Home/Episodes/A Nightmare on Elm Street
‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Van Lathan
October 27, 2026 · A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) · Horror · 2:04:19 · ▶ Listen on Spotify
Categories
Most Rewatchable Scene
Bill Simmons▶ 52:23The popcorn set-up: some kids playing pranks, the radio, lying to their mom, making popcorn, Rod's coming over — a classic '80s set-up that turns into Tina's death
Chris Ryan▶ 52:14Tina's death — 'by far', one of the great accomplishments of the movie; 'that's an easy one'
Van Lathan▶ 52:37Not a pick, an observation: Freddy calling out to Tina after she and Rod have sex reads as a Scream (and Psycho/Janet Leigh) homage in reverse
What's Aged the Best
Chris Ryan▶ 1:03:28The decision to make Freddy a child murderer instead of a child molester has aged the best
Craig Horlbeck▶ 1:03:32Agrees with Chris that choosing 'murderer' over 'molester' has aged well, since audiences couldn't root for or enjoy a dream-world villain who was a child molester
Van Lathan▶ 1:04:01Jokingly presses on the murderer/molester distinction but ultimately agrees it was 'the right move'; also admires how well the dream world/boiler room concept holds up
Butch's Girlfriend Award
Bill Simmons▶ 1:10:48Rod (the actor credited as Nick Cory, real name Sue Garcia) is the weak link due to his poor, drug-impaired performance, including the jail cell scene with Nancy.
Casting What-Ifs
Bill Simmons▶ 1:11:35Thinks they could have done better than the actor playing Rod (credited as Nick Corri, real name Jsu Garcia), citing his drug issues and weak performance.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:12:23Feels they left something on the table by not casting a more 'dialed in' actress for Nancy's mom, criticizing her soap-opera style acting.
Van Lathan▶ 1:11:03Discusses the actor's heroin use affecting his performance; disagrees with others on Nancy's mom being the weak link, defending the Freddy arm-stretch scene's casting/effects choice as iconic rather than recasting it.
Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award
Bill Simmons▶ 1:32:56Of all the movies made in the 1980s this is the one that most resembles the structure of a 1980s porn — the bad acting (especially the mom), set-up scene then Freddy, set-up then Freddy; and Wes Craven did direct porn, as 'Abe Snake'
Chris Ryan▶ 1:26:32Wes Craven is as good at directing teenage hangouts as he is at directing horror, and that is the secret to his horror success: fifteen Linklater-believable minutes with the four kids make you care when the otherworldly evil arrives ('no, not Tina')
Craig Horlbeck▶ 1:29:47Freddy is a miss — the dime-store-magician look, the gloves, the name-embroidered fedora, the long arms — but that is why the movie stands the test of time: nailing Freddy would have made it too scary; the softer Freddy keeps it palatable
Van Lathan▶ 1:30:59Kind of Team Freddy: the parents' vigilante burning skipped due process ('we live in a country of laws', 'I can make an argument that Freddy was lynched'), so the kids are kind of getting what they deserve
Joey Pants Award
Bill Simmons▶ 1:36:21Winner: Glenn's dad (the short, squatty, beer-drinking, pissed-off father). Runner-up: the cop who won't get her dad. Also mentioned John Saxon and Lynn Shaye (the teacher, who later played Magda in There's Something About Mary) as 'that guy/gal' contenders.
Van Lathan▶ 1:36:34Charles Fleischer (the guy from the end of Zodiac); agrees John Saxon is also a 'that guy'
Half-Assed Internet Research
Bill Simmons▶ 1:39:32Runs through a list of production trivia: Nancy's fictional address (1428 North Genesee Ave, near the hosts' studio), Craven considering a sickle before settling on the glove, the dream-within-a-dream-within-a-dream ending, the 1958 Cadillac Series 62 convertible at the end, the radio DJ saying 'KGKR' as a Krueger acronym, and jokes about pronouncing Heather Langenkamp's and Amanda Wyss's names.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:40:08Notes how many 'suburban' horror movie houses (Elm Street, Halloween, Happy Days) are clustered in the same wealthy West Hollywood area, and discusses the ambiguous/dream ending of the film, including an alternate ending with Freddy driving the car.
Van Lathan▶ 1:39:44Shares personal anecdote about visiting the real Elm Street house in West Hollywood and feeling creeped out, and points out a hidden detail in an establishing shot where a hat/figure makes it look like Freddy is looming in the house.
Apex Mountain
Bill Simmons▶ 1:45:51Heather Langenkamp's Balinese dream skills - 'not sure it's ever been done better', calling it apex mountain for that acting feat
Van Lathan▶ 1:44:14Questions whether A Nightmare on Elm Street is truly 'Apex Mountain' for 80s horror, arguing Freddy sequels (by end of 80s, with pop culture presence like 1-900 numbers, Will Smith records) could be considered apex, but ultimately leans toward this being the best entry
Sequel/Prequel/Limited Series/Remake
Bill Simmons▶ 1:55:25Jokes about narrowing the murder investigation to the 20 parents of the murdered kids; doesn't give a distinct standalone pick beyond riffing on the bit
Chris Ryan▶ 1:54:50Limited series pitch: an investigative true-crime style show exonerating Freddy Krueger, with Stephen A. Smith inserted as a character claiming to have a long personal history covering/interviewing Freddy ('Freddie Krueger is the one who's lying... I've interviewed Freddy Krueger his rookie year')
Van Lathan▶ 1:55:02Riffs on the 'justice for Freddie' investigative angle, joking his wife Rachel dresses as Freddy every Halloween to scare him, doesn't commit to a formal separate pick
Is This Movie Better With
Chris Ryan▶ 1:56:24Stephen A. Smith inserted into Nightmare on Elm Street, claiming long history of interviewing Freddy Krueger and calling him a liar
Van Lathan▶ 1:57:06Jokes about 'animated Stephen A.' regarding kids going missing, but point is cut off/unclear
Probably Unanswerable Questions
Bill Simmons▶ 1:58:40Did John Hughes see this movie and get the idea for Home Alone (turning the house into a trap)? Unanswerable, no idea.
Bill Simmons▶ 1:58:53Why did horror movies and rom-coms go through a phase where everyone has a neighbor/love interest visible from their bedroom window (cites this movie, Love and Basketball, 13 Going on 30, It Follows) — likely because it's easy to shoot and avoids driving scenes.
Chris Ryan▶ 1:59:09Agrees it's a shooting-logistics trope, questions whether the 'girl next door' is a real phenomenon or just someone you went to high school with.
Van Lathan▶ 1:59:26Questions if anyone actually has a 'girl next door' experience, says he's never known one, but concedes it's culturally 'a thing.'
Who Won the Movie
Chris Ryan▶ 2:01:59Craven/the filmmaking team - impressed by how inventive and high-level the effects/filmmaking were given the budget
Craig Horlbeck▶ 2:00:49Wes Craven - praises his direction, calls it his favorite horror month pick, loved the 'holiday horror' theme-park ride feel and inventive direction
Van Lathan▶ 2:02:43Craven and his crew - praises Craven's relentless creative standards and the effects team pushing boundaries
Movies Referenced (40)
Friday the 13th (1980)
5 mentions · Chris Ryan, Bill Simmons, Craig Horlbeck▶ 17:22IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Directors Referenced (2)
Wes Craven
16 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan, Chris Ryan · Known for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, New Nightmare▶ 15:12IMDb ↗Lb ↗
John Hughes
2 mentions · Craig Horlbeck, Bill Simmons · Known for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck, The Breakfast Club▶ 1:28:16IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Actors Referenced (15)
John Saxon
3 mentions · Bill Simmons, Van Lathan · Known for A Nightmare on Elm Street, Enter the Dragon, New Nightmare▶ 59:21IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Kadeem Hardison
2 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for White Men Can't Jump▶ 22:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Charles Fleischer
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Zodiac, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, A Nightmare on Elm Street▶ 1:36:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Christopher Reeve
1 mentions · Van Lathan · Known for Superman, Superman II▶ 1:25:46IMDb ↗Lb ↗
David Warner
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Titanic▶ 1:35:00IMDb ↗Lb ↗
John Malkovich
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for In the Line of Fire, Being John Malkovich, Burn After Reading▶ 1:24:33IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Johnny Depp
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl▶ 32:39IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Luke Wilson
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Old School, The Royal Tenenbaums▶ 1:26:28IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Ralph Macchio
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for The Karate Kid, The Karate Kid Part III, My Cousin Vinny▶ 1:35:27IMDb ↗Lb ↗
Ron Silver
1 mentions · Bill Simmons · Known for Timecop▶ 24:26IMDb ↗Lb ↗