{"id":255,"date":"2011-08-28T23:21:10","date_gmt":"2011-08-28T23:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nightmareonelmstreetfilms.com\/site\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T17:22:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T01:22:54","slug":"timeline","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/nightmareonelmstreetfilms.com\/site\/features\/timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"

This timeline is based on the highly successful horror series A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em>. The outline here is the canonical account based on the films and approved licensing tie-ins. It contains the least possible spoilers for those who have not seen all of the films but still contains enough information to have everything covered.<\/p>\n

Below each listing is a footnote that provides evidence or explanation of where the listing originated. Please see these sources to confirm the information documented here.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a> to view this timeline (with references) in PDF format<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em> Timeline<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\n

1907<\/strong><\/span>
\nAmanda Krueger is born.
\n[As shown in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Circa 1940<\/strong><\/span>
\nPracticing nun Sister Mary Helena (Amanda Krueger) is accidentally locked in the tower for the criminally insane at Our Lady of Sorrows mental institution. She is raped for days by the one hundred patients confined there. Amanda is found afterward, barley alive and now pregnant. After the incident in the tower, that wing of the hospital is closed and Our Lady of Sorrows later changes its name to Westin Hills Psychiatric Hospital. Frederick Charles Krueger is born months later after a breech birth and given up for adoption.
\n[Freddy\u2019s birth date has not been officially revealed. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em> and A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child<\/em> both reference it to be sometime in the 1940s. Due to what we\u2019re shown in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em> and Freddy vs. Jason<\/em>, his birth date is most likely in the early \u201840s.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Circa 1940 to 1961<\/strong><\/span>
\nIn his elementary years, Fred Krueger begins to exhibit sociopathic behavior by killing small animals. Schoolchildren ridicule him, calling him “son of 100 maniacs” and making him an outsider socially. In his teens, Fred is placed with an abusive alcoholic named Mr. Underwood. Underwood addresses Fred as “Freddy,” and abuses the boy physically and verbally in his drunken stupors.
\n[As shown in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Freddy proclaims to have learned the “secret of pain” from self-mutilation and kills Underwood.
\n[As shown in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

In early adulthood, Freddy marries a woman named Loretta. The Kruegers reside in Underwood’s house at 1428 Elm Street.
\n[As shown in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

1961<\/strong><\/span>
\nKathryn Krueger is born.
\n[Noted on adoption decree in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

Circa 1961 to 1965<\/strong><\/span>
\nPolice begin to find the slashed and burned remains of neighborhood children. They are unable to solve the murders and local newspapers dub the mysterious killer The Springwood Slasher.
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy\u2019s Revenge<\/em> and Freddy vs. Jason<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Loretta Krueger finds a hidden room in the basement of 1428 Elm Street, containing items of the macabre and versions of a workman\u2019s glove with metal talons on the fingers. Promising she won\u2019t tell, Freddy strangles Loretta in front of young Kathryn for \u201csnooping in his special work.\u201d
\n[As shown in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Freddy works as a janitor at the local power plant and in its abandoned boiler room he killed the missing children.
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em> and A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy\u2019s Revenge<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

1966<\/strong><\/span>
\nFreddy is arrested for the murders of twenty neighborhood children. A confession from Kathryn regarding her mother\u2019s murder and disappearance prompted police action. Kathryn is placed in the care of adoption services after Freddy\u2019s arrest.
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em> and Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>. The blackboard confirms the date during the school scene in Freddy\u2019s Dead<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

1967<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe Burroughs family adopts Kathryn, gives her a new name, and moves her away from Springwood. Her records are subsequently sealed to conceal her true identity.
\n[Noted on adoption decree and referenced in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

1968<\/strong><\/span>
\nFreddy Krueger\u2019s high-profile trial begins and is cut short when it\u2019s revealed the search warrant to obtain evidence was not signed correctly. Trial evidence is deemed inadmissible and Krueger is released. Later that night, outraged and grieving neighborhood parents form a mob and track Freddy to his boiler room lair. The mob encircles the lair, pouring gasoline around the boiler room and igniting it. Molotov cocktails are also thrown through the lair\u2019s windows\u2014setting its interior ablaze. The mob stands motionless until Krueger perishes in the conflagration.
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em> and shown in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em> and Freddy vs. Jason<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

