Ep. 5 - A Nightmare on Elm Street

Nate and Adam strap on their spooky names for a very special Halloween viewing of A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Wes Craven’s surreal, funny, and maybe even beautiful slasher. Join us as we take our first dip into that near-bottomless well of Simpsons parodies, “Treehouse of Horror,” with a segment from the sixth entry in the series, “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” (S7E6).

Also in this episode:

  • Freddy Krueger’s quippy, MTV-friendly place in the pantheon of iconic slashers 

  • Discovering the seeds of Googolplex boys favorite Scream (1996) in Nightmare’s balance of teen drama and humor

  • What Fred Astaire, Wes Craven, and Christopher Nolan have in common

  • A sidebar on the Simpsons early experiment with 3D animation, and it’s Canadian predecessors Short Circuitz (1994-96) and ReBoot (1994-2001)

Next week, Adam and Nate get their fill of glavins with The Nutty Professor (1963). 

Every Reference to A Nightmare on Elm Street on The Simpsons

By our count in The Simpsons Movie Reference Database, A Nightmare on Elm Street has been directly referenced in 5 episodes of the first 13 seasons of The Simpsons, including 1 plot parody and 4 smaller references, while 3 other movies in the series have also been parodied. The first reference appears in “Cape Feare” (S5E2) in 1993, 9 years after the release of the movie.

Scene & Plot References

Treehouse of Horror VI (S7E6): “Nice to rake your acquaintance.“ Groundskeeper Willie aptly takes on the role of Freddy Krueger, complete with his trademark hat and striped shirt (although in a different color palette). Instead of a bladed glove, though, Willie has a very sharp-looking rake.

Just like Nancy in Nightmare, Bart wakes up from his dream, with real scratches across his pajamas.

When Bart and Nancy go to school, they both discover that the other kids also had similar nightmares of a surreal serial killer.

Eventually the parents in both Nightmares have a heart to heart with the kids and reveal a terrible secret that may explain why the kids are being hunted in their dreams…

“You’ll pay for this with your children’s blood!” “Oh, right. How you going to get them? ‘Skeleton power’?” While the parents in A Nightmare on Elm Street took vengeance on Freddy Krueger for killing local kids by burning down his shack with him inside, Willie just died as a result of how cheap and self-involved the Springfield parents are.

“When I’m done with you, they’ll have to do a compost-mortem!” In the climax of the Simpsons segment, Willie turns into a riding lawnmower, mimicking the final shot of the movie, when the kids car transforms into a Krueger car and drives away.

The movie ends with a gauzy, pastel colored segment that seems too good to be true—which is interrupted by the final Freddy car twist (see above). Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace ends with a similar segment, but in this case, Willie just took the bus to their house and says, “boo.”

Small References

Cape Feare (S5E2): When Sideshow Bob has Bart feeling paranoid, he meets Ned Flanders on the sidewalk with a Kruegeresque razor glove. But Flanders just wants to trim his topiary. Is this also a nod to Edward Scissorhands? (Unconfirmed)

Treehouse of Horror V (S6E6): When food distracts Homer from his murderous rampage in “The Shinning” (not The Shining, you want to get sued?), Moe rallies a gang of Freddy, Jason, Pinhead, and theUniversal Classic Monsters to get him back on track.

NEW • Lard of the Dance (S10E1): When Willie chases Homer through the vents to stop him from stealing his retirement grease, the score reuses the Nightmare soundalike from “Treehouse of Horror VI.”

Treehouse of Horror IX (S10E4): During the couch gag, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees wait impatiently for the Simpson family to arrive, not knowing that Bart, Lisa, Homer, and maybe Marge and Maggie all died on the way home already.

Bonus: Other References to the Nightmare on Elm Street Series on The Simpsons

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

Treehouse of Horror VI (S7E6): The shot where the camera pulls back from Bart sitting on the couch to reveal Springfield Elementary in the background is identical to a shot in Dream Warriors where Kirsten stands up in bed to reveal 1428 Elm Street behind her.

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

Treehouse of Horror VI (S7E6): Much like Sheila’s death in Dream Master, Willie kills Martin Prince (wondrous wizard of Latin) during a test at school. (Unconfirmed)

Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)

Treehouse of Horror VI (S7E6): In Martin’s lethal nightmare, Groundskeeper Willie extends his tongue to wrap around Martin, just as Freddy does to Heather Langenkamp (as herself; it’s a meta thing).

Extra Credit

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Further Reading & Viewing

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Ep. 6 - The Nutty Professor

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Ep. 4 - Planet of the Apes