Teenagers in a small town in the United States are dropping like flies, apparently under the influence of a collective hysteria that is leading them to take their own lives. A policeman's daughter, Nancy Thompson, attributes the cause to Fred Krueger, a murderer who abused and killed several children decades ago. It seems that Krueger has returned in the dreams of teenagers, claiming their lives in revenge for something that happened to him. Nancy must escape this monster and end the threat once and for all...