Is a nightmare on elm street real?

The Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, including the movies and TV series, is fictional and not based on real events. Freddy Krueger and the scenarios presented in the franchise are figments of the writers' and directors' imaginations. The character of Freddy Krueger was inspired by various factors, including the director's actual encounters with a predatory neighbor with a burn-scarred face and the psychological concept of "dream demons." The franchise is purely entertainment and not related to any real-world events or persons.