Nightmare On Elm Street Theory Suggests The Real Villain Is NOT Freddy Krueger

There's no question that Wes Craven's dream-dwelling serial killer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) is one of the most iconic horror villains of all time, striking fear into the hearts of moviegoers everywhere since his first appearance in 1984's "A Nightmare on Elm Street."

In the original film, we learn that the demonic Krueger was originally a child murderer known as the "Springwood Slasher," who escaped justice on a technicality only to be captured and burned to death by the fearful parents of Springwood, Ohio. His spirit returns in "A Nightmare on Elm Street" to seek revenge by haunting the dreams of the children of those who murdered him.

Although Krueger's backstory is one of the most well-known in all of horror fiction, a theory from TikTok user @ghostfacepanda333 suggests that Krueger was actually innocent the whole time — and the real "Springwood Slasher" was Marge Thompson (Ronee Blakley), mother of franchise staple Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp). The user claims Marge spearheaded the hunt for Freddy to use him as a scapegoat, and that the illegal search warrant leading to his arrest (which was never signed) was faked by Marge's police lieutenant husband, Donald (John Saxon). The user also argues that Freddy's iconic clawed glove is actually Marge's, which is why she keeps it in her boiler all these years later — the same boiler she used to burn Freddy and her child victims.

@ghostfacepanda333 went on to say that Marge Thompson is Freddy Kreugger's true target throughout the entirety of "A Nightmare on Elm Street," eventually using his connection to Nancy's dream to pull himself into the real world and murder her in the film's final moments.

While it's certainly interesting to consider this "What If?" scenario of Freddy Krueger being innocent (and his rampage through Springwood being an act of revenge against the real killer), this theory has some pretty gaping holes. Most importantly, it completely ignores the opening credits of the movie — where we literally watch Freddy Krueger construct his knife-gloves, wearing the same red sweater he would die in later on.

He even fesses up to being the "Springwood Slasher" in "Freddy vs Jason," saying, "My reign of terror was legendary. Dozens of children would fall by my blades." On top of that, it's almost impossible to build a case for Krueger being "innocent," because he clearly takes great pride in killing people in the most twisted ways imaginable. Ultimately, while this particular theory may not hold water under closer examination, it still presents an intriguing twist on one of the most well-known horror stories of all time.