Sometimes They Come Back: 5 Horror Movies Where The Villain Returns

A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

Another iconic franchise foundation, A Nightmare On Elm Street is written and directed by Wes Craven and stars Heather Langenkamp, Robert Englund, John Saxon, Amanda Wyss, Johnny Depp, and Ronee Blakley. It not only features ‘The Final Girl’ trope, but also boasts a villain whose very origin story is that he is already the resurrection of a killer – which makes the final reel resurrection all the more effective for the burgeoning film series.

In Springwood, Ohio, Freddy Krueger stalks and kills teens in their dreams, causing them to die in reality, as a result of their parents having burned him alive in a fit of vigilante justice. It transpires that, in life, Krueger was a prolific child killer who was released into the community due to a legal technicality. This is why he is entirely disfigured and uses a bladed glove to kill his victims.

Nancy Thompson is the teen to figure out the rules governing the way Krueger operates, and creates a situation where she can pull Krueger from her dream into reality and kill him (again). She traps him in the basement and sets him on fire (again) – but he manages to escape and kills her mother, before disappearing – seemingly defeated.

He returns to attack Nancy again, however – but this time she stops him by refusing to be afraid. In doing so, Krueger is powerless and fades into nothingness. Nancy begins to have a beautiful dream, in which she is able to spend time with all her friends and family that lost their lives – until Freddy is resurrected once more, taking control and killing her mother again.