Guy: He's a friendly guy, to the point he even feels pity for Freddy until he realizes just how bad the guy really was.
Spared By Adaptation: Unlike Glen, he makes it to the end.

Dr. Gwen Holbrook

Played by: Connie Britton

Adaptation Name Change: Besides Nancy's family name in the original being Thompson rather than Holbrook, Nancy's mother there was named Marge.

Alan Smith

Played by: Clancy Brown

Adaptation Name Change: The character he took the place of was named Don Thompson.
And This Is for...: "This is for my son!" as he tosses a molotov into the room where Freddy is trapped.
Decomposite Character: Some of the role played by Nancy's father in the original is given to him instead.
Knight Templar Parent: Lead a mob to murder Freddy before he could face due process after learning about his sexual abuse of their children.

Characters / A Nightmare on Elm Street

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