The Ending Of A Nightmare On Elm Street Explained

Toward the end of "A Nightmare on Elm Street," Nancy is forced to go to a clinic due to her inability to sleep without being terrorized by Freddy. Naturally, this nearly ends in disaster, as Freddy almost kills Nancy in the horrific dreamscape. However, she is able to wake up before he can kill her, but not before grabbing hold of Freddy's hat and yanking it into the real world with her. This finally offers Nancy a solution when it comes to defeating Freddy once and for all and ending his reign of terror on her and her loved ones.

Nancy sets up various traps around her house and then goes to the dream world to confront Freddy. This is a pivotal moment in the movie, as it shows Nancy overcoming her fear of Freddy, which is a culmination of her character arc and the key to defeating this monster in her nightmares. Indeed, she's already lost so many of her friends throughout the film, so she decides to at least bring things to an end on her terms. Nancy is ultimately successful in bringing Freddy to the real world, where she defeats the paranormal serial killer by turning the tables on him and ensuring that he's the one afraid. However, there's a dark twist lingering in the shadows of this third act.