Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)

If there was any movie from my childhood that ensured I'd never get a decent night's sleep again, this was it. With Freddy, that metal-clawed, scar-faced creature that only nightmares are made of, director Wes Craven gave us the sort of movie character that remains utterly recognizable and overused in pop culture. To the extent that it becomes impossible to ever entirely erase him from your mind.

The film's premise? In many ways it's just another '80s style slasher movie, only this time the villain gets them in their dreams, or rather, nightmares. Sleeping bodies (of a more relatable cast than in most films of this genre) are brutally ripped to pieces and loved ones are left looking on. There's only one rule—don't fall asleep. Or Freddy will get you. His domain is the dream world.