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Artwork by Brent Engstrom Printed on our super soft 4.5oz 100% pre-shrunk ringspun cotton shirts Custom Printed on Demand About A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) Wes Craven's A Nigh tmare on Elm Street (1984) was inspired by real newspaper accounts of Southeast Asian refugees who died in their sleep after experiencing terrifying nightmares, a phenomenon so unexplained that the CDC investigated it. Robert Englund was cast as Freddy Krueger after over 200 actors auditioned, and his improvised decision to wear the iconic striped sweater in red and green—colors Craven chose because they're the hardest combination for the human eye to process—created one of horror's most recognizable villains. The film was made for just $1.1 million and launched the career of a 21-year-old Johnny Depp in his first film role, where his character famously gets pulled into a bed and expelled as a geyser of blood. New Line Cinema was on the verge of bankruptcy before the film's $57 million gross saved the studio, earning it the nickname "The House That Freddy Built." Show more