| Nancy Thompson | |
|---|---|
| A Nightmare on Elm Street character | |
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Nancy_Thompson_(Heather_Langenkamp).jpg) Heather Langenkamp as Nancy Thompson in the film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). | |
| First appearance | A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) |
| Last appearance | Remake film (2010) |
| Created by | Wes Craven |
| Portrayed by | |
| In-universe information | |
| Full name |
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| Occupation |
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| Status | Deceased (original) Alive (remake) |
Nancy Thompson is a fictional character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. She first appears in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as a teenager hunted in her dreams by enigmatic serial killer Freddy Krueger. In this film, she was portrayed by Heather Langenkamp—who reprises the role in the sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Langenkamp later portrayed a fictional version of herself who embodies the role of Nancy in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). A reimagined version of the character, Nancy Holbrook, is portrayed by Rooney Mara in the 2010 remake.
Wes Craven conceptualized Nancy after a conversation with his daughter, Jessica. She questioned him over his clumsy-depiction of the heroine in Swamp Thing (1982)—particularly over the scene in which the heroine stereotypically trips and falls over nothing. He wanted Nancy to be a start to depicting a positive portrayal of women in his films. Being Freddy's archenemy, Nancy is the protagonist in the original film, and serves as a supporting character guide for other characters in the third film. The character also appears in spin-off works of the series such as the various novelizations and the canon comic book continuation Nightmares on Elm Street (Innovation Publishing) amongst supporting roles in other comics by different publishers.
Nancy has been called a significant figure in the horror genre and American pop culture, with depictions in various video games, toy lines, and fan art, and is considered "one of the most progressive female representations in the teen horror genre."[1] She is one of the original examples of the "final girl" theory by Carol J. Clover in her 1992 non-fiction book Men, Women, and Chainsaws. However, Clover's inclusion of the character in this trope has been agreed upon and challenged due to Nancy's characterization.[2][1]
- ^ a b Keating, Shannon (October 31, 2014). "'I'm Into Survival': A Nightmare on Elm Street's Nancy, 30 Years Later". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
- ^ Clover 1992, p. 38.