While it’s maybe not a question that many fans of A Nightmare on Elm Street have been asking since the movie’s 1984 release, the reason why Freddy Krueger is so drawn to Nancy Thompson has now been explained by a new theory.
According to a post picked up by ScreenRant, and one that we looked at last summer as well, Freddy may actually be Nancy’s father. As a result, the theory claims that this relationship is the reason why Freddy is fixated on Heather Langenkamp’s character, and possibly why she’s able to defeat him, at least temporarily.
Based on this interpretation, Freddy’s not only targeting the children of the people who burnt him alive, but also particularly going after Nancy’s mother for hiding their relationship. Some of the evidence for this secret include the seemingly more personal ways that Freddy tortures Nancy, compared to the brutal deaths of her friends, and the glove found in the Thompson’s basement. However, ScreenRant do point out that it’s not Freddy treating Nancy differently that makes her special, it’s her taking the initiative in finding ways to fight him in the dream world and in reality.
Indeed, the theory does start to fall apart due to there being little to no actual evidence in the movies that Freddy has a biological relationship to Nancy. In addition, the reveal of Nancy’s mother’s knowledge of Freddy was originally supposed to be part of a grimmer plot detail where he had killed off their brothers and sisters.
We can pretty confidently say, then, that Freddy being Nancy’s father is nonsense, and doesn’t give Nancy much credit as a character in her own right. As the 2010 A Nightmare on Elm Street reboot showed, trying to over-complicate Freddy’s backstory can lead to disaster, although that hasn’t stopped Robert Englund from promoting the idea of a prequel movie. With a new Nightmare on Elm Street likely on the cards, we just hope that the producers don’t try to force a family connection between its protagonist and the killer.
