Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) is an American meta supernatural horror film written and directed by the renowned filmmaker himself. Living in Los Angeles, California, Heather Langenkamp resides with her husband Chase and their young son Dylan. Heather, best known for her portrayal of Nancy Thompson in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, later shifted her focus to television. One night, she has a dream about her family being attacked by animated Freddy Krueger claws from an upcoming film in the series, where two workers meet a gruesome fate on set. Waking up to an earthquake, she notices a cut on Chase’s finger identical to the one she saw in her dream. However, she quickly dismisses any connection to the claws. Soon after, Heather receives a chilling call from an obsessed fan imitating Freddy Krueger’s nursery rhyme. This happens to coincide with a meeting with New Line Cinema where she is offered the chance to reprise her iconic role as Nancy in a new Nightmare film – unbeknownst to her that Chase has been secretly working on it all along.

Upon arriving home, she finds Dylan engrossed in her debut film. However, he suddenly experiences a traumatic episode and unleashes a terrifying scream in her direction. Disturbed by this and the strange behavior Dylan has been exhibiting, she reaches out to Chase for help. Despite being occupied at work in Palm Springs, Chase agrees to come home immediately as the two men from her recurring dream had failed to show up for their jobs. Unfortunately, on his way back, Chase dozes off behind the wheel and encounters Freddy’s deadly claw, leading to his untimely demise. This event seems to have a profound effect on Dylan, causing concern for Heather’s longtime friend and former colleague John Saxon. In light of these events, he advises Heather to seek medical attention for herself and Dylan after she suffers a nightmare at Chase’s funeral where Freddy attempts to take away her son.