Freddy Krueger’s character design and dialogue fundamentally changed the audience's understanding of what a horror villain could be.

“And with those four fingernails, he not only slashed four victims in the movie, but he slashed the Hollywood idea of what a villain is and what he could be. And as Eli already said, what he would say, because Wes did make a villain that could speak. and not only speak but with wit and even eloquence”