Why Nancys Hair Turned Gray In A Nightmare On Elm Street

A Nightmare on Elm Street is one of the most beloved and well-known horror franchises ever, partly because of the nightmarish journey its final girl, Nancy, underwent. With the trademark dream sequences blurring the lines between reality and fiction and the terrifying Freddy Krueger, A Nightmare on Elm Street remains one of horror’s best franchises. Although there are only six movies in the original Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, the series has expanded to include non-canonical films, horror crossovers, and a television show. Although A Nightmare on Elm Street has multiple final girls, the franchise is notorious for killing them in future installments.

Nancy Thompson, A Nightmare on Elm Street‘s original final girl, appears in A Nightmare on Elm Street, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. Although Nancy has dark brown hair, she acquires a streak of gray hair after Freddy Krueger attacks her in the first film. The iconic gray streak of hair remains with Nancy until her death at the end of the third film. Nancy Thompson reappears in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, where she also receives a gray streak. However, there is a significant reason why part of Nancy Thompson’s hair turned gray.

Nancy Gets A Gray Streak In Her Hair Due To Fear In A Nightmare On Elm Street

As Nancy’s Fear Of Freddy Krueger Intensifies, So Does Her Streak Of Gray Hair

Nancy Thompson acquires a streak of gray hair in A Nightmare on Elm Street as a result of Freddy Krueger attacking her while she is dreaming at the sleep clinic. Her gray streak remains part of her hair permanently. After Nancy refuses to sleep, her mother takes her to a clinic where the doctors monitor her REM sleep. During the dreaming stage, Nancy violently thrashes, and doctors immediately rush in to pull her out of her sleep. Nancy’s mother is horrified to discover that Nancy now has a noticeable streak of gray hair and bloody cuts on her arm.

Nancy Thompson’s gray hair represents the emotional intensity of what she endured while Freddy attacked her. After Freddy Krueger attacked Nancy several times, she finally developed a lock of gray hair because of the fear, stress, and trauma she endured at Freddy’s hands. Nancy reappears in the third installment, still sporting her gray streak of hair. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, an alternate reality commentary on A Nightmare on Elm Street, also features Nancy’s iconic gray streak. It represents the effects of the physical and psychological torture that Freddy Krueger puts his victims through. Despite the horrific reason, the gray streak is still an iconic part of Nancy Thompson.

Nancy’s Hair Changing Color Is Based On A Real Phenomenon

Gray Hair Often Occurs When People Endure Trauma

According to the National Library of Medicine, the concept of gray hair quickly developing from stress or trauma is a real ailment called canities subita. The National Library of Medicine proceeds to discuss several scenarios that occurred to real people, including someone who endured a bad fall that resulted from terror, a shipwreck survivor, someone who had a climbing accident, or people’s emotional stress due to a physical illness. Several of these cases acquired their gray hair within 24 hours of their traumatic experience. Therefore, Nancy Thompson’s hair turning gray is a logical response to her encounters with Freddy Krueger.

How Nancy’s Hair Was Almost All Gray In A Nightmare On Elm Street

Nancy Thompson Was Originally Supposed To Wear A Gray Wig In A Nightmare On Elm Street

The actress who played Nancy Thompson, Heather Langenkamp, shared in an interview the process behind the scenes that led to Nancy’s gray streak of hair (via Mandatory). Wes Craven initially wanted Nancy to have a full gray wig, even procuring a “wigmaker from Czechoslovakia” to create the perfect head of gray hair for Nancy Thompson. However, the wig looked absurd, and it did not fit the film at all. As a result, Wes Craven decided that Nancy Thompson would only gain a streak of gray hair created by a hairdresser who dyed a streak of Langenkamp’s hair gray.

Heather Langenkamp also noted that the film’s production was inconsistent with the placement of the gray streak, which also explains why it is more prominent in some scenes. Regardless, it is an iconic staple of Nancy Thompson’s character, symbolizing the trauma Freddy’s other victims endured in their dreams. She is also the only character with a gray streak of hair, a direct result of Freddy Krueger. However, Wes Craven—responsible for the idea of Nancy’s gray hair—did not write or direct any of the other A Nightmare on Elm Street films, other than Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, where Nancy retains her gray streak.

Sources: National Library of Medicine, Mandatory