Using Todorov and Propps theories on 'The Nightmare on Elm Street'

The Nightmare of Elm Street is a thriller of murderous passions and it could also be classed as a psychological thriller as it is all about the mind. It is about a serial killer named 'Freddie Krueger' who goes into a series of teenagers' dreams and kills them in their dreams, which then results in their death in reality. The only way they can stay alive is if they stay awake, which is very difficukt for them to do.


I have decided to apply Todorov's model of narrative structure and Propp's theory on charcter roles to the film, 'The Nightmare on Elm Street' this is because this film is the inspiration and similar to the thriller opening that my group and I intend to create.

Propp's Theory

The hero is the main protagonist, who is the centre of the story, usually on a quest, a search or a mission. There are two heroes in the film, Quentin and Nancy, as they are able to survive the vicious dreams that occur throughout Elm Street.

The princess often the hero's reward or prize at the end of the story. There is no real princess as such in this film as no one is seen as a reward.

The princess's father rewards the hero. Quentins father is seen as an authority figure as he attempted to take action, when he found out what Freddie was doing to the teenagers.

The helper provides guidance and support to the hero. The film focuses on Nancy as she is the main chracter and Quentin helps her figure out the background of Krueger and why he was going this to these innocent people. He is relied on to give the main character support and sticks by her.

The dispatcher sends the hero off on his/ her task or quest. There is no real dispatcher as such as no sets the characters to defeat a certain subject. In my opinion, you could argue that the dispatcher could possibly be the dreams as they make the teens want to find out how to overcome them and defeat them.

The donor provides a magic ingredient to move the story on. I believe that the donor could be said to be Nancys Mother, this is because she provides Nancy with relevant data such as photographs which help Nancy to discover that those she met in high school, have been in her life for longer, since she was in pre-school. This suggests a certain link between the past and the present dreams.

The villain competes with and tries to destroy the hero. The villain was Freddie Krueger as he stalked the teenagers in their dreams and murdered them.

Todorov's Theory

 Equilibrium: The happy atmosphere when the teenagers were young and they did not have a care in the world and enjoying their lives. This is when they have fun and begin to learn about life and new experiences.

Disruption: The disruption is when Freddie Krueger is introduced to the children. He begins to try to get close to the children when he gets a job at the school which they all attend.

Recognition of Disruption: The parents discover that Freddie Krueger did abnormal things to them while they were at school. He took them to the 'magic cave' which was a secret place where he would molester them and scratch their clothes. The children then re-discover Freddie Krueger when they begin to have very strange nightmares about him.

Attempt to Repair Disruption:  The two main characters, Nancy and Quentin discover a way to beat Krueger at his own game. They conjour up an idea of which one of both will stay awake whilst the other sleeps to attempt to stop these nightmares by killing him.

A Return of New Equilibrium: There is no surreal new equilibrium as Krueger changes his pattern of murder, this is a sign of torture. He decides that he will not kill Nancy and Quentin, but he would murder those closest to them. This suggests that there is no real happy ending or return of new equilibrium as the villain is yet to be defeated.