While the flames surround him, Freddy is approached by three dream demons. These demons roam the land of the living until they find the evilest soul, and, in turn, give them the power to turn dreams into reality. Krueger accepts their offer to \u201cbe forever\u201d as the flames consume him.
\n[As shown in Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

The parents involved with Krueger\u2019s death agree to keep the incident secret and help erase his existence. Krueger\u2019s remains are taken to Penny Bros. Auto Salvage and hidden in the trunk of an old red Cadillac. Officer Donald Thompson moves his family into the house at 1428 Elm Street. With Kathryn Krueger already gone from Springwood, the loose ends from that night are tied up.
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em>, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em> and Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Amanda Krueger, who had been following Freddy\u2019s trial, hears of his release and hangs herself in the tower where she was raped. Afterward, her body is sealed in the condemned tower and a memorial stone is placed in the Springwood cemetery for Amanda Krueger, her name in Christ Sister Mary Helena.
\n[As shown in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em> and referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child<\/em>. Amanda\u2019s headstone also confirms the date of Freddy\u2019s \u201cdeath\u201d at the hands of the Elm Street parents.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Circa 1968 to 1981<\/strong><\/span>
\nNeighborhood children make up a nursery rhyme about the Freddy lore to jump rope to and most parents involved with Krueger\u2019s death separate or divorce.
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

The dream demons give Freddy the power to exist and kill within dreams. Krueger can appear in any form he wants and can change the dream in any way to achieve his ends. Physical harm inflicted by Krueger in a dream will carry over to the real world, and absorbing his victim\u2019s soul will gain him more power to further influence the line between dreams and reality. In addition, fear of Krueger\u2019s memory will allow him to eventually return in cases of defeat. Setting his sights on a new generation of children, Freddy wants revenge on the parents of Elm Street for taking away his daughter.
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em>, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em>, Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>, and Freddy vs. Jason<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

1981<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em> take place.
\n[Though the first film was released in 1984, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child<\/em> is set in 1989. Dates of reference in the other sequels push the first film\u2019s events back to 1981.]<\/p>\n

1981 to 1986<\/strong><\/span>
\nNancy Thompson is sent to a psychiatric hospital away from Springwood to recover from her ordeal and finish High School. The house at 1428 Elm Street is placed up for sale. After being released from the hospital, Nancy attends college for a degree in psychology. Freddy continues to kill the Elm Street children through their dreams. Most of these deaths are considered suicides.
\n[As shown in the Nightmares on Elm Street<\/em> comic book series and referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

1986<\/strong><\/span>
\nFive years after the events of the first Nightmare<\/em>, the events of Freddy\u2019s Revenge<\/em> take place.
\n[Time lapse referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy\u2019s Revenge<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

1986 to 1987<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe house at 1428 Elm Street is boarded up and placed back out on the market. The remaining Elm Street children are committed to Westin Hills for their violent nightmares and accompanying “accidents.”
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Nancy Thompson moves back to Springwood, applies for an internship at Westin Hills and is accepted.
\n[Referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

1987<\/strong><\/span>
\nSix years after the events of the first Nightmare<\/em>, the events of Dream Warriors<\/em> take place.
\n[Time lapse referenced in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

1988<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of The Dream Master<\/em> take place.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

1989<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of The Dream Child<\/em> take place.
\n[Date confirmed at graduation scene; see cap tassels stating \u201989 in A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

1990<\/strong><\/span>
\nAlice and Jacob move away from Springwood. Freddy gains enough power to break free and returns.
\n[Referenced in the Nightmares on Elm Street<\/em> comic book series.]<\/span><\/p>\n

The events of issues 1 and 2 of Nightmares on Elm Street<\/em> take place.
\n[Referenced in the Nightmares on Elm Street<\/em> comic book series.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Circa 1991 (to 1999)<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of Freddy\u2019s Nightmares<\/em> and Tales of Terror<\/em> take place.
\n[Assumption based on the events leading up to Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

1995<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of issues 3 through 6 of Nightmares on Elm Street<\/em> take place.
\n[Referenced in the Nightmares on Elm Street<\/em> comic book series.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

1999<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of Freddy\u2019s Dead<\/em> take place.
\n[During the film\u2019s opening, the events of Freddy\u2019s Dead: The Final Nightmare<\/em> are said to happen “10 years from now.” Given the dates of reference in Freddy vs. Jason<\/em>, it would have to be ten years from 1989.]<\/span><\/p>\n

1999 to 2003<\/strong><\/span>
\nFree of Freddy’s hold, Springwood rebuilds. The house at 1428 Elm Street is remodeled and serves as the new home for the Campbell family. Soon after, Freddy again returns and begins killing. The parents of Springwood act: Any teen that reports dreaming of Freddy is committed to Westin Hills and placed on medication for dream suppression, mention of Freddy in official documents is erased and certain old obituaries are also edited, and “Freddy” by name is no longer spoken. Not able to get to the committed\/medicated teens and unable to spread fear by name, Freddy is rendered powerless and forgotten\u2014giving Springwood four years of peace.
\n[Referenced in Freddy vs. Jason<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/p>\n

2003<\/strong> (Late Summer)<\/span>
\nThe events of Freddy vs. Jason<\/em> take place.
\n[Freddy vs. Jason\u2019s<\/em> release date aside, the scene at Crystal Lake has a sign that states the area will be open in summer 2004.]<\/span><\/p>\n

2008<\/strong><\/span>
\nFreddy vs. Jason vs. Ash<\/em> takes place five years after the events of Freddy vs. Jason<\/em>.
\n[Referenced in Freddy vs. Jason vs. Ash<\/em>. Side note: The film Jason X<\/em> states government officials captured Jason Voorhees in the year 2008.]<\/span><\/p>\n

2009<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of the Avatar special and novels Suffer the Children<\/em>, Dreamspawn<\/em>, and Prot\u00e9g\u00e9<\/em> take place.
\n[Events in these publications reference story elements shown in Freddy vs. Jason<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

2010<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of Avatar comic book series Paranoid<\/em> and Fearbook<\/em> take place, along with novel The Dream Dealers<\/em>.
\n[Paranoid<\/em> and Fearbook<\/em> continue events detailed in the Avatar special. The Dream Dealers<\/em> is referenced to take place almost thirty years to the date of A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em>.]<\/span><\/p>\n

2011<\/strong><\/span>
\nThe events of Wildstorm\u2019s A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em> comic book series take place, along with novel Perchance to Dream<\/em>.
\n[Perchance to Dream<\/em> references Jacob Johnson\u2019s age to be twenty-one.]<\/span><\/p>\n

2012<\/strong><\/span>
\nNew Line Cinema\u2019s Tales of Horror<\/em> takes place.<\/p>\n

\n

<\/div>\n

\n

Additional Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Events of the Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em> series primarily take place in the fictional town of Springwood, Ohio. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare<\/em>, the seventh film, is set outside of the Nightmare<\/em> story and takes place in the fictional “real world” in 1994. Canon for the Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em> series only includes what is\/was approved by New Line Cinema. See this list<\/a> for details.<\/p>\n

Origin stories and dates presented in “The Life and Death of Freddy Krueger,” Freddy Krueger’s A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em>, and Freddy’s Nightmares<\/em> are not considered canon due to the films rewrote most of what was presented in these tales. Deleted scenes from the films are also not considered canon due to their removal and contradicting references.<\/p>\n

Platinum Dunes reinvented Freddy Krueger and his backstory in their 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street<\/em>. The Freddy Krueger character in the remake is different than the one in the series proper and does not reflect here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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