When it comes to deleted scenes included on home video releases, we often see why the filmmakers found them to be superfluous, but there are sometimes instances where omissions downright baffle us. In those cases, such scenes could’ve completely changed the game had they been inserted into the final cut.
As it so happens, A Nightmare on Elm Street is in no way immune to such a thing. In fact, there was a deleted scene found on its 1996 LaserDisc release, and then later on a special edition VHS. Now, this revelation is once again making its rounds on the internet.
If your memory serves you correctly, then you’ll recall how Freddy Krueger was burned alive by the parents of Springwood as revenge for murdering various children in town. Then, in a cruel twist of fate, he returned to exact vengeance where the elders couldn’t protect the surviving kids: in their dreams.
Getting back to the deleted scene we’re here to discuss, the video embedded below shows us the moment when Nancy’s mother reveals the truth to her in their basement, but with one major difference. You see, it turns out that the teenagers getting knocked off each had siblings previously killed by Freddy – including Nancy.
Quite frankly, I don’t know why this detail had to be cut because it makes everything so much more personal for both the parents and Nancy. I can understand why it was ultimately decided against for Freddy being a pedophile – a concept eventually utilized in the 2010 remake – but this would’ve taken up only a few more seconds of screentime.
Noggin scratching aside, know that you can explore Krueger’s origins in full via a separate fan-made video found here. In that, someone compiled all relevant clips detailing the surreal slasher’s beginnings found in various A Nightmare on Elm Street films and even the Freddy’s Nightmares TV series, so it’s recommended that you set aside a few minutes in order to check it out.